By: Quinn Que
Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, is a testament to the formerly unserious filmmaker’s evolution as an artist and a human being. If that sounds too sentimental or heavy, fear not. The film itself is as buoyant as its titular lead, played ably by brilliantly cast David Corenswet. This Superman has the right balance of earnest and effervescent, with plenty of action, comedy and heart. It soars high and stays that way, with a few exceptions, as most of the cast well placed, the music on point and the story making good use of its roughly two-hour runtime.
The film is set in Gunn’s DC Cinematic Universe, which he delivers to us as a very expansive, lived-in reality. Superman, a/k/a unassuming reporter Clark Kent (Corenswet), has been operating for a few years already and made both friends and enemies in high places. He must reconcile his alien Kryptonian background with his human sentimentality, in a world that finds him at various points too emotional, too dangerous, too naive or just too good to be true. With investigative help from his Daily Planet coworkers and superheroic assists from his nominal allies the “Justice Gang”—whose team name is a placeholder we’re told repeatedly—and Krypto the Super-Dog, Clark strives to confront the globally significant machinations of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), a megalomaniac billionaire egghead up to no good.
In terms of standout moments and characters, we’ll limit this to a few that click best on repeat viewings. Superman’s flying scenes feel natural and immersive. Gunn’s direction here seems appropriately suited to contemporary sensibilities. One interesting detail for Luthor is his audible use of alphanumeric codes to command his operatives. The mad genius effectively moves his minions, especially one in particular, like pieces on a chess board. The best supporting characters, besides Lex and his villainous underlings, are Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Superman’s longstanding Planet coworker/love-interest, and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), a member of the Justice Gang. Terrific’s status as the world’s third smartest man is decently established via showing rather than telling, with the only substantive complaint being that he feels a bit too much like a Batman stand-in at times. Brosnahan’s Lane is already getting plaudits as the best onscreen iteration in years, maybe ever, and it’s easy to see why. She’s smart, capable and likeable, all without feeling forced or clichéd.
Let’s also offer some balanced assessments regarding the pros and cons of Gunn’s leadership. Among the limited but extant negatives, his choice to set this film squarely in media res (in the middle of things) has tradeoffs some audiences may not appreciate. Many characters or details are likely to evoke a “who” or a “what is that” from more casual viewers. And whilst Gunn’s script does a decent job explaining most of these, it struggles or hand-waves with some. Additionally, in that vein, the script does seem a bit too busy in terms of the character roster and decent chunks of the worldbuilding. Although this is still ostensibly a solo film and does feel like Superman’s story above all, one wonders if eeach of the various tie-ins, cameos and easter eggs were necessary, especially a few characters that have literally no dialogue despite being name-checked and appearing onscreen. Still, the overall result works far more often than not, including some understated but effective soundtrack choices. Gunn seems to have subverted some of his more annoying instincts from previous films and leaned into the strengths he developed as a soulful storyteller.
All in all the good wins out with Superman, no pun intended. Our hero and his ensemble shine, showing off the confidence and competence of professionals, even when they’re having fun. The story makes sense, doesn’t lag or waste screentime and the third act gives a sense of completion while also leaving room for future adventures. Be sure to stay until the end for a lighthearted but entirely self-contained post-credit scene. Gunn has clearly learned well from what worked at both Marvel Studios and the now fully ended DCEU or Snyderverse, the former reality that DC Studios is now supplanting. One can’t help but think this new venture is off to a great start and we’ll be looking forward to where it goes next.