Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, María Gabriela de Faría, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Wendell Pierce, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell

There’s no denying that the world can be a tough place to exist in sometimes. Tougher for some than others, but tough across the board. Whenever we elect new leaders, we vote with hope and faith that things will improve, if not for everyone then at least for the majority. But things don’t always go the way we hope and sometimes the leaders we put our faith in turn out to be less than truthful, less than trustworthy, and in it for their own self-interests, to put it mildly. So, is it little surprise that we turn to fiction to find the kind of people we wish were real? In 1938, post-WW1 and just pre-WWII, writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster delivered such a character. He was strong, he was steadfast, he was honest, he was truthful, he was selfless. He was, and he still is, Superman. In the near-ninety years since, we’ve had multiple incarnations of the character, spanning across different mediums, from film to television, radio to music(als), and tons of merchandise in between. Now, comic-book-movie-supreme-master James Gunn, who is also head of Warner Bros.’ new DC Studios, brings us his version of the Man of Steel. Is Superman just what Warner Bros. needs to revive its limping DC leg while simultaneously satisfying fans, or is this just one reboot too many?

I would just like to preface this review with a small disclosure: I am writing this review as a life-long Superman fan, so I am looking at this through a more critical eye than I would with just about any other film.

Three years after debuting as Superman, Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent/Kal-El (Corenswet) finds himself in the middle of a war between two countries, a war that billionaire Lex Luthor (Hoult) is somehow involved in. As Superman resolves himself to saving lives, Clark’s colleague and short-time lover Lois Lane (Brosnahan) questions Superman’s own ethics and standpoint regarding getting involved in an international conflict. As tensions rise and the American people come to realise just how powerful Superman, an alien, really is, Superman turns to his friends and family to aid him in his time of need while trying to figure out exactly what his place in the world is.

Writers and filmmakers have taken Superman in all kinds of directions in the past, but one thing they’ve all had in common is staying true to Superman’s bottom line, which is that he was created to be a symbol of hope in our reality and sent to Earth to save and protect lives within his own fictional world. Gunn’s version continues that trend while also taking it right back to comic book basics. We are not bogged down with another origin story but rather thrown right into the fray with an established Superman and a world that is living alongside metahumans (people with abilities that are beyond regular people), which immediately feels like picking up a random issue of Superman and getting stuck in. It might not be particularly easy for those unfamiliar with the characters to digest, with the number of characters and cameos making things feel whiplashy at times, but with a little focus it’s not hard to follow. Everything is vibrant, even in the darker scenes, perhaps working as a stark reminder that there’s always hope even in the most trying of times, and each character has a reason to be there, for good or for ill.

The film is very action-heavy, with some exciting battles and shocking moments, particularly from Luthor, but it’s well-balanced with well-placed emotional scenes, especially between Clark and his parents. Superman is known to be ‘the world’s biggest Boy Scout’ (doing his best to mind his language and to prevent all manner of deaths), and although his moral compass is admirable, growing up on Earth was never going to make things straightforward for him. Gunn allows him to fully explore this by recognising he is a powerful being who understands he is different in many ways but fundamentally the same as anyone who grew up on Earth. One of the most interesting points of the story is the way Lois is not afraid to put her reporter’s hat on and question him, bringing out a more defensive (and HUMAN) side to Clark/Superman. It’s also fun and interesting to see his softer ways play out against not only humans who put themselves up against him but also other metahumans who aren’t afraid to swear and kill.

The themes of immigration, the vanity of war and doing the right thing are heard loud and clear (no need for super-hearing), but Gunn didn’t push those themes on us, because when you’re creating something revolving around Superman, those themes are going to be there just from the character existing. What Gunn did put effort into was drawing similarities between fiction and reality, with current conflicts in the world reflected in a country’s needless invasion of another and the genocide of its people and the way refugees and immigrants are treated. It’s sad to say that these themes have always resonated with our reality, but until reality can improve, we will keep pushing the message of tolerance, inclusivity and doing right by each other through film and other creative outlets. For this reason, perhaps another Superman film was exactly what we needed right now.

