Superman

It has been well-documented over the years just how tumultuous and chaotic the DC cinematic universe has been for the greater part of a decade. After the Zack Snyder tenure was quickly discarded in hopes of finding a more audience-friendly path forward, the DC brand has essentially wiped the slate clean, handing the keys over to filmmaker James Gunn and his producing partner Peter Safran to usher in a new era of DC. After finding success with his terrific, yet underseen The Suicide Squad, a film that allowed Gunn, a former Troma creative, full reign to match his crowdpleasing narrative skill with his edgier sensibilities, Gunn shifts gears into a far more squeaky clean, yet equally thrilling new chapter of DC. Starting over from Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel with Pearl and Twisters star David Corenswet donning the red cape, this new take on Superman harkens back to the Silver Age era, one that distills the spirit of the comics into a fresh and lively new film. Given the glut of Superhero films in past years, Gunn continues to show his unrivaled knack for understanding these heroes and making these larger-than-life beings into fully-fledged characters. While other companies and creatives struggle with translating these characters to the big-screen, Gunn makes it look easy.

Courtesy Warner Bros

Three years after showing himself to the world, we first find Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) after suffering his first-ever loss in battle. After being taken to the Fortress of Solitude by his unruly Kanine Krypto, he is quickly healed with the power of the sun and flies back to Metropolis to fight another day. As Clark Kent, he is a reporter for The Daily Planet, where he has a secret relationship with the smart and equally noble reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Meanwhile, Billionaire demagogue Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is hell-bent on eradicating Superman and all other metahumans on the planet, while also placing himself in the middle of a deadly conflict between two neighboring countries, Boravia and Jarhanpur. Lex is depicted as a media manipulator, using his resources and money to control the narrative against Superman, hoping to permanently damage his goodwill with the people of Earth. Also lurking around is the so-called “Justice Gang”, a group of heroes funded by Lord Industries, led by Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion, sporting an intentionally awful wig), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). Superman must find a way to stop the Boravia/Jarhanpur conflict from escalating and put an end to Lex Luthor’s potential path at even greater power and world domination.

Writer/director James Gunn has delivered a Superman film overflowing with exuberance and warmth. As the first film in a new DC universe, Gunn wisely avoids the many trappings that have plagued the genre for years now, keeping the narrative focus set squarely on Superman and his quest to uphold his belief of good in humanity. Initially, it seems as though Gunn throws too many characters into the film, yet the tight scripting and emotional depth allows room for these different characters and subplots to breathe. Despite many fears that a number of side characters would render the film overstuffed and overpopulated, this Superman thrives off of going back to basics. Gone is the rehashing of Superman’s origin; Gunn places the audience directly into the film where many of these characters already have established relationships and dynamics. Clark and Lois already have a deep trust and love for one another, while Superman and Lex are bitter enemies from the first time we see them share a room together. It’s this simplistic, yet effective strategy of storytelling that allows Gunn to hone in on the many themes at play. By choosing to forgo yet another origin story, Gunn is able to explore these characters in a deeper manner, getting straight to the heart of what they stand for without sifting through laborious set-up.

Superman is explicitly drawn as a representation of American Idealism as well as a conduit for immigrants, misfits and other outcasts who are villified by society. The Boravia/Jarhanpur conflict is very much a reflection of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians at the hands of Israel, which Gunn portrays with optimism, likely to the chagrin of some. Superman is not a perfect being, he’s flawed, struggles to balance his time as Superman and as Clark Kent and be a devoted partner to Lois. Yet he maintains the mentality that the heart of the good can persevere in the face of evil. It’s this ideal that separates him from the rest of the DC heroes. Gunn also maintains the same boyish, earnest sense of tone, cut from the same close as Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, which, itself, was influenced by Richard Donner’s Superman. The filmmaker emphasizes his basic heroism with simple moments of Superman saving a squirrel or a small child, turning these beats into chill-inducing moments of humanity. He leads with his heart, which is precisely what Gunn does with his film.

Courtesy Warner Bros

As the titular hero, David Corenswet is a genuine breakout. The actor wonderfully embodies both Superman and Clark Kent with a performance that echoes the gee-whiz Boy Scout attitude of Christopher Reeves with an ironclad determination. For all the complaints that Superman is a stiff character, Corenswet makes the iconic hero as compelling and three-dimensional as he’s ever been portrayed on-screen. Corenswet’s portrayal is note-perfect as are the moments between him as Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. The two actors have genuine romantic chemistry, but their relationship is built on the foundation that they are still equal to each other. Lois is every bit as brave and dedicated to her work as Clark is, making this a relationship more grounded than most previous film incarnations. A notable highlight shows the two deciding on doing an official interview between Lois and Superman where Lois asks some tough, albeit necessary, questions. Gunn’s crackling dialogue is on full display with this sequence, allowing the audience to understand the complicated dynamic between the two, while also getting a sense as to who they are and what their ideals hold. Just as captivating is Nicholas Hoult as Superman’s classic nemesis. Hoult’s gloating Lex is filled with rage and an unstoppable hatred for Superman that sees him going to no end to see his downfall. This modern, tech-bro take on Luthor feels nearly all-too-familiar in a time where tech gods all but run the country, making this Lex feel all the more timely, despite many of these traits stemming from stories created decades ago. This is one of Hoult’s finest performances, one that holds its own against the iconic Gene Hackman’s portrayal. 

Supporting turns from Nathan Fillion’s cocky Guy Gardner, Skyler Gisondo’s womanizing Jimmy Olsen and most notably, Edi Gathegi’s brilliant Mr. Terrific all are given ample enough space to steal their moments of screentime. Even if it’s at the expense of other characters such as Isabela Merced’s Hawgirl, Wendell Pierce’s Perry White and both Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell’s Ma and Pa Kent from fully registering. John Murphy and David Fleming’s score, which interpolates the classic John Williams theme, is rousing, even if it doesn’t reach the grandiose heights of Williams original works, or even Hans Zimmer’s masterful themes for Man of Steel. The classic Williams sampling, done over with a Jimi Hendrix-influenced electric guitar cover, works to give this new Superman a memorable theme of his own, one that uses the iconic work to familiarize audiences with the majesty of the character while emboldening it with new sounds and genres of influences.

Gunn has typically used his idiosyncrasies well when it comes to inventive action sequences. Think back to the opening title sequence of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 or the fist fight in The Suicide Squad framed in the reflection of Peacemaker’s helmet as examples. The filmmaker does offer up some slick and comics-accurate set pieces in here, namely a 360-degree shot inside a force field which is a nice touch of kineticism that amplifies the power of one character, while displaying the greater stakes of the story for another. Some of Superman’s powers are shown off in distinct, entertaining fashion as well. However, some of these sequences border on weightless and represent the lesser side of Gunn’s abilities at crafting action.

Courtesy Warner Bros

With grace and earnestness flowing throughout its beating heart, Superman is a bright light for the new DC universe. Writer/director James Gunn delivers something of a prototypical Superman movie, one that leaves the viewer with a sense of hope in these dark times we face. Recapturing the look and feel of a classic Superman comic, Gunn’s film is one of the more distinct and memorable superhero films in recent years. David Corenswet’s breakthrough performance as Superman is simply captivating, as are Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane. Wisely, James Gunn never gets too overstuffed with establishing new characters or corners in this universe, putting the focus on the journey of his iconic hero with breathless results.

Superman opens in theaters on July 11th.