James Gunn’s take on the Man of Steel is highly anticipated, but is it worth the wait? Here’s our Superman review.
It’s been a good while since we’ve seen one of the most iconic superheroes fly across the screen, at least on a solo mission. Superman hasn’t had his own film since 2013’s Man Of Steel, and with superhero movies still just about dominating the cinematic landscape, his presence has been missed.
James Gunn, the filmmaker behind the Guardians Of The Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad and the screenwriter of Scooby-Doo and its sequel, has fixed that. Gunn’s Superman not only brings the hero back to the big screen, but also kickstarts his new DC Universe.
It’s quite a start.
This is normally where I’d give you a brief explanation of the plot. We meet our young and naive protagonist at the beginning of his journey. Then something happens, sending him on some version of the classic hero’s journey, leading up to a huge battle at the end.
But Gunn isn’t interested in following a strict three-act structure. Instead, we’re essentially dropped into the second act of a story already in motion. When we meet Superman (David Corenswet), he’s just lost his first battle and seeks refuge at the Fortress of Solitude.
Eventually, we discover that Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is obsessed with Superman and the idea of killing him, and things move on at a mind-numbing speed from there. More and more characters are introduced, Superman has to confront his own past and has an identity crisis, while his relationship with Lois Lane (a perfectly cast Rachel Brosnahan) is on thin ice. All this leads to a relatively traditional second half where Superman throws punches and Gunn’s camera swoops around multiple locations.
To Gunn’s credit, there’s an admirable boldness to Superman. Everything in this universe is already established; Lois and Superman are a couple, the world knows Superman and Lex is already a full-blown supervillain. You can’t accuse Superman of talking down to its audience, though Gunn assumes that we already know what the story is. That’s fine if you’re a fan, but what about newcomers? Superman requires quite a leap of faith for those unfamiliar with these characters and their motives.
There are interesting shades to Gunn’s overly energetic and fast-moving script. The central conflict – Lex helping one fictional country invade another – has shades of Russia’s war with Ukraine and the conflict in Palestine. There’s too much plot to get through for Gunn to really dig deeper into this plot thread, but it’s a daring, admirable choice to even hint at something so current, not to mention take sides.
There’s also some interesting commentary on our constant intake of news and social media as well, and how easily we’re manipulated by them. Early on in the film, the public turns on Superman after news reports suggest he’s an illegal alien and a threat to the nation. Again, there was more to mine here, but the film has to speed towards its predictable ending.
There’s no denying Superman’s entertainment factor, however. Gunn’s style fits the character surprisingly well, and the writer-director clearly looks up to Richard Donner’s 1978 take on Superman. The cast is on point; Hoult is having lots of fun with the over-the-top Lex and Edi Gathegi is a pleasant surprise as superhero Mister Terrific, but it’s Brosnahan’s Lois who emerges as the biggest asset. She has more agency than her previous incarnations, and a truly meaningful role in the story. She’s not there to be saved; she’s the one doing a lot of saving.
Corenswet plays Superman straight, but there’s a distinct feeling that he’s not allowed to truly explore the character or do much developing. After the film’s 129 minute runtime, we still don’t really have a clear idea of who this Superman is or what makes him different from the previous versions. Anyone hoping to get decent doses of Clark Kent or his parents – who mostly come across as generic hillbillys here – are going to be sorely disappointed. There is plenty of Krypto, Superman’s canine sidekick, though.
Superman gets the new DC universe off to an intriguing start. It’s a hugely enjoyable mess of a movie, but Gunn injects far too many characters and too much plot into a movie that should be about reintroducing its title character to a new generation of cinema-goers, whether they’re comic books fans or not.
That being said, I truly did believe a man can fly. Again.
Superman is in cinemas 11th July.
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