Written And Directed by James Gunn
Lex Luthor: "Super... man... he's not a man. He's an it... that's somehow become the focal point of the entire world's conversation. I will not... accept that."
Since December 2022, has there been a movie with such a target on it's back? You've got two different types of fandoms actively rooting for it's failure while DC fans have been wondering if this can truly get the DCU off to a positive start.
There's no denying that James Gunn has become something of an increasingly divisive figure within the fandom and media circles alike. He's done the more adult DC content with The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker and Creature Commandos, but can he make that family friendly transfer with Superman? Well, this was quite the attempt.
The movie started with our titular hero (David Corenswet) in the Arctic badly wounded with an overly playful Krypto not helping the matter. Of course the robots, a message from Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara (Angela Sarafyan) and some sun and he's 83% ready to do further battle with the Hammer of Boravia yet again.
Yes, the Hammer's our opening threat but he's one being controlled by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and team while right hand woman, The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria) located the Fortress of Solitude. Within the first half hour of this movie, a lot comes into play.
First of all, there's Superman's interference in the conflict between fictional countries, Jarhanpur and Boravia with sympathy on the former as the latter's president, Vasil Ghurkos (Zlatko Buric) was revealed to be in league with Luthor. Lex of course has an interest in both countries while also going out of his way to destroy Superman in every key aspect.
Then we had a battle with Kaiju and Justice Gang - Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) where Superman's reputation was tarnished when it was revealed that his parents intended him to be a conqueror. Then Lex got to send him to a pocket dimension with Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) being forced to make kryptonite to keep him under control.
Fortunately for Superman, he had Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) in his corner and when she wasn't doing interviews grilling Superman's impulsivity, she was teaming up with Mister Terrific to rescue him. Out of the Justice Gang, it's not hard to see why Mister Terrific has emerged as a new fan favourite character. Throughout the movie, he certainly lived up to his monicker.
That's not to say that Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Metamorpho didn't have their moments because they certainly did. Especially in the third act when Lex had no problem nearly tearing Metropolis apart with a black hole while The Engineer and Ultraman (actually the Hammer of Boravia from earlier) tried to take out Superman. They nearly got close to succeeding as well.
If you're a comic book fan, you'll know that Ultraman was a clone of Superman and this one was a dumber version with messy hair. I don't think either The Engineer or Ultraman were that compelling as villains but they made for decent physical threats. Lex on the other hand was a true monster, even down to his treatment of current girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio) and the unfortunate Malik. Nicholas Hoult was so good at making this Lex an effective if petulant foil to Superman.
Speaking of civilian characters, I found Eve's subplot with Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) rather amusing. Jimmy's the only Daily Planet member who did anything while Perry White (Wendell Pierce), Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover), Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett) and Ron Troupe (Christopher MacDonald) seemed to be there to make up the numbers.
Then there's the Kents themselves - Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha (Neva Howell). They're a bit more country bumpkin than I expected but they're so very endearing. In particular, there's an absolutely beautiful exchange between Clark and Jonathan that tugged at the heartstrings. Both actors are well cast and make the most of their small screen time.
Last but not least, the romance between Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan absolutely sold it to perfection. It's a very modern take on the iconic romance but still felt familiar as well. The two of them are incredible together and I wouldn't be surprised if this movie propels them into the big league, career wise.
- The credit scenes include a sweet one with Superman/Krypto and a funny one with Superman/Mister Terrific.
- Other appearances in this movie included Supergirl (Milly Alcock) who reclaimed Krypto. There was also Rick Flag Sr (Frank Grillo), Peacemaker (John Cena), Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn), Otis Berg (Terence Rosemore), Sydney Happerson (Stephen Blackeheart) and Flo Crawley (Tinashe Kajese-Bolden).
- Maxwell's company, LordTech sponsored the Justice Gang. He's also not a fan of Lex Luthor.
- Yes, there's voice over roles for the likes of Alan Tudyk, Jennifer Holland, Michael Rosenbaum, Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff along with Will Reeve on screen.
- Standout music: The score music from John Murphy and Dave Fleming is superb but of course there's the use of 5 Years Time by Noah And The Whale in one particular scene that stood out. Oh and Iggy Pop's Punk Rocker at the end.
- Chronology: Metahumans have been around for 3000 years, Clark Kent is thirty years old and has been Superman for three years. He's been dating Lois for three months.
Superman had so much riding on it as a real test for the DCU and so far, it might just pass that test. It's got it's flaws such as pacing issues and some of James Gunn's usual writing ticks that don't always land. It also had a lot of heart, an array of fantastic performances, hints of an expansive universe and the bundle of terrible joy that was Krypto. So far, my favourite blockbuster movie of 2025.
Rating: 9 out of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment