Superman
James Gunn's big-budget reboot feels like the first movie since the original Christopher Reeve film to get Superman right.
Truth be told, for as iconic as the character Superman is, he’s easily one of the hardest superheroes to adapt into live-action. The original Christopher Reeve movie is a classic and is justly celebrated for being one of the first true superhero blockbusters. The sequels ranged from decent to downright terrible, while the soft reboot “Superman Returns” was largely forgettable, outside of a well-cast Brandon Routh.
Then there’s the giant elephant in the room known as Zack Snyder’s “Man of Steel.” A movie that I’ll admit I really liked when I first saw it, but it also had too much of an edge, never truly grasping what the character of Superman stands for: hope, justice, and humanity.
It’s crazy to think that if James Gunn had never been temporarily fired by Marvel (after a right-wing influencer wanted to get even with Disney after they fired Roseanne Barr), we probably would have never seen him jump ship to DC with “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker,” two titles that were easily the best offerings of the DC brand’s previous cinematic iteration. Now he’s running the whole studio, and starting from scratch (well, kind of).
“Superman” marks the official start of the DCU on the big screen, and follows the titular hero, aka Clark Kent, aka Kal-El (David Corenswet), three years after introducing himself to the public. After intervening in a war between the countries of Boravia (an ally of the U.S.) and Jarhanpur, Superman becomes the target of tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is envious of the hero’s acclaim and has been profiting off the war.
The only person, outside of his adoptive work parents Jon and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell), who knows Clark’s real identity is his girlfriend and fellow journalist at the Daily Planet, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). As tensions between Superman and Lex Luthor continue to mount, the latter attempts to create a smear campaign in order to have the public at large turn on the former. But as Superman and Lois realize the truth of Lex’s plot, they have to get assistance from a burnt-out trio of superheroes known as the Justice Gang: Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), as well as the shapeshifting metahuman Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Clark’s superpowered canine Krypto, who is as disobedient as he is adorable.
As I noted before, this character is an enormously difficult one to adapt. As talented as Gunn is at directing crowd-pleasing superhero movies, his previous films were about adapting characters who aren’t as well-known. Superman is the definitive superhero; even those who have never picked up a comic book in their life, or have managed to avoid the endless glut of superhero fare populating the big screen over the past two decades, know who this character is.
Yet, Gunn’s big, goofy, and bold personality ultimately fits “Superman” like a glove. Not only does Gunn prove that he knows exactly what makes this character feel so special, but he also takes us back to the era of films like Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man trilogy. Gunn’s movie feels as if it was ripped straight out of the pages of a comic book, wearing the over-the-top tone proudly on its sleeve.
Gunn takes plenty of big swings with “Superman,” and while that same sense of humor that was present in “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Suicide Squad” is present, it never feels forced or overdone. All of it feels natural, and never at the expense of our heroes.
Speaking of heroes, David Corenswet embodies the title role perfectly. While he may be the strongest being on planet Earth, Corenswet is able to convincingly show the character’s vulnerabilities and his heart. Much like the recent animated series, “My Adventures with Superman,” the new flick strives and succeeds at making this larger-than-life character feel relatable.
Additionally, he shares fabulous chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, who may just be the best on-screen interpretation of the character. There are some shades of modern relationships depicted, but their love for each other really shines, and you can’t help but root for them and their happiness.
Nicholas Hoult perfectly nails the pettiness and instability of Lex Luthor. For as politically relevant as “Superman” is, the depiction of Luthor doesn’t feel as if it's trying to be an imitation of modern big-tech figures. There are a few shades of Elon Musk, but at its core, this feels like the most accurate and understanding adaptation of the infamous DC Comics foe. He’s a whiny brat, and Hoult embraces it.
The supporting team is all perfectly cast as well. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho get some big laughs and unique powers, and Skyler Gisondo is the ideal Jimmy Olsen. Without a doubt, the biggest scene-stealer is Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrefic, exuberating the right amount of swagger and douchiness, culminating in one of the movie’s best action set-pieces (all set to a killer needle-drop, as you’d expect from Gunn).
“Superman” has a lot riding on its back, having to set up an almost entirely new franchise after several failed attempts. Maybe the biggest surprise is how contained everything feels, the ending doesn’t sequel bait you (although there will inevitably be one), instead it seeks to tell just one story of “Superman.” It’s refreshing, especially with many of the post- “Avengers: Endgame” MCU movies, constantly having post-credit stingers teasing characters that will likely never show up again.
Saying that, there is still a lot going on in the plot “Superman.” Gunn’s film runs at two hours and 6 minutes, including credits, and for the story that it’s telling, it feels like the movie needed an extra 20-30 minutes just to flesh things out a bit more. Once you get past the opening, which feels like sensory overload, this flick flies by faster than a speeding bullet. Not that Gunn’s film needed to be nearly 3 hours long, but an extra Superman-centric action setpiece or more time at the Daily Planet could’ve helped this feel even more satisfying than it already is.
As a whole, “Superman” more than succeeds, with Gunn proving to be the right choice to tackle this character. Heart is key to this character, and after making us fall in love with a band of intergalactic outlaws-turned-heroes and misfit supervillains, we should have never doubted Gunn in channeling the crux of “Superman.”
Gunn’s “Superman” is a refreshing, hugely entertaining, crowd-pleasing summer blockbuster, that’s a more-than-promising start to the DCU. Warner Bros needs this movie to be a hit, and it’s safe to say that they’re breathing a sigh of relief. As many of the superhero movies of the last five years have blended together and begun to feel the same, “Superman,” much like the red-tights-clad Kryptonian himself, flies above the pack.