TL;DR – This is a Colourful, Bright, and Kind change for DC. It does suffer from some of the problems that the writer always has, but it is a grand step forward for a franchise in real danger of catastrophic failure.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid and post-credit scene.

Disclosure – I was invited to a press screening of this film.

Superman Review –

Look, by now, I think we have all watched the DC Expanded Universe fall into ruin. What started with some promise, if complicated iconography in Man of Steel, ended up limping to its doom with such misfires as Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, The Flash, and this is not even touching on the real disasters for the wider franchise with the Justice League and Joker: Folie à Deux. But when you are down in the dumps, it is time to try a Hail Mary, and by goodness, I think they just might have pulled it off.  

So, to set the scene, three years ago, Superman (David Corenswet) revealed himself to the world, and three minutes ago, he got his ass beet for the first time. Crashing down in Antarctica and needing Krypto (Jolene) to bring him to safety. Because, for the first time, Superman inserted himself into an international disagreement and stopped a war between Boravia and Jarhanpuria, and that has ruffled a few feathers, most notably the tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). For the first time, Superman/ Clark Kent has to work in a space where he does not have all the answers, and the world is turning against him, and he may not have the strength to get through this.  

Right from the start, I think we should give Casting Director John Papsidera all the awards, because this might be the most impeccable cast films in an age. There are no weak links in the entire ensemble. Sure, David Corenswet has dimples for days, which seems to be a core part of picking the character, but they put him through his emotional paces in this film, and he rises to the occasion. Rachel Brosnahan absolutely steps up to the plate as Lois Lane, refusing to get lost in the gravitational vortex that often surrounds Superman. You can feel her wear her emotions on her sleeve, but in a way that helps you connect with her more. Then, of course, you have Nicholas Hoult giving a masterclass on being a modern villain. He is not a caricature of contemporary power, but a locus of one, reflecting a mirror back on us. This then flows down to every cast member, even Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, who works, which was one of my significant concerns going in.

I also appreciated the version of Superman that they went with in this movie. When we get down to it, his one weakness is a kind, optimistic view of the world. A sort of naivety that can be exploited by bad faith actors *cough* Lex Luthor *cough*. But the fact that he cares makes the character so much more interesting than some of his predecessors. He is putting himself in front of danger to save people all throughout the movie. It is not just a single gag, but makes up a consistent backbone of the character. This creates the juxtaposition that you need when everyone turns on him. Conversely, making Lex Luthor an insecure racist who has grown a cult of tech-bros around him feels like a better interpretation of the character in the modern age. I think it allows you to be much more pointed than we have seen.

I was a bit concerned going in that they would not be able to make what is an introductory film, work with all the cameos and ensemble, it felt that they were cramming into it. However, I am happy to say that they pretty much pulled it off. Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) was an interesting addition to the movie, and not a character from DC that I was familiar with before now. The same can be said of Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), who they use creatively, and I like seeing films take risks like this. There are also a bunch of cameos that they use to ground the movie or hint at future projects, but they don’t get in the way enough to pull out of the narrative. I am sure the film is filled with Easter Eggs, I only spotted a reference to Gotham City, sufficient to fill a thousand YouTube list videos.  

From a visual perspective, the film is stunning. I think there was only one moment in the entire movie (when Superman was rolling across some snow) where the visual effects didn’t quite get there. One of my favourite scenes involves a battle going on in the background, and the characters in front were perfectly lit for the situation. All the battles feel kinetic, and they do a good job of making Superman feel like this impossibly strong man, while not making him so out there that you wonder why it didn’t end in 5 seconds. They are creative in their use of elements that hamper him, and that was interesting to see. One area where you see the effects in full is in the character of Krypto, which I was surprised by how much of the film they were in, but also more than that, how integral they were to the film working.  

However, while there was a lot about this film that I did like, there were some things that did make me pause. James Gunn does have a particular style to his filmmaking; he likes digging into the lore, adding in large ensembles, and processing parental trauma, see Guardians. I don’t usually mind that style, but I know it is not for everyone. However, there are some aspects of the way he writes that does not always work for me. There are times when he struggles to write well-rounded female characters, and while Lois is great in this film, the rest of the female cast are either one-note or weird characters from the 1970s. The narrative does take a while to get going, and some of the character arcs are a bit flimsy, to say the least. Also, it dabbled in some political ideas, namely Boravia and Jarhanpuria, that I wish they would have committed to a touch more rather than just letting the iconography do the talking for them.          

In the end, do we recommend Superman? Look, I might recommend this film for one of the best jump cuts in cinema history. Or for the fact that when Superman and Lois Lane kiss, the young child behind me let out an audible “Ewwwww, why Superman, Why?” which might be the funniest thing I have ever heard in a cinema. Look, even with its issue, it was a fun delight, and that was great to see again. Have you watched Superman? Let us know what you thought in the comments below. If you liked Superman, we would recommend to you Hunt for the Wilderpeople.

By Brian MacNamara: You can follow Brian on Twitter Here, when he’s not chatting about Movies and TV, he’ll be talking about International Relations, or the Solar System.

Feel free to share this review on any of the social medias and you can follow us Here. Check out all our past reviews and articles Here, and have a happy day. 

Credits – All images were created by the cast, crew, and production companies of Superman
Directed by – James Gunn
Screenplay by – James Gunn
Based on – All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
Music by – John Murphy & David Fleming
Cinematography by – Henry Braham
Edited by – William Hoy & Craig Alpert
Production/Distribution Companies – DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company, Universal Pictures & Warner Bros Pictures
Starring – David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Wendell Pierce, Skyler Gisondo, Sara Sampaio, Frank Grillo, Zlatko Buric, María Gabriela de Faría, Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff, Bradley Cooper, Angela Sarafyan, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, Christopher McDonald, Terence Rosemore, Stephen Blackehart, Dinesh Thyagarajan, Grace Chan, Milly Alcock, Sean Gunn, John Cena & Jolene
Rating – Australia: M; Canada: PG; Germany: 12; New Zealand: M; United Kingdom: 12A; United States: PG-13