The new Superman movie from director James Gunn does something that hasn’t been done in a long time, making the character completely accessible to everyone who walks in to a theater.
Creating a new cinematic universe for the DC Comics slate of characters, the new film brings you right into this new world. There’s no need for an origin story. It’s been told hundreds of times and there are probably very few people on the planet that don’t know how Kal-El of Krypton came to Earth. The opening moments of the movie tells the audience everything you need to know about this particular version of Superman and then drops the viewer right into the action.
And the action never really lets up. The movie is packed from the opening scene right through to the credits with an engaging story that doesn’t take any unnecessary beats or divergences that take the plot off course.
David Corenswet is the latest actor to take on the legacy of SUPERMAN, bringing a wholesome, Midwestern charm to the character that’s usually lost in translation. This is not a Superman hardened by years of experience, but he’s also still relatively new to the job. He wants to help and he wants to keep people safe. The movie’s plot hinges on Superman stopping a war by pushing back against an invading force that happens to be an American ally. Despite the best of intentions, Superman is flummoxed by the reactions to his stopping the war.
With the public questioning Superman’s actions stopping the war, billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor jumps in to take advantage of the situation. Played by Nicholas Hoult, Luthor takes advantage of the public’s confusion about Superman to make the public’s perception even worse.
Hoult and Corenswet completely embody Luthor and Superman, and Luthor’s obsession with bringing down his alien arch-nemesis leads him to take some actions on screen that were a little hard to watch, given everything that’s happening in the world. Luthor combines that classic back room deals with third world dictators with a more modern offensive, farming out social media outrage (with literal monkeys at keyboards) and detaining his enemies and critics in secret prisons. Given the timeline when this movie was written and filmed, it’s not likely that Luthor’s portrayal was a purposeful metaphor, but, honestly, it’s not hard to see why right-wing pundits might have a problem with the presentation.
Luthor is terminally convinced that he is right and that Superman is the villain. Hoult does not portray Luthor with any hint of comedy. Seeing the world embrace Superman as a hero drives him, and he is indifferent to who he hurts to bring down his opponent. Any opponent, actually, as we see how he treats anyone who has displeased him throughout the film.
The final member of the movie’s main cast – Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane – may end up having the most lasting legacy of any of the actors in the film. While the comic book version of Lois Lane has long been a heroine in her own right, her depictions on film have been lacking. Lane is a fearless journalist, never shying away from a confrontation, no matter the subject. Brosnahan is pitch perfect, taking the initiative to play an active role helping to save the world.
From the moment I saw Brosnahan in Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, I knew she would be a perfect Lois Lane. While I’m not sure Corenswet overtakes TYLER HOECHLIN’s performance as Clark Kent/Superman in the CW’s Superman & Lois as my favorite version of the character, there’s no question that Brosnahan is now at the top of my list as my favorite Lois Lane. It took 20 years for someone to knock Smallville’s Erica Durance off the top of the list. Hopefully, we get many more appearances of Brosnahan’s Lois Lane in Gunn’s new multimedia universe.
Given this is the kickoff of a new universe, Gunn populates Superman’s world with other heroes. Despite fears that the added characters – Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced) and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), plus Metamorphosis (Anthony Carrigan) – might dilute Superman’s return, Gunn makes sure the added heroes accentuate the plot rather than overtake it. Even with the extra heroes, Superman is in no way an ensemble film. The Justice Gang, as Guy calls them, are just there as back-up.
While I loved Fillion’s Guy Gardner as the smug jock hero, the true standout of the Justice Gang is Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific. Noted as “the world’s third smartest man” in the comics, Terrific gets the most time to shine as a partner and friend to Superman, making sure that Luthor can’t completely destroy Metropolis while also feuding with Superman’s dog, Krypto. With Fillion set to appear in the upcoming HBO Max series “Lanterns,” and a guest spot on season 2 of “Peacemaker,” I can only hope we get more of Mr. Terrific in this new multimedia universe.
Gunn’s experience with large casts – with all three Guardian of the Galaxy movies and his DC debut with The Suicide Squad – has given him the experience needed to spread the love to everyone on camera. Really, all the main characters get a chance to shine. He even allows Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen a chance to be the hero as a cub reporter.
Overall, the new Superman movie is a major win – not just for Gunn, DC Studios and Warner Bros., but for every fan of Superman and superhero films. The story is compelling, the characters are fun and engaging and it sets the stage for an exciting slate of upcoming projects. Hopefully, Gunn and DC Studios can capitalize on this to give the DC Comics characters the film and television legacy that Marvel has built over the last two decades.