For almost 40 years, Warner Bros has been trying to crack the “how do you make a Superman film for the modern era” puzzle, to the point where they’ve been figuratively chasing a ghost. Christopher Reeve passed away in 2004, but his undeniable mark on the Man of Steel and his secret identity remain synonymous with how fans view the character. There was 2006’s “Superman Returns,” which was supposed to double as a tribute to the Richard Donner films and Reeve, but was more aesthetic than a course correction. Zack Snyder’s 2013 “Man of Steel” and its subsequent ensemble films marked a darker, grounded direction for the Man of Tomorrow. It was polarizing, and the studio upheaval has been well chronicled (like Superman’s origin, we know the story, so that I will spare the details).
James Gunn is the latest writer/director to take a crack at not only revitalizing the character but also kicking off an entire universe (that he oversees with co-runner Peter Safran). The man who came from another planet to help Earth fight off bad guys might not even recognize the 2025 version he’s in. We are polarized to the point where people are unable to come to the understanding that Superman’s story is, in fact, an immigrant story.
In a way, Gunn tries to take on that dissonance with his story directly, but also pulls from a plethora of other influences, including his prior team-up superhero films like the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and 2021’s “The Suicide Squad,” comics, current world events, and even aspects of the Snyder-verse films. It’s almost an exhaustive amount of things to keep up with within a two-hour and ten-minute film because you feel the excitement Gunn has with this story. His wonderment at what the DCU can offer in the future almost overcomes the person who can leap tall buildings within a single bound. When it settles on Clark Kent/Superman as its main focal point, and the inner struggle of doing the right thing while others set boundaries on that or lack them entirely, the film finds its form.
DAVID CORENSWET as Superman in Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
From the beginning of “Superman,” it sets out to distinguish itself from tales before it. Clark (not referred to as Kal-El in this version) (played by David Corenswet) has been pulling double duty as the man donning the blue and red cape for three years. The world is already accustomed to Superman intervening in various situations, from saving a dog in a tree to resolving conflicts between fictional countries named Barovia and Jarhanpur. In the first frames of the film, Superman is not doing heroic things. A written coda informs the viewer that Superman has lost his first fight to an armored figure named the “Hammer of Barovia.” Mirroring the scene from the first trailer, Superman relies on his highly energetic and superpowered dog, Krypto, to take him to the Fortress of Solitude to heal.
Many storytellers have grappled with the fact of illustrating a character who only has an Allen crystal as a weakness. Gunn immediately shows and continues throughout the film that Superman is still arguably the strongest superhero around, but he’s not indestructible. It’s an attempt to bring the character down to eye level in a way that works, coupled with the fact that Corenswet’s take has the runway to be emotive, annoyed, and other emotions.
The question of why Superman remains the shining example of good arises in the film frequently – even altering its origin points. Funny enough, it draws a comparison to a similar journey in Matt Reeves’s 2017 “The Batman,” although with a bumpier ride. Gunn takes Clark’s inner compass and tries to interlink it across the stars – from the Krypton family he barely knew to his adoptive parents in the Midwest (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell). It’s the way the story presents it that almost cancels the point Gunn is trying to make. The world can use more kindness in general, but is it great if it comes at the expense of something else?
From L-R) NATHAN FILLION as Guy Gardner, ISABELA MERCED as Hawkgirl and EDI GATHEGI as Mr. Terrific in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
The Daily Planet is in full effect, with Perry White (Wendell Pierce) at the helm as editor-in-chief and photographer Jimmy Olsen (played by Skyler Gisondo, who brings a funny, secret heartthrob take). Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane embodies the confidence and assertiveness reminiscent of Margot Kidder’s portrayal of the character. She’s a scrappy reporter who has been dating Clark for a few months and is well aware of his alter ego. One of the most dynamic scenes is an impromptu interview session between “Superman” and Lois, which becomes a heated battle between ideals. It’s one of the best ways Gunn can illustrate what he’s trying to say with the character at large. If bad things happen, why does it matter about territories?. Where Batman v. Superman scratches the surface, Corenswet and Brosnahan present the two sides of the matter beautifully and show promise as a duo when they are given the time.
If only this were the bottom of Superman’s worries. There’s the matter of tech-billionaire and dedicated hater Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who has dedicated every resource to not only studying his hated adversary’s moves in combat, but also building a pocket universe prison complete with monkey bots to drive negative engagement towards his rival. There’s a ball of maniacal contempt that Hoult conveys in his character, which transforms him from the quippy, scheming archetype of the 80s into something darker. At the heart of his hate for Superman is his undocumented immigrant status and the fact that massive numbers of people adore him for his heart – not the man with the political and financial capital.
That conflict alone can be its own film, but “Superman” is also in the interest of world-building, as there are other metahumans along to help our hero save the day. (“The Justice Gang”), a trio of corporate beings pitch in when Superman is tied up fighting a giant Kaiju and other matters in the third act. It’s Edi Gathegi’s portrayal as Mr. Terrific that shines the brightest, as he’s given the time to showcase his personality and the full extent of his character’s genius. Like Lois, Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner / Green Lantern and Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl get the time to hit their marks and move on.
“Superman’s” color grading undergoes a considerable shift in a different direction, juxtaposed with the somewhat muted landscapes of the Snyder films. Most of the time, it looks great and bursts with life. There are others where it tends to look unnatural as points. As far as action sequences go, Gunn goes out of his way not to solicit most of them in Superman’s way. There’s even a variation of a battle scene from Guardians Vol. 3 that finds its way here. If anything, there’s a slight balance of our hero flying around and saving the day without punching through things. The film goes out of its way to let you know Superman will do everything in his full assortment of powers not to destroy anything (or save the tiniest pet from harm).
Then there’s the balance of tone, where James Gunn straddles the line, showing the chuckles and corniness radiating from comic book pages against the harshness of real life. The world in “Superman” is essentially a mirror; distrust and hatred towards immigrants and a war conflict where one side is armed to the teeth. But the essence of kindness and doing the right thing isn’t merely an American ideal or something to be claimed; it’s something within everyone. That’s precisely why this character is worth resisting, not only because of what he can do, but also because of who he is and where he comes from. It’s rather commendable of Gunn to affirm that Superman’s origin is why his heart of America values are so strong. “Superman” is not so much of a new take. It’s rather messy, but more of an inspired redo and mulligan to get you to look up in the sky again.
