Look up! Up in the sky! One of the most beloved superheroes of them all has returned for a new generation of moviegoers. James Gunn’s Superman takes flight and brings back the vibrant comic book vibe that has been missing since the Christopher Reeve era. While no Superman movie could ever measure up to the Donner/Lester originals, Gunn infuses his entry with the main ingredient that has been absent from recent incarnations. Fun.
It would be a vain attempt to measure James Gunn’s film to the timelessness of 1978’s Superman the Movie and 1981’s Superman II. Those two pictures are the enduring blueprints of how to properly craft a superhero movie. Screenwriters Mario Puzo, Robert Benton, David & Leslie Newman, and Tom Mankiewicz took great care to assure their screenplays beamed with what made the character so endearing. Hiring director Richard Donner to helm the film (and Richard Lester to reshape part two) solidified the mastery in the filmmaking. Both movies had a patience in the filmmaking and a sense of cinematic wonder that is long gone.
It has been a rough road for ol’ “Supes” since those glory days. Lester’s Superman III was mediocre at best, while 1987’s Superman IV: The Quest For Peace suffered from legendary budget cuts that hampered director Sidney J. Furie’s vision. The crushing failure of that film soured fans (and star/screenwriter Christopher Reeve) on any future Superman movies. The majestic Reeve era fizzled out with a whimper.
2006’s Superman Returns had a chance to recapture that old school magic. Brandon Routh made a very good Superman, but was saddled with a lackluster director and a dull script that wasted too much time having its lead character mope around, doing things Superman wouldn’t do. It was unfair that Routh was not afforded a chance at a second film. With a better screenplay and a more in-tune director, the actor could have been a contender.
There are many opinions about 2013’s Man of Steel and the subsequent films that featured Superman. Their absolute failure can be found in the filmmakers’ head-scratching choice to present Superman as a drab, depressed, dullard. From the near-colorless suit to Henry Cavill’s comatose performance, the essence of the character and everything that makes Superman so special were lost in a cinematically ugly sea of overly-dramatic seriousness, allowing the Cavill era no lasting legacy.
James Gunn has been waiting a long time to make this film and it shows. It has been over 40 years since a Superman movie had such a good time with its story. Superman certainly suffers from imperfections, but in the end, nothing takes away from the exciting experience of returning the character to his core creation.
All eyes are on David Corenswet. The pressure of donning the suit and cape for a new generation must have been unbearable. Almost immediately, it is evident that Gunn and his casting directors made the right choice. Corenswet finds perfect symmetry between Superman’s Boy Scout-heroics and Clark Kent’s “Aw Shucks” innocence. The performance is immediately comforting and Corenswet makes us care for Superman and his desire to fit in with humanity; a feeling not realized since the days of Christopher Reeve.
The same is true for Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. The actress returns the spunkiness and brash personality to the legendary Daily Planet reporter. All post-Margo Kidder portrayals have failed to register, as Lane was always portrayed as angry and bitter. It is a delight to see Brosnahan return Lois Lane to her rightful personality.
The rapport between the two actors is intoxicating. Corenswet and Brosnahan get to the heart of Clark and Lois’ relationship. Their natural chemistry sells the emotional beats of their romance, while their combined acting skills make the drama of trying to sustain something normal (while one partner is an alien superhero) more potent.
Superman begins with a quick recap of how he came to Earth, using just a few clever paragraphs on screen. Gunn realizes the redundancy of another depiction of Krypton’s demise and Clark’s teen years, saving viewers from a useless prologue. We meet our hero as he loses his first battle, plummeting to Earth, and getting rescued by his dog, Krypto. The inclusion of the beloved canine is a great touch and is in line with the story’s return to its comic book origins. Gunn wastes no time, as he quickly establishes Superman, Krypto, and the Fortress of Solitude.