Production-wise, there’s a lot going on, but we wouldn’t expect anything less from a James Gunn comic book movie. The set designs are familiar (the Fortress of Solitude’s entrance is a little more comic book-accurate) with added flare to make things fresh and updated, and the costumes follow a similar formula, with Superman’s suit appearing to be mainly based on his New 52 comic run suit and the ‘S’ shield design coming from the Kingdom Come comic series while having its own overall unique look for this film. Metropolis appears to be less New-York-based and has its own design, and Luthor’s base of operations kind of has a fun tree-house feel about it but with a more serious underscore; he’s keeping a god-like view on everything while being a belligerent, cowardly and envious child, afraid to really face Superman but wanting to be revered as a god. The use of a ‘pocket dimension’ made for a fun diversion into a more comic book-themed location, just in case we forgot what this film actually is, and there’s some potential surrounding the science of the portals used when it comes to the future of the DCU. The shots of Superman flying are also rather interesting, with unusual angle choices, and while doing something new with the flying is admirable, the go-pro style feels a bit too strange at times. Overall, the visuals of the film work well in tandem with the story to keep the action going, and the entire film is scored wonderfully by John Murphy and David Fleming, with the use of motifs from John Williams’s incredible score from Superman (1978) giving it extra meaning and infusing it with that heroic sensation.

Many Superman fans (myself included) have their own favourite and definitive performance by an actor, but it perhaps goes without saying that each actor has done a sturdy job of representing Superman within their respective projects. David Corenswet is no different. He embodies this version of Superman totally and completely. He has the emotional range needed for a character as inwardly conflicted as Clark while also exemplifying the presence and strength of Superman that gives the people the hope they need in dire times. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois is the most relatable version we’ve had in modern times, her strength on-screen rivals that of Corenswet’s and the character’s resilience and independence is exactly what we’d expect of Lois. The chemistry between the lead actors allows audiences to experience the reality of a relationship between two very different characters that are, deep down, in love with each other in spite of their differences and because of their shared values. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor bears all the hallmarks of the dangerous, narcissistic billionaire with a god complex that Luthor is known for, as well as being emotionally intelligence in some ways though blinded in others, however Hoult could probably have taken it a little further in his performance; the pure hate that Luthor feels for Superman wasn’t quite so intense or maniacal as it could have been. Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen is a more mature portrayal who has become less ‘Superman’s pal’ and somehow a ‘babe magnet’, with Jimmy’s connection to Sara Sampaio’s clingy Eve Teschmacher coming across as a little odd, and Anthony Carrigan’s Rex Mason/Metamorpho holds some strong emotional weight. Nathan Fillion is a fantastic Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (though this isn’t Fillion’s first outing as a Lantern), and Isabela Merced is a decent Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, but Edi Gathegi is literally a terrific Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, his performance particularly understated yet smooth and cool. Pruitt Taylor Vince is a great Jonathan Kent, lending that fatherly shoulder to Clark that he would be lost without, and Neva Howell is a perfectly motherly Martha Kent, however the one downside to this film having no origin point for Kal-El’s arrival on Earth means we as an audience don’t feel as much of a connection between Clark and his parents as we may have in other adaptations.

I could certainly go on for a lot longer about this film, and Superman in general, but I will refrain and instead end here by saying that Superman is everything we should be aiming for as humans but never expect to reach because we are human, and between that message and the themes that are perhaps more important than ever, James Gunn has created a Superman film to be proud of. It also reflects the comic books fantastically, taking inspiration from some of the most important storylines, and gives us hope for a strong DC revival. It gives audiences a lot of food for thought, particularly after a small speech Superman gives towards the end of the film. We are flawed, often heinously so, but if we can recognise those flaws and at least try to do better, the closer to what Superman represents we can become. Lifted is the darkness of Man of Steel; Gunn is ushering in a brighter world with updated, relatable characters while retaining their core reasons for existing within Superman’s world and our world. The character is a beacon of light in our dark times. He is a reminder of what we are capable of if we work together. He is, was, and always will be, Superman.

***SOME SPOILERS AHEAD REGARDING CAMEOS***

The cameos were pretty decent in Superman. John Cena reprises his role as Peacemaker from Gunn’s eponymous television show, the second season of which we can expect soon, as well as Frank Grillo as Rick Flagg Sr., whom he voices in Gunn’s Creature Commandos television series, which is also due a second season. Milly Alcock makes her Supergirl debut in a very fun and exciting cameo, and Sean Gunn has a small scene as Maxwell Lord, another powerful villain who apparently funds the Justice Gang in Superman. Bradley Cooper comes in as Jor-El, Michael Rosenbaum voices one of Luthor’s Raptars, many of Gunn’s frequent collaborators lend their voices to Superman’s robots, and in an extra special cameo for me, Christopher Reeve’s son Will Reeve pops up as a television news reporter (as he is in reality). There are many character names that are taken straight out of the comics or picked from previous films/television shows, but my favourite has to be one of Luthor’s henchmen named Otis Berg (“Otisburg!?” IYKYK). Along with the inclusion of a Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific, it looks like we’re in for quite a universe of characters in this new DCU (full run down coming soon, but if you just can’t wait, head to @dawnofthetapes on TikTok to find out).