Film Review: Superman
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Like a blur, a movie arrives this summer that’s about how someone tries to do right by their parents and make a change. No I’m not talking about 28 Years later, I’m referring to Superman, the James Gunn film and the kick off to the new DCU. As a big fan of the title character, I always get scared whenever a universe or studio plan hinges on how successful Superman will be but luckily this seems to be a harbinger of potentially greatness down the line.
Superman takes place in a world that is used to Metahumans and Superman is three years into his journey as we learn in the movie’s opening text. We also learn that he’s just lost a fight for the first time as he crashes into the Antarctic snow. It’s not long before Krypto, his dog comes and whisks him away and we’re off. After recovery, Superman faces a new normal. The loss of his fight to someone called the Hammer of Boronia has led to increased questions about his decision to intervene in an international conflict as well as his place in the world, given his extraterrestrial origins. This fact is something that really sticks in the craw of Lex Luthor, who spends nearly every waking moment putting plans in motion to humiliate and rid the world of Superman. As the chaos builds around him and Superman is pushed to the brink, he has to dig deep and perhaps get a little help from some friends to put a stop to the forces trying to rip Metropolis, and the world, apart.
James Gunn is one of the few folks in Hollywood that seem to get superhero as what they are fundamentally meant to be, ideals for people to strive for yes, but individual characters that have wants and needs as well. In this movie, he gives us a great examination of Superman and what is means to Kal-El to be Superman. Every action has an interesting reaction in the movie, and that’s a testament to to his work on the script and team around him. The elements for making a successful Superman movie are all here and the film is a lot of fun.
Gunn is also a director who seems to relish working with a large ensemble and he finds fun and unique ways to use actors. It’s thrilling to be placed in a world with established heroes and have them work with and against Superman. Nathan Fillion is an incredible Guy Gardner and Edi Gathegi all but wrests the movie away from everyone as the goddamn Mr. Terrific. Sueprman also wouldn’t be who he is without Lois. Rachel Brosnahan is absolutely on fire as Lois Lane, and the chemistry with her and David is screen meltingly hot, but she does feel a bit underused. Pairing her with Mr. Terrific for a spell gave the movie a much needed expanse of her role, and it will be interesting to see if she will get more involved in the shenanigans as the franchise goes on. We don’t know anything about her family, but given her comic book parents, she certainly could get in the mix more.
David Corenswet is an actor I’ve been familiar with since he popped up in Ryan Murphy’s The Politician and instantly declared that he would play Superman one day. It’s nice to be right, and even more nice that he is adequately up to the job, making both the Clark Kent and Superman personas feel equally distant and lived in. Though I do think the movie goes for some of “aw shucks I’m just from Kansas” style beats a bit too much, Corenswet’s warmth and genuine comedic timing make meals out of the material he’s given. For all that people claim Superman to be boring and basic, there’s a crackling energy this Superman and Corenswet shows us the fraying edges and prickly parts of what it means for a man to believe in his convictions and attempt to do right at every turn.
While David gets to play in the nuances, Nicholas Hoult (who ironically also auditioned for the role of Superman) is as big and villainous a Lex Luthor as maybe we’ve ever had. In must confess that I find Nic’s energy and performance one that fits the brief, the 1000% evil Lex has never been my favorite iteration of the character, precisely because of what is shown here. A man that smart and rich doesn’t need to be as openly villainous and transparent as he is. When he finally reveals his true feelings in a monologue that left no piece of scenery unthawed, I was left feeling a bit bereft and walloped over the head.
Speaking of walloped over the head, I think this film’s most glaring weakness is that for all the delight that Gunn wrings from the script, this movie is the Disco Uptempo version of the story. It’s a lean movie but in the leanness, there is stuff left on the cutting room floor that makes some parts of the film, like Lois, feel a bit unexplored. We also don’t get much in the way of Clark Kent, which I think doesn’t detract from the movie per say, but without it the stuff at The Daily Planet feels a little thin and divorced from the fabric of Metropolis (we spend more time with a Fox News-qesue channel than we do with Perry White for example). This is not a movie that’s missing texture, but we do miss much of the fabric of the community Superman lives in.
I love how focused Lex is on getting Superman out of the paint that he combed through every location he fought to get a strand of hair to clone him, but wouldn’t that have been more interesting to see, rather than just have delivered in a big villain monologue?
It’s also an interesting, if slightly off kilter choice, to have the message from his parents be taken with such great face value by the characters in the story, especially since the Engineer is the one who “translates” the previously corrupted message. Given how crazy everything seems to be going down and lining up against Superman, did none of the people think to really question it? Sure there’s an army of monkeys in a pocket dimension writing mean things about Superman on the internet but I was kind of shook at just how dumb everyone in Metropolis seemed to me about this big reveal.
This movie doesn’t think the audience is dumb however, and lets us form our own opinions about everything. The central international conflict will certainly bring to mind several we have and are currently living through, and Gunn wisely lets the actions for the story speak for itself. It’s no surprise that a character like Superman would have to contend with many of the issues we face today, nor should we misss the message that maybe in order to solve our problems, basic human empathy and a willingness to stand up for others will make everyone’s lives better.
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