‘Superman’ Review

I’ve never really been a fan of Superman. As a superhero, he has always struck me as a little too childish, a little too moralizing, simple, earnest. It doesn’t help matters that he just happens to be the best at everything; he’s the strongest, the fastest, he can fly and has x-ray vision and heat vision. There’s just usually not much depth, emotionally or dramatically, that can be explored with such a one note, stoic protagonist.

And yet James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ elevates the hero, giving him adversaries who challenge him physically and spiritually. The battles Gunn’s Superman (David Corenswet) fights are not just against meta-human warriors built by the genius Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), but are existential and personal. What place does an alien like Superman have on Earth? What is his purpose? What defines him?

‘Superman’ jumps right into the action, opening right after the titular hero loses his first fight. With the help of some clever title cards, we understand all of the context we need for the character, foregoing the requisite origin story formulas. As the action unfolds, exposition is folded in: Superman has recently diffused a conflict between two countries, wherein one with an autocratic leader was threatening invasion. Lex Luthor, always seeking opportunities to tear down Superman, is leveraging this conflict to breed distrust of the much beloved hero. With the full might of the military industrial complex, Luthor seeks to physically destroy Superman with his creations of meta-human fighting machines, but also looks to discredit him in the public eye, waking humanity up to the risks of taking for granted the good will of an all powerful alien with unknown origins.

This movie understands the Superman character in ways that Zack Snyder’s DC Universe films never did. Whereas those films were dark, moody, and self serious, Gunn’s version is filled with color, life and hope, best emphasized by Clark Kent’s suggestion that maybe, in this day and age, believing in the goodness of others is the new punk rock. This return to the roots of the Superman character is amplified by the music, with composer John Murphy modernizing John William’s score from the original ‘Superman’, which is perhaps the greatest musical score in the history of superhero films.

Each role, big or small, is performed with an understanding of the characters. As Superman, Corenswet brings the simple idealism and strength of the hero while having fun ‘His Girl Friday’ chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan’s strong, independent Lois Lane. The rest of the cast is filled with fun supporting turns, from Nathan Fillion as a Green Lantern with a terrible haircut to Edi Gathegi as an impatient, oft underestimated Mister Terrific.

But the true standout is Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Hoult plays up many of the characteristics that made his Peter III so memorable in ‘The Great’ – villainous but charming, menacing but empathetic. Warped by ego, Hoult’s Luthor offers a competing vision of hope for the human race, believing in a world where humanity doesn’t need to rely on aliens to protect them when visionary geniuses such as himself are possible and present. Luthor is casually cruel, but his arc delivers moments of poignancy, culminating with silent tears as he fears the world turning its back on him, one of their own, in favor of the alien savior. His journey is moving, even though we root for his downfall, which is a testament to Hoult’s compelling performance.

There are certainly flaws in this film that are mostly inherent in the superhero genre – much of the dialogue is committed to exposition, explaining all of the ins and outs, science and magic of the DC Universe. And of course there are several CGI heavy action sequences. But the film’s understanding of its character, its world, brings life and joy into the stale DC comic book universe, portraying a Superman who does not shy away from the cold realities writ large in the daily news, even as he believes in a world where we can do better. Where we are better.

Does all of this sound cheesy and idealistic? Of course.

But that’s Superman.

And with this film, James Gunn has delivered an entertaining melange of the character’s inherent spirit, his hopefulness and goodness, without sacrificing any of the superhero action and humor he has perfected throughout his career.

Superman
Rated PG-13 for violence, action, and language.
Running Time: 2 hours and 9 minutes

Director James Gunn
Writers James Gunn
Stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabella Merced
Rating PG-13
Running Time 129 Minutes
Genres Superhero, Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi