It’s so refreshing to watch a new Superman movie that doesn’t go over the backstory again. How many times do we have to see Superman’s home world Krypton explode and the young infant Kal-El is sent to Earth to live with humans? What’s refreshing about James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is that it starts the story in medias res with Superman already having saved Metropolis enough times to be beloved by all and his longtime nemesis Lex Luthor is knee-deep in a new plan to destroy him. In fact, the film starts with Superman in mid-battle and it’s brutal. It kicks off the film with a lot of energy, taking all our expectations and throwing it out the window because everything looks stunning.
But more importantly, what I find truly engaging is Gunn and David Corenswet’s take on the metahuman Superman. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill, and even Brandon Routh’s portrayals of the iconic hero. But all of their versions carry a lofty, otherworldly goodness that leans heavily into the archetype of the boy scout: infallible and overflowing with kindness. Of course, Cavill’s take is a little darker, a little more tortured, because of Snyder’s grasp of the world but it’s still more than human. But Gunn and Corenswet makes Superman very, very human.
He gets frustrated. Little things bother him. There’s a joy he has when he does something good, like a teen winning an award at school. He can even be a bit cocky, which gives him a bit of an edge. It’s these little touches that makes Corenswet’s Superman so believable, especially when the film tries to paint him as a human being with godlike powers. For the first time, I believe in Superman as a character.
Gunn also manages to build a world where metahumans are a normal part of everyday life. When they battle in the middle of the city, some people stop to stare or take videos, while others run for cover. It’s all part of life in a superhuman world. In one hilarious scene, Clark and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan) share an intimate moment while, in the background, a group of heroes fights a massive creature. It’s probably just another Tuesday in this version of reality.
In the film, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) uses the resources of his billion-dollar empire to try and take down Superman. The caped hero is in hot water because he stopped a war between two nations, the nation that started the conflict being an ally of the United States of America. His intervention has caused a geopolitical mess that has Luthor lobbying for the banning of metahuman activities.
But Superman just wants to do good and in a brilliantly written and performed scene by Corenswet and Brosnahan, Lois interviews Superman and asks him the tough questions about the dangers of overstepping his authority in matters of geopolitics.
This and other events lead to Superman losing the public’s trust, and it’s quite brilliant how Gunn weaves in politics, foreign policy, and social media to become a greater threat than Lex Luthor ever could be. Gunn manages to maintain a sense of whimsy and comedy (which he has mastered in previous comic book films) while using the narrative to allude to real-world issues and forming an allegory for the problems that’s happening in the world and in America today.
By bringing in the importance of public opinion, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane becomes an active player in the story and not just Superman’s love interest. As a reporter, she has the means to go against Lex Luthor in the public sphere while Superman handles the superhuman threats the comes along.
And Superman is not alone.
‘Superman’ is a big, fun, and fast-paced comic book movie. It’s irreverent, packed with stunning visual effects, and filled with high-flying, high-octane fight scenes. The editing is sharp, quick without ever losing clarity. Corenswet and Hoult are both incredible, and Brosnahan holds her own, never fading into the background. While Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is bound to become a fan favorite, it’s Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific who might surprise new viewers with a quiet meaty role and has a lot of standout moments.
Superman, as a character, has always been so invincible that writing a story for him for the movies seemed impossible to bring it down a scale to something relatable. It’s always so big and massive because of the power he wields. What James Gunn and his team does is not bring down the scale but amplifies his humanity making ‘Superman’ something new, especially for people like me who has never read his comics.
My Rating:
Catch Superman now in cinemas and see the Man of Steel like you’ve never seen him before. Check showtimes and catch the action on the big screen here.
