Superman is a James Gunn film. Gunn has a style that audiences are accustomed to, but can also be wary of in a manner that is similar to Tim Burton. It’s a lion that has to be contained somewhat, or it’s too familiar, over the top and can become a cliché of itself. Superman for new audiences that are post-Snyder, in the “not my Superman” camp or never got past Christopher Reeve will be their own obstacle. All of that tossed into the mix and James Gunn still wrote and directed a fun movie that succeeds on many levels through the various film lenses one could view it from.
The casual movie fan might be put off on seeing Superman because they think it’s going to be firmly ensconced in one of the areas they avoid, like comic book movies. Gunn’s first film, Slither, might look like a typical zombie/alien film, but it has weird qualities and a sense of humor that made it more than the gorefest some took it for. It was clever, smart and very unique. 19 years on, Superman has almost 20 times that film’s budget and expectations placed on it from numerous angles, but manages to be its own movie.
In this film, Superman’s David Corenswet all but has the film stolen from him by Mr. Terrific and a CGI dog. That is not to say Corenswet or any of the other supporting players fail to measure up, it’s that those two characters, one of whom doesn’t even speak, has such great interaction and dialogue written for them. Some will say that Superman is scattershot and all of the place; I would say that the writing brings in many threads, and manages to make most of them pay off.
One fear that comic book fans will have is the fear of an unnecessary origin story. That fear is easily assuaged in the first 90 seconds of the film via the text. We discover that many years ago, a series of metahumans and Gods came to Earth. More recently, an alien from Krypton came to Earth and just a moment ago said alien lost his first battle. With that very brief prologue out of the way the film can get on to business, which is does so very quickly in a way that rewards DC fans, as well as, casual fans who won’t get mired up in the minutia of who has what powers.
It doesn’t matter because one of the ones you’ve probably never heard of will steal the show. Mister Terrific is played by Edi Gathegi and nails that character to the wall. I’ve seen Mister Terrific in some comic books, but never knew his powers, motivation or personality. In Superman, Mister Terrific is played to comic perfection with the cadence and cockiness of a young Bernie Mac. Mister Terrific is part of the Justice Gang, which also consists of Hawkgirl and Guy Gardener. The group was assembled by a business tycoon in Metropolis. This group plays a major part in Superman and adds to the enjoyment, which is surprising because it easily could’ve slipped the other way.
One fear that the comic book movie fan has, especially after Batman Returns, is placing too many characters in one film and not having any of them pay off. That does not happen in Superman. Audiences who don’t know Mister Terrific (like me) won’t get confused by his powers in the film, but will be entertained by the character and seek out the back story when they get home. Nathan Fillon does his deadpan confidence as well also while playing Guy Gardener. The things that every audience member is thinking about his bad haircut is also referenced-and at just the right time.
There’s a great scene where the Justice Gang is battling some alien orb in the background. Superman and Lois Lane are having an emotional conversation in an apartment while the combat action is not in focus and happening behind them. Yes, the scene is reminiscent of Groot dancing around in the introduction to GOGT 2. The premise is similar, but the effect is more heartfelt. Like the latter, it still elicited (intentional) laughter from the audience, but it also let audiences into the relationship between the two.
The fact that Clark and Superman look identical is addressed in the film with a silly, nonsensical-but very funny manner done by Mister Terrific. Lex Luthor’s means of realistically fighting Superman is a little frustrating because it equates down to a video game and watching “hundreds hours of fights with Superman.”Take it with a grain of salt like the lightweight, enjoyable fair that it’s meant to be and you’ll be fine. There are characters that could’ve been developed more. There are also several Easter Eggs and LOL moments that will reward DC fans who’ve been patient as this universe has tried to find its legs.
Superman isn’t the cinematic wonder that the Batman trilogy was. It isn’t nearly as dark as The Batman or even Man of Steel. It is worlds better than Batman V Superman. It’s also much more entertaining and balanced the recent Suicide Squad. It’s a good starting point for the DC cinematic universe. In hindsight, people were too kind to the MCU and would probably adjust their above average ratings to something more restrained.
In a way, then, Superman is a breath of fresh air. It’s not over the top PC or pandering towards one group. It’s got superhero action, but not enough to be exclusive to that crowd and a strong enough plot with good enough characters to entertain the masses. The film is far from perfect, but is good enough-and better than recent super hero films, to be seen as fresh and popcorn entertainment for big groups.
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