The success of James Gunn’s previous comic book adaptations, a trilogy of Guardians of the Galaxy movies (and a Christmas special) for Marvel Studios and the bawdy blockbuster The Suicide Squad (plus TV shows Creature Commandos and Peacemaker) for DC, don’t inherently make one think that his style would translate to one of the biggest superheroes of all time, Superman. Within minutes of the start of the new film however, it’s clear that his vision is not one that works exclusively with a lesser-known ensemble. As Superman comes crashing into the snow of the Arctic, beaten and bloody from a fight, only to be further jostled by his super-powered dog Krypto, Gunn immediately announces that the sensibilities that have embodied his work as a filmmaker are still very much present. What becomes clear over the rest of the movie is that Gunn has also matured somewhat, adapting his approach to fit this character and this brand-new world. The hallmarks of what audiences have come to love about James Gunn movies are proudly on display, and the new DCU hits the ground running, even if a few stumbles make themselves apparent.
Despite what one might expect from a new Superman movie, the story begins in medias res, in a world where Superman has already been a hero for years and the metahuman history of the DC Universe goes back centuries. No one is surprised when a kaiju attacks Metropolis or when a giant green baseball bat is conjured from a ring to beat a dimensional beast in the sky. It’s a testament to not only the trust the filmmakers have in the audience, but also the decades of superhero movies that the regular world-building can be done on this big of a scale with grace and not a single eye-roll to be found.
Naturally, this Superman (played with a homegrown humor and confidence by David Corenswet) is at odds with Lex Luthor. Their fracas takes place over the course of a few days, and though countless POVs and settings are shown throughout the movie, its lean run time means there’s hardly a wasted moment. Nicholas Hoult takes on the part of the super villain Luthor, channeling his trademark little freak energy into the hyper-aware and devious nemesis of the Man of Steel. Hoult exudes a fearless tenacity as Luthor, self-assured in all of his ways after clearly dedicating years to finding a way to finally beat Superman. His performance is one of the hallmarks of the movie, and one that immediately has him in the conversation for the great comic book movie villains. Through no fault of Hoult, however, and one that falls squarely on Gunn’s script, there is a groan-worthy revelation about Luthor’s plan near the end, one that may stop longtime Superman movie fans in their tracks.
Corenswet is flanked throughout the movie by a variety of scene partners, depending on where he finds himself. At the Daily Planet, he naturally shares the screen with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, Wendell Pierce’s Perry White, plus Beck Bennett’s Steve Lombard and Mikaela Hoover’s Cat Grant. Though they all somewhat get their time to shine, Gisondo in particular steals the show every time he’s on screen, and this is one place where Superman feels incomplete. There’s no fat on the bone here, meaning the svelte story forces a lot of these smaller characters into not really getting the opportunity to contribute much. Pierce, specifically, as the gruff editor-in-chief, seems to have an undernourished part in the larger movie.
The same cannot be said for Corenswet’s fellow superheroes, though; the Justice Gang, which includes Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific (who delivers one of the most memorable supporting roles in a superhero movie in recent memory), plus Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. This trio contributes in spades to the larger world-building that Gunn is able to pull off, and they manage this by giving us distinct personalities for each of their superheroes. Gathegi’s calculated Mister Terrific stands apart from the brash bravado of Fillion’s Gardner, who also couldn’t be more different from the somewhat aloof Hawkgirl. Every time these heroes are on screen, it’s clear that they could wholly operate in a story outside of this movie. Having them present to bounce off of, Corenswet brings definition not only to his Kryptonian hero but also to the larger DCU.
Then there’s the personal side of Corenswet’s Superman. What we learn quickly is that this version of Clark and Lois have only been dating for a short time, and the scenes of just the two of them are some of the best of Gunn’s career. This is where his maturity as a storyteller can be seen the best, as the dynamic between the pair carries the energy of still-somewhat-new lovers, testing boundaries and figuring out why they even wanted to get involved in this relationship to begin with. It goes a long way in further humanizing the Last Son of Krypton, but also gives the movie weight and drama that is compelling and feels natural.
On the other side of Superman’s personal life are his human parents, played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell. Though they only have a few scenes, the two immediately make a mark in different ways. Vince’s Jonathan Kent embodies an intense pride for his son, but also has the quiet amblings of an older father who has only ever had a specific kind of relationship with him. Howell’s Martha, on the other hand, roasts her husband for being emotional “mush,” in that playful way that decades of marriage create, while also making sure her son has his boots cleaned before flying into the fray.
The boundless energy of Superman’s dog Krypto, inspired by Gunn’s own dog, is another major highlight of the film. That Gunn is able to utilize this relationship and make it a key component of the movie reveals not only that nothing is off limits from decades of DC comics, but that when done correctly, it can work. How many superhero movies have previously confronted Golden and Silver Age comic book mechanics with a scoff or an ironic detachment? Superman has none of that, making it a key secret weapon and, frankly, the beating heart of the entire film.
Gunn has long excelled at creating action beats in his films that not only test the limits of his characters but palso ush the narrative forward beyond just spectacle. He makes this work in Superman when the scenes are especially fixed on the subject of these moments, be it Corenswet’s Superman, Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, or Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho (a character that might have seemed impossible at one point in time). In some instances, though, the action has almost too many moving parts, literally. María Gabriela de Faría as The Engineer, a modified human in the employ of Luthor, is one of the weaker elements in the film. This is partially due to the character’s nano-tech superpowers being almost too big in scope and not always visually appealing, in addition to a static performance.
One surprising element that could have easily gone awry is the moments where Luthor is coaching his own big bad, Ultraman, in his fights with Superman. Cutting back and forth from Luthor’s control room where he shouts specific moves, only to see these counters take place on screen, could have become a tedious exercise. In execution, though, Gunn makes sure that there’s an energy and deft precision in his editing.
What makes Superman work is the same thing that has made Gunn’s other adaptations so beloved: as a filmmaker, Gunn is unafraid to embrace the comic book elements at the heart of the source material. No part of him is concerned with whether something will look cool or not translate to the big screen, a shadow that has lingered over countless adaptations. Gunn has confidence in the characters and the world, and he knows the audience can accept things that wouldn’t happen in our reality without questioning realism or hokeyness. Like all his other films, James Gunn’s Superman has a pitch-perfect cast, oozes style in its action set pieces, and has a poise that many DC fans have been waiting to see realized in live-action.
As audiences have found themselves in a malaise regarding superheroes, Superman has landed almost as an antidote to that. The new movie reminds us why this subgenre consumed Hollywood for over a decade, taking what fans have always loved about a character and world and making it feel real. It would have been easy for James Gunn, now over a decade after the release of the first Guardians of the Galaxy, to have no gas in the tank for this kind of film. What Superman proves, though, is that he’s one of our best architects for superhero stories on mainstream platforms, and the DCU is in great hands if this is what they were able to deliver out of the gate.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Superman lands in theaters on July 11th.
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