For over a year, fans and movie goers have waited to see if James Gunn would be able to take the Superman franchise that has long since floundered and make it into a success. Many fans were doubtful that Gunn could do it being as he was moving on from Henry Cavill’s performance. Many more of us grew more doubtful as we saw the production stills and then the trailer. Then we cautiously hoped that it would be just “good” or “ok” because the DC Extended Universe needed something to prove that it still needed to exist. Many of us moviegoers and superhero fans have grown exhausted of so many sequels, changes, and stories that were going nowhere and the question that is at the forefront is “is this new vision of Superman any good?”
I am about to answer that question and as always advise, there may be small spoilers as I do so.
To put it succinctly, I was more than impressed with what James Gunn did with this new vision. I came away feeling like I watched a very good comic book movie, not a superhero movie. By that I mean, I watched a movie that at times campy, corny, fun, serious, action packed and most of all full of heart.
James Gunn, from my own estimation, took a lot of feedback from past films created an experience I haven’t felt since the Donner film. Does this version surpass it? No, but it is pretty close.
To start, this thankfully does away with beating audiences over the head for 30+ minutes of Kal-El’s backstory. Retelling it (and for that matter any established superhero that has had numerous movies) is almost an insult so we get just enough information about the world and then we are off to the races as Kal-El is already established in this world. I will discuss more about the plot shortly.
The next question that is burning in everyone’s minds:
- How does David Corenswet fare as the latest actor to play Superman?
Corenswet was great. His portrayal will be compared more with Christopher Reeve’s than it will be with Henry Cavill. Where Cavill’s portrayal was one of a lone hero trying to find his place and bear the hurts of the world, Corensweat’s Superman is one that is still trying to figure things out; he is the big blue Boy Scout and just wants to see everyone get along peacefully.
- What about Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane portrayal?
I enjoyed her role so much! It doesn’t help that she passingly looks similar to Margot Kidder. She is smart and very resourceful. Her portrayal of Lois is that she is not a woman always in need of saving!
- Is Nicholas Hoult any good as Lex Luthor?
Just when I thought I was going to be sick of Lex Luthor being a foil in Superman movies, James Gunn finds a way to really make this fit. Brash, xenophobic to a fault, myopic in vision and able to multitask to cause trouble, Hoult washes out the bitter taste that Jessie Eisenberg gave us nearly a decade ago. This is the best Luthor portrayal on the big screen since Hackman’s representation, hands down.
- …and the rest?
If you are referring to Isabela Merced (Hawkgirl) Edi Gathegi (Mr. Terrific), Nathan Fillion (Guy Gardner), then I would have to say that the “Justice Gang” were very present in the film and thankfully we didn’t require huge amounts of backstory to understand why they were there. If there was a minor quibble, it’s that Merced was probably the most under utilized of the three but when they were on screen, they made the most of their time.
I could tell you more about Skyler Gisondo’s modern ‘choir boy’ portrayal of Jimmy Olsen or Beck Bennett’s over the top Steve Lombard or even say not to sleep on Sara Sampaio’s Eve Teschmacher, but I have gotten this far and haven’t really said much about what made this movie good.
As stated, the world that this Superman lives in is already established. Lex Luthor is as always, doing all that he can to discredit Superman. As this story is told, any comic book fan would feel right at home as to how things play out. How Superman and Luthor play off of one another is one dynamic but how Clack and Lois interact is another.
The standout scene is when Lois manages to break down Clark by asking a series of introspective questions about whether or not Clark as Superman has the right to interact with worldly affairs even if he thinks he is doing the right thing. In that one moment we are faced with Clark’s vulnerable side, Superman’s arrogance, Clark’s want for peace in the world and Superman wanting to stop at nothing to bring it at all costs and not realizing that there are repercussions to it all. I feel as if this is something we have not gotten on the big screen since that time Superman spun the world backwards to save a dead Lois.
To address the Snyder fans, sorry, this isn’t your Cavill Superman. Me personally, I did like “Man of Steel” and I like this movie too. There is room for both of them to exist. While that version was a bit darker and broodier, this brought a vision that despite everything happening around us, we can fight to shine a light to bring out the good. This movie was well paced with good action sequences, some good introspective moments and not once did I feel like I had to wait too long for things to happen. For those afraid that Superman won’t have anything to punch at, he does. For those who fear he will cause wholesale destruction, he does not. Also, one big change that Gunn made in the Superman mythos was with how Kryptonians see Earth in light of Kal-El’s arrival. The change though subtle was stunning and unexpected. Thus the quote, “”Your choices, your actions, that’s what makes you who you are.” will come to define what kind of person Kal-El will be.
Are there complaints? Not many. One being that even though this was a PG-13 movie, there was a LOT of adult language. For many kids under 10, this will be their first Superman they get to see on the big screen. Some parents will want to be aware of that. The second small issue I had is the rehashing of some of John Williams’ musical motifs to link this to the 1978 movie. Part of me gets it, but another part of me wants to see this movie really stand on its own two. This was one thing I did appreciate about Hans Zimmer’s scoring approach in Man of Steel is that it sounds nothing like Williams’ work but still provided a heroic gravitas.
Lastly, there was something that Luthor had as an advantage that I was surprised that Superman, with all of his powers didn’t figure out to handle until later on but…as it’s always been said, Superman was more about brawn than brains, so take it was you will.
I can’t say any more without spoiling this movie except this is definitely the breath of fresh air in a genre that has recently given us more quantity than quality. It’s a must see event and if you have younger ones that want to have fun.…
…oh wait, how did I go this whole review without mention Krypto? Let me rectify this…Krypto is the good boy, the GOAT, and dang it…just a MENACE!!!
Final Grade: A-
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