by Josh Sewell
Despite being the most famous superhero ever created, Superman has a rough cinematic track record. Not counting the animated and live-action serials from the 1940s-50s, we’ve seen four different iterations of the character on the big screen, with varying degrees of success. Director Richard Donner’s 1978 take is arguably the most beloved, ushering in the modern superhero movie, establishing a template other filmmakers would use for decades and transforming the late Christopher Reeve into an icon.
But even Reeve’s run had potholes. Donner was fired while shooting the sequel, leading to an erratic story that’s still mostly entertaining. And we don’t talk about III and IV – those sequels never happened. They were a figment of our collective imagination.
The character lay dormant for almost two decades, until 2006’s underrated Superman Returns. Deemed a box office disappointment shortly after release, it’s probably a better watch than you remember. Unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well thanks to the involvement of director Bryan Singer (yikes) and actor Kevin Spacey (who turned out to be a real-life villain) as an admittedly great Lex Luthor.
That brings us to Zack Snyder’s controversial take on the character, mostly remembered for the most toxic fanbase this side of Star Wars. A few years removed from all that nastiness, it’s clear Snyder was attempting to deconstruct the Superman mythos much like he did with his serviceable 2009 adaptation of Watchmen. The problem is Superman is 100 percent the wrong character to try that with.
Although 2013’s Man of Steel hasn’t aged well (and 2016’s Batman v. Superman fares even worse), it did showcase Snyder’s flair for visuals and proved Henry Cavill could be a great Superman under the right circumstances. He just never got the chance. Credit where it’s due, however: when Snyder finally got to release his four-hour(!) cut of Justice League in 2021, he corrected most of his previous mistakes and crafted a solid finale to his misguided trilogy.
Now, after a long string of critical and commercial disappointments, DC has tasked former Marvel wunderkind James Gunn with rebooting the studio’s entire superhero universe. He starts with writing and directing the latest take on Superman, which is the most comics-accurate interpretation of the character so far. Not-so-coincidentally, that makes the flick a lot of fun.
In this version, superpowered beings (known as Metahumans) have existed for three centuries. The change in mythology allows Gunn to skip the usual origin story stuff. (If you don’t know how Kal-El made it from Krypton to Kansas, there are dozens of ways to find out.)
When the story begins, Superman (David Corenswet, easily the best actor in the role since Reeve) has been active in Metropolis for three years; assimilated into his life as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent; and is dating Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who already knows his secret identity.
Furthermore, the evil Lex Luthor (a perfectly cast Nicholas Hoult) is already executing a complex plan to destroy the being who the billionaire genius considers a foreign enemy drawing attention from the spotlight he deserves. It involves the mysterious Ultraman, the first being to ever defeat Superman in battle, and a host of associates devoted to ruining the hero’s reputation.
In the meantime, two warring nations (an obvious representation of the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Palestine) show Superman’s place in the modern world is more complicated than it seems. When his goal is protecting innocent lives, but doing so sets off protests at home and abroad, what does that say about our current geopolitical climate?
The overall plot of Superman transcends the concept of a spoiler warning, but I’m keeping it vague just in case. All I know is I haven’t had this much fun with these characters since I was a kid. The movie is messy, but fun. That chaotic energy is fine with me – ambitious but imperfect is way better than a technically decent movie that plays it safe.
Still, the all-over-the-place energy means the smaller character beats are far more interesting and amusing than the epic, mega-budget battles. Honestly, it seems like Gunn would’ve preferred to focus on that stuff, but it just wouldn’t fly in today’s blockbuster marketplace. It’s too bad – a “Superman on his day off” story from this filmmaker would be amazing.
Regardless, the most compelling aspect of the film is Gunn’s emphasis on Superman’s status as an immigrant in an increasingly complex and divided world, which makes his Boy Scout persona more important than ever. A common critique is the character’s near-invincibility and angelic conscience makes him boring, but I’ve always thought that was silly.
The same criticisms were levelled at Captain America, but the MCU still managed to bring him into the modern world and used his characteristics to represent a stark contrast. Gunn pulls off a similar magic trick, and evidence suggests it’s pissing off all the right people. Cable news pundits and social media trolls are already whining about the new “woke Superman,” which is a ridiculous claim considering the character has been fighting Nazis, Klan members, McCarthyites and other fascists since his first appearance in Action Comics back in 1938.
In an even more impressive feat, Gunn plants the seeds for future DC films without making Superman feel like the pilot episode of an ongoing television show. Heroes like Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) appear in memorable scenes without feeling like tacked on easter eggs.
What’s more, memorable characters including Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Perry White (Wendell Pierce), as well as Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince) pop up along the way and establish themselves as critical members of this new universe. And they’re all interesting enough to warrant their own stories.
I know many moviegoers are growing tired of superhero flicks (as evidenced by quality fare like Thunderbolts* underperforming at the box office), but Superman is coming along at the perfect time to inject new energy into the genre. Hopefully it does well enough to warrant a few sequels – I really want to hang out with Gunn’s interpretation of these characters some more.
Superman is rated PG-13 for violence, action and language. Opens in theaters on July 11.
Grade: B+
But even Reeve’s run had potholes. Donner was fired while shooting the sequel, leading to an erratic story that’s still mostly entertaining. And we don’t talk about III and IV – those sequels never happened. They were a figment of our collective imagination.
The character lay dormant for almost two decades, until 2006’s underrated Superman Returns. Deemed a box office disappointment shortly after release, it’s probably a better watch than you remember. Unfortunately, it hasn’t aged well thanks to the involvement of director Bryan Singer (yikes) and actor Kevin Spacey (who turned out to be a real-life villain) as an admittedly great Lex Luthor.
That brings us to Zack Snyder’s controversial take on the character, mostly remembered for the most toxic fanