By Bob Grimm
I’ve made no secret of my disdain for the handling of the Superman film franchise in the hands of Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan. Henry Cavill could’ve been a decent Supes, but Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman and Justice League botched the character by taking what had been a virtuous, positive character and turning him into a Kryptonian version of Batman—brooding, whining and, unlike Batman, boring.
James Gunn’s new Superman movie has a vibe similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy movies and, to some extent, his takes on Peacemaker and The Suicide Squad. If you don’t like James Gunn movies, you probably won’t like Superman.
But I like James Gunn, and I like the new movie. I like it a lot. No, it is not as good as the first two Christopher Reeve Superman films. I’d say it is a little better than the under-appreciated Superman Returns. (All hail, Brandon Routh!) It’s much, much better than Snyder-verse Superman. Sorry, Henry; you got a raw deal.
Stepping into the role of Superman/Kal-El is David Corenswet, an actor who has been kicking around Hollywood for more than a decade, showing up in a few notable projects (Pearl, Twisters) but not really making a big mark. He’s made a big mark now: He’s a terrific Superman. This version of the character is charming, funny, semi-irritable and, yes, vulnerable—but without being a brooding baby. No matter what happens to Superman in this movie, he remains optimistic and focused on fighting for truth, justice and Lois Lane (an equally wonderful Rachel Brosnahan, the best Lois since Margot Kidder).
A note on the vulnerable aspect of Superman: He gets his ass kicked way too much in this movie. This is a minor quibble, but Superman spends a lot of time bloodied, getting shriveled up like a raisin from Kryptonite exposure, and so on. I would’ve preferred a little more of him kicking ass rather than getting his ass kicked constantly—but that would be in my “perfect” Superman movie, and this one isn’t perfect.
The many beatdowns Superman takes are all connected to his most infamous enemy, Lex Luthor, played with psychotic charm by Nicholas Hoult. Hoult, himself a former candidate for the Superman role, gives us the scariest Luthor yet. He’s funny—but deliriously evil, and some of his actions are shocking for a comic-book movie. Hoult creates a monster that is calm and suave in one moment, and a cold-hearted, crazed killer in the next. You’ll remember this Lex.
The movie is packed with a lot of extra superhero characters, almost making it a Justice League movie. Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Supergirl (Milly Alcock) all play a part. Krypto the dog, a fine CGI creation based in part on James Gunn’s own dog, also plays a substantial role. The dynamic between Krypto and Superman is one of the best aspects of the movie—total fun.
Yes, this is a lot for a 129-minute movie, but Gunn does a good job of keeping it mostly centered, giving characters space and time to develop, and establishing his new DC Universe. Superman isn’t a supporting character, but he comes close at times, with everything else going on. Now that everything has been established, I’m thinking the next chapter will be a little calmer.
The movie gets right to it in its opening minutes. Superman has been doing his thing for three years, and Lois already knows that Clark Kent is Superman. The movie trusts that most of the folks sitting down to watch it know the character’s origin story and just want to see him being Superman.
By the time it ends, the stage has been set for a new age with the DCU; a star has been born with Corenswet; and Lois Lane finally gets a real part in a Superman movie, after the character had been notoriously downplayed since the Kidder days.
Superman ends a stretch of bad superhero films from both DC and Marvel. With Gunn in charge of the whole DC Universe—not just Superman—we are guaranteed a different, semi-crazy and fun take on a lot of beloved characters. This movie is fun, and it’s a safe bet the future films will be, too.
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