“The simple but difficult choice to be good and kind” – Review: Superman
The Man of Tomorrow. Man of Steel. The Last Son of Krypton. Boy Scout. Big Blue.
These are nicknames that Superman has earned throughout his 87 years of publication and multimedia history. While we have nearly a quarter century of superhero films being the dominant box office draw and a cultural force, one could argue none of it would exist without Superman. He was not the first superhero, but he is the prototypical one and the one who popularized the genre. Fitting, then, that the first big superhero film was 1978âs Superman and kickstarted the slow yet steadily marching trend towards superhero films as major blockbusters.
Truth, justice, and the American way is a phrase that epitomizes the character. It is also arguably an outdated view of morality. As comics themselves wrestled with morally gray conflicts, sales for Superman comics waned. And as superhero films have become a force, Superman has been largely absent.
Certainly, Zack Snyderâs vision of the character was a competing force at the box office in the 2010s with Henry Cavillâs portrayal being well-regarded. But Snyderâs DC universe was controversial, to say the least, with its arguably over-dark take on the characters leading to less and less success, despite attracting a strong cult following. Regardless of oneâs opinion on the quality of any of these films, Cavillâs Superman was certainly not the prototypical Superman, for better or worse.
With James Gunn taking over and somewhat rebooting a new DC film universe, Gunn promised a return of the Boy Scout. The trailers called him âBig Blue,â and they ask whether truth, justice, and the American way is a thing of the past.
Superman, in its best moments, affirmatively answers that question with a loud, booming negative. In a world jaded by conflicts and division, Superman dares to remind us that kindness is king, and that standing tall for all people is the epitome of our collective hopes for the human race. With David Fleming and John Murphyâs moving and bombastic score playing, including loving homages to the John Williams 1978 score, Superman soars, delivering some of the most powerful emotional beats in a superhero film in a long time.
But despite Gunnâs efforts, he canât help but be overwhelmed by modern superhero filmmaking conventions at times. There are admirable parts of his approach. Superman seeks to jettison all the narrative baggage of an origin story and telling audiences things about Superman we already know. Gunn instead seeks to capture the feeling of picking up a comic book at the newsstand in the middle of a 40-issue run. He does it well, for better and worse.
The film feels like it opens on the second act of a conventional story. While this is refreshing in the sense that we donât get bogged down in exposition, Gunn uses so much narrative shorthand at times that it neuters the ability of story beats and arcs to work as well as they could or should. The first act of the film is all over the place, introducing characters and side plots. This does lead to a sense of the world being lived in, and not revolving exclusively around powers and backstories, but it is still too much. A first act that established Clark Kent, Lois Lane, and their various relationships might have suited the film more. As it stands, Clark Kent is in the film for one scene or so before it becomes a Superman story.
There are plenty of fun moments and scenes with all of the various characters. Nathan Fillionâs Guy Gardner is a hilarious jerk, while Edi Gathegiâs Mr. Terrific has some of the best action scenes in the film. Seeing Rachel Brosnahanâs Lois interact with them is lots of fun. Brosnahan nails Lois and doesnât allow her to become a meek, forgettable supporting character.
In fact, two of the filmâs best scenes are between her and David Corenswet talking about their emotions and debating the events of the film. The actors have an excellent chemistry together, and these scenes help elucidate the filmâs moral center. That center is even more explicit in the crowning moment of the film, an interaction between Clark and Pa Kent. The film absolutely nails this depiction of Clarkâs adoptive parents, and the power of Pruitt Taylor Vinceâs performance in just one scene showcases all that Superman is supposed to be.
Hope for the hopeless. Courage for the downtrodden. A shining light encouraging us to keep going forward. Scenes and shots where the movie emphasizes these aspects of Superman are what it excels at: seeing Superman zoom to save small children and squirrels, to argue for Lex Luthor to change, and watching a small child fight to raise a flag for Superman and crying out in hope for him as a savior. These are the moments that make Superman the best of all heroes.
Itâs a shame that Gunnâs film is more uneven than its best moments, that Lex Luthor is depicted so simply despite Nicholas Houltâs good performance, and that there arenât more building block moments and scenes to really ground us in the characters. Gunn understands the assignment and has the skills and knowledge to make it an S-tier film, but Superman doesnât entirely live up to its aspirations.
It is still a good, inspirational work. It serves as a nice reminder that superhero films arenât always supposed to be about epic, universe-shaking purple aliens, and can instead be about the simple but difficult choice to be good and kind in a world that constantly tells us not to be. Hereâs hoping that next time Superman lives up to the soaring heights and delivers a complete film that soars as high as those lovely strings and trumpets of the majestic theme music. All the ingredients are here for Superman to be what he can be.
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