Clark Kent is now fully grown and fully Superman, living in Metropolis and working as a reporter for the Daily Planet. Of course he works with Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo, in a clever and entertainingly different rendition of the character). Their boss is still Perry White (an underused Wendell Pierce) and things are mostly as fans know them to be.
Enter Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), a paranoid, tech-bro, egomaniac who hates Superman with every fiber of his being. Luthor’s diabolical plan is to turn the public’s opinion regarding his flying foe. The government is still coming to terms with Superman, who seems to do good for the world, but they are cautious of this being from another planet and his deeper intentions. Most see him as a hero. Lex plans on framing Superman, imprisoning him, and eventually destroying the misunderstood man of steel.
Superman and Lex Luthor have not actually “met” and this is the first time the villain makes an actual move against his enemy. This is the beginning of their hero-nemesis connection and Hoult seizes every madman moment. This time, Lex is made up of petty, rage-filled, jealousy; his actions overcompensating for a man who cannot function within regular society. All he has, in his words, is “Brains over brawn.”
As Gunn’s screenplay progresses, the screen is filled (sometimes over filled) with many side characters staking their claim for further appearances in future DC movies. Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), find a place in the new Superman universe, with Gathegi’s performance leaving a lasting impression.
Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince) draw the short straw. With the exception of a moving moment between father and son, the Kents are reduced to stereotypical Kansas hicks. There is neither truth nor justice in the manner Gunn’s script depicts the couple.
The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) and the masked Ultraman are two more characters that could have benefited from more time at the idea pool.
Superman packs a wallop in its action sequences. While a few moments are a bit too “Guardians of the Galaxy” in their design, James Gunn knows how to shoot big action scenes where the CGI never overtakes what is on the screen. Monsters, genetically modified adversaries, in-air combat, and a time portal are all fully realized. The director wants audiences to experience the action and the world designs created by his FX crews rather than throw a barrage of indecipherable images across the screen. Gunn works hard to make his spectacle dazzle rather than dizzy.
One of the film’s most important takeaways is how Gunn refuses to purposely use Superman in a political manner. He is a refuge from another universe, yes; both an alien from Krypton and a Kansas farm boy. Kal-el wants nothing more than to balance his two identities and live a clean life, while helping his fellow Earthlings along the way. As Superman sees the public turn on him after what may or may not have been a bad idea in stopping a war between two countries, it becomes a fight for his reputation and his freedom. It is the ugly America of 2025 that makes Superman’s woes at the hands of manipulative media feel so relevant. Gunn and his film just want us to have fun.
There is a lot of plot in Gunn’s story and the movie holds a few surprises. Audiences should go in as cold as possible and enjoy the experience as it unfolds. Don’t search the internet for spoilers, just get to the biggest screen possible, purchase your popcorn and soda, sit down, and be entertained.
The film has its issues (a wasted Perry White, the portrayal of the Kents, a ridiculous use of Rock and Roll music where David Fleming and John Murphy’s score should have soared), but nothing hampers the final product. There are many fine moments within. The director finds the sweetness, romance, and adventure that has been missing from the character for far too long.
Superman has always been a perfect blend of unwavering heroics and corny nobility. Gunn recaptures that purity created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster almost 90 years ago. There is no need for self-parody or silly gags. Unlike almost all modern comic films, Gunn doesn’t feel a need to poke fun at his main character. Man of two worlds, son of two fathers, powers beyond reason, and hero to us all, Superman is the very definition of a superhero. If it ain’t broke…
James Gunn’s Superman is a welcome reprieve from the cookie-cutter Marvel movies and the ugly DC pictures of the past decade. This is a colorful, coherent, and engaging blast of old school superhero excitement for kids and adults alike.
This Superman soars!
Superman
Written by James Gunn (Based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)
Directed by James Gunn
Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Skyler Gisondo, Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, Neva Howell, Pruitt Taylor Vince, María Gabriela de Faría
PG-13, 129 Minutes, DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Saffron Company
