Posted by James Gunn understands the character of Superman. I expected his Superman to be good, and it definitely delivered. But even more than that, it made me understand and appreciate the character so much more than I previously had.
SPOILERS FOLLOW
The story of Superman is your classic Superman vs. Lex Luthor story where Lex does everything in his power, from creating artificial geopolitical conflicts to invading the Fortress of Solitude to unleashing a pocket dimensional rift in Metropolis, to try and destroy Superman. One such method is using a smear campaign to paint the hero as a conqueror sent to subjugate the planet as relayed in the damaged message Superman’s parents left him. But in the end, Superman and his friends are able to come together and stop Luthor. I definitely oversimplified the plot, but I’m doing so intentionally because I’d encourage you to go see it instead of hearing my summary of it. While the story isn’t the most innovative or original thing in the world, it’s not supposed to be. The narrative serves its purpose, and it is very good. However, the strongest part of the movie is its characters.
I have to admit that I always found Superman kind of boring. Hearing him described as a “boy scout” was never interesting to me. His design was always kind of goofy, and I never cared for how ridiculously strong he was. Superman changed all of that for me. At his core, Superman is a good person just trying to do the right thing, and oh boy did James Gunn succeed in portraying that sentiment in the movie. I think the single best example of that is when Superman saves a squirrel. It’s such a small little action, but the fact that this incredibly powerful being takes the time to save a little squirrel from danger says everything it needs to about the kind of man that he is. I applaud the movie for doing that, especially because it makes me go back and reconsider previous iterations of the character we’ve seen on the big screen. There are plenty of little moments and mannerisms, such as how Superman tends to avoid swearing unless he’s fitting in with those around him as Clark Kent, that really help sell the character. David Corenswet does an incredible job as Superman.
Nicholas Hoult is an outstanding Lex Luthor. He’s so incredibly petty and arrogant that he’s almost cartoonishly evil. Yet it works perfectly. Everything from instigating and supplying an armed conflict between two nations to shooting a man that gave Superman free food once is so over-the-top that it works. Superman feels like a comic book movie because the characters are simultaneously fantastic and exaggerated yet believable.
One fear I had about the movie was how it would get bogged down by its side characters and underutilize them. I really wasn’t sure how a Superman-centric movie would handle Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mister Terrific (a character I hadn’t heard of until watching the movie). These side characters are given the respect and time that they deserve. They feel like fleshed out characters who exist in the world even if their parts in the narrative are minimal. That being said, Mister Terrific completely surprised me. He ended up being one of my favorite characters between his intelligence, wit, and general mannerisms. Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen were both fantastic as well, with Jimmy in particular being integral to exposing Lex. Overall, this was a movie that respected all of its characters, both the main ones and the supporting ones.
Another element of the movie that I really appreciated is how it doesn’t waste time telling Superman’s backstory. Everyone knows it. The movie wastes no time putting you directly into the story and action. There’s plenty of story that previously happened, but the movie does an excellent job of telling you everything that you need to know to understand. As a narrative, it respects your intelligence and doesn’t need to hold your hand constantly, retreading the same ground other movies already have. That being said, we do see Ma and Pa Kent and their scenes with Clark are heartwarming. It does an excellent job of showing how Clark was raised to be the man that he became.
The movie looks and sounds great. The soundtrack is phenomenal, and an integral part of characterization. The visuals also look really good, in part because the movie used a lot of practical effects. While there is plenty of CGI, you can tell that it wasn’t just filmed in front of a green screen the whole time with people in mocap suits. In a similar vein, the action is great. It isn’t as spectacular as some other superhero movies (or Superman movies for that matter), but it isn’t supposed to be. As I mentioned already with the squirrel scene, Superman isn’t trying to cause excessive collateral damage. Sure it happens, but his goal is protecting and saving as many people as possible.
Finally, the movie is funny. It has the James Gunn wit he used with the Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, but it is different here. The humor isn’t overwhelming or ill-timed but keeps the light moments light and the serious moments serious. There were some really funny moments, and none of it felt out of place.
SPOILERS END
I really enjoyed Superman. I would highly, highly recommend going to see it if you’re a fan of superheroes, especially Superman or DC. If this is the caliber of quality we can expect with future DC film projects, I have a lot of faith in the future. At its core, Superman is an optimistic movie that asks questions about what it means to be human, and a good one at that. While I may have a nitpick or two, at the end of the day they’re just nitpicks. I’d confidently say Superman is one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen, and easily one of my favorites. It feels like a Superman movie and a comic book movie in the best way possible. It made me care about a hero who up to now, I’ve been relatively indifferent towards, and I absolutely cannot wait to see what else they do with him in the future.
Broad Scope Entertainment 