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If there were one superhero I didn't care to see another movie of, it would be Superman. Over the last decade, I've gotten my fill of the spandex-wearing boy scout. James Gunn kickstarts the DCU with his Superman movie, starring David Corenswet in the title role.
The “superhero fatigue” is not fully remedied by Superman, but it is a surprising (and hopeful) entry in the genre. Corenswet slowly gets comfortable in the role throughout the 129-minute runtime, and it's clear Gunn set out to make his Superman movie different than others.
I've never been one for origin stories, but Superman's biggest flaw isn't his overly generous heart. It's the lack of an origin story. This is supposed to kickstart the DCU after all, and its biggest hero is without an origin story.
Taking the Spider-Man: Homecoming approach with Clark Kent's origin story, he has already been Superman for years before the movie takes place. It works on some levels, but this is a rare instance where the story needed an origin.
Then there is the political element of Superman. On the surface, it's a movie about human kindness. Gunn's heart may be in the right place, but his messaging appears too on the nose. The geopolitics is too obvious for its own good, even as timely as the story is.
DC's refresh has been a long time coming. It should get better with time, and this is a solid (yet uneven) beginning to the DCU. Superman does not reinvent the wheel like Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy did, but it finds its way by the end of the third act.
Superman review: What's it about?
Clark Kent (David Corenswet) is a few years into his time as Superman. Generally, he is beloved by the public, especially the city of Metropolis.
This is a different iteration of the iconic character. While most love Supes, there is a divide in the public's opinion of him. He interfered in an international conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur. While he saved millions of lives, some don't believe politics and crime fighting should overlap.
Things only get worse when a previously damaged message from his Kryptonian parents is revealed by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). The divide becomes more lopsided with the reveal of the message, and Superman's world is rocked by what he hears.
Gunn tries to tell a hopeful story of geopolitics in his Superman movie. I'm not one to say a superhero movie has “no room for politics,” but that doesn't make any political message effective.
Once again, Gunn lacks subtlety — the greatest example of this being the allegory for online trolls — in his messaging. There are certain current events that the plot resembles. The release of Superman is coming at a fitting time, but it fails to go deeper than the surface level.
Perhaps that's the fault of Superman being a PG-13 superhero movie. Its politics are as nuanced as something Marvel has made with The Winter Soldier or Civil War.
David Corenswet's missing Clark Kent origin story
Coming into Superman, Corenswet was a relative unknown. He had roles in The Politician, Pearl, and Lady in the Lake, but the biggest thing he had been in was Twisters.
Corenswet stumbles early in Superman, as the whole movie does, before finding his footing as it continues. Not having an origin story hurts a character as iconic as Supes.
When Tom Holland took over as Spider-Man, it was only a couple of years removed from Andrew Garfield's Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming out. Still, he was given a proper introductory story in Civil War that filled in the blanks enough before Spider-Man: Homecoming was released.
A vulnerable version of the character
Corenswet's first scene as Superman is is on the heels of him getting his ass kicked. While this is a more vulnerable version of the character, he's never shown in peril with the exception of a scene or two. It's an impossible task to make the character weak, but without the emotional anchor of the Kents in the picture for most of Superman, the character loses something.
Superman will always be fighting intergalactic battles, but something people have wanted from Holland's Spider-Man is a street-level adventure. I'm not sure if the DCU's direction will ever head in that direction — their Phase One is called “Gods and Monsters” — but it may help this new version of Superman cement himself.
Part of the problem is Corenswet's portrayal of Clark. He seemingly modulates his voice to sound deeper when talking as Clark, and he's sometimes too stiff for the zaniness of Gunn's script. As Superman continues, his performance becomes more confident. Whether this was intentional or not remains a mystery (I'd wager not). Early on, it was hard to buy into Corenswet as the leader of the DCU. There should be no questions by the time it ends.
While Superman is one of the least relatable superheroes — unless you are also an invincible alien — Clark Kent is someone people can see themselves in. He works an average job and is connected to his Earth parents, Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha Kent (Neva Howell). However, neither of those aspects of Clark's life is focused on in Superman.
The DCU's reinvigorated version of Lois Lane
Another one of his distinguishing features is his relationship with Lois Lane, who is played by Rachel Brosnahan in this movie. Gunn takes a different approach to their relationship in Superman.
They are already seeing each other when the movie starts (Clark attempts to celebrate their three-month anniversary early on). Unlike past versions of Lois, Brosnahan plays the role with more flair than Margot Kidder or Amy Adams.
This version of Lois is an assertive journalist. She isn't digging for a scoop — she wants to get to the bottom of whatever mystery she's solving.
There is a lot of room to explore new things with this iteration of the character. Brosnahan could anchor a human subplot and not just be a damsel in distress. While Corenswet's Superman may be up-and-down, Brosnahan nails this version of the character.
Lois may be the best thing Gunn did with his script. Even someone as talented as Amy Adams couldn't crack the code on the character. Gunn may have found a way to reinvent the character in the age of digital journalism that's interesting without being forced.
Metropolis lacks character
Traditionally, Superman movies spend a lot of time in Metropolis. While Gunn's DCU movie certainly does, it lacks character for the most part.
Superman and Metropolis are as synonymous with one another as Spider-Man and New York City or Batman and Gotham. Gunn's Superman fails to make Metropolis stand out, a similar problem to Holland's Spider-Man movies with New York.
Maybe that's because Gunn's film jumps around so much. Most of it probably takes place in Metropolis, but there are greater stakes involved with 500-foot-tall aliens attacking the city.
One of the best things about Matt Reeves' The Batman was the look of Gotham. Batman has always been a darker character, lending itself well to gothic themes and imagery.
Gunn made a concerted effort to make this Superman movie pop with color in comparison to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel. In turn, Metropolis loses some of its shine. It looks like New York City for the most part, but there is no sense of community like the Big Apple has.
There was something special about when Tobey Maguire's Peter Parker is carried by the civilians in Spider-Man 2. You could argue it was hokey, but it speaks to the power of New York, especially after 9/11.
Superman doesn't have anything like that. The closest is a hot dog vendor that Clark has a special connection with. Hopefully, future sequels capitalize on this part of the character and help build it out more.
Should you watch Superman?
If you're hoping for an epic start to the DCU, Superman may not be your jam. Gunn has a lot of world-building that is squished into a 129-minute movie, one that doesn't even give its titular character an origin story.
There are flaws, such as its political themes and Nicholas Hoult's performance as Lex Luthor. While Hoult is supposed to be menacing, he rivals Jesse Eisenberg as the worst performance of the character. He's not particularly interesting in the role, which is a shame considering his past work.
Superman may have bit off more than it could chew. Still, it delivers an epic third act that gets the film back on track. This is far from the greatest Superman movie, but the bar was low with the DCEU.
If nothing else, James Gunn effectively laid the groundwork with Superman. Now, he has to capitalize and continue to build on his foundation in future installments in the series.
Grade: B-
Superman will be released on July 11.
