James Gunn has superbly crafted a Superman movie and brings out his love and knowledge of the material and his knack for awesome comic book movie spectacles. He made sure that Superman’s humanity is presented front and center and as divisive as this is to some group of audience, it works in the grand scheme of things. Cinema and storytelling in general has always been about the reflection of our lives and this one does not alienate the audience inspite of having the main protagonist as a super-powered being.
As an antithesis to the previous version of the character, Superman/Clark Kent is naively good, hopeful and kind to a fault - from big scenarios of geopolitics to small acts of saving a squirrel. In almost every scene, he is shown to save a living being as much as he can, even contemplated saving a Kaiju mid-battle who happens to wreak havoc in his city. The message of this is really apparent and Gunn’s camera movements are kinetic and a delight to see while he does this.
Even with the worst of critics, nothing negative can be said about the great cast and their acting on this. The trinity of Corenswet, Brosnahan and Hoult has given great performances complemented by their supporting cast. Brosnahan’s shines that even without saying anything, her eyes convey so much from her silent moments with Corenswet. Hoult has been great at everything he does and he plays this version of Lex with much complexity, playing between deep hate and campy villain comparable to Dr Evil. Corenswet gives out earnest kindness and pain and that last scene before the credits where he was just smiling is so feel good you will walk out of the cinema smiling.
The film is not without its faults. The pacing feels very rushed that some scenes feel a bit disjointed. It might be that cuts to trim this down to kid-friendly lengths are to blame. Some might feel it is messy with all the comic book stuff Gunn is putting out here but if anyone has their fair share of comic book movies, these are considered treats with how great the execution is. A longer version of the movie might flesh out these things better.
This version of Lex feels a bit over-the-top for me whenever he is with his “minions”. But when he is just with The Engineer and/or Ultraman, he is silently calculating while at the same time being mean and hateful. There is so much to expound on Lex’s background for us to fully know and understand his unfathomable hate on Superman. Hoult is really great for this role.
Gunn showed in this film how he looks for different ways in executing certain known aspects of a Superman movie. Everyone knows kryptonite is lethal to him and everyone who has encountered any Superman media knows that. But he made sure he shows something else that is equally lethal and that particular scene imparts a certain dread with the use of close-up shots in the beginning. Eve Teschmacher being called a “genius” is another example.
It is a long journey watching this movie come into fruition. From Gunn being announced as DC head, the cast announcement, the first sight of the suit, the first trailer, all the rumors, etc. And seeing the final product result into something really special is icing on the cake. Different people might have different opinions. But for me, this is the Superman movie we all deserve, helmed by a creative who knows his comic books, writes stories that are relatable and can execute his vision in full blockbuster fashion. It is not perfect but it is a blast.
The Reeves Superman made people believe a man can fly. This film is not trying to replicate that. It just wants to show that a super man can also be punk rock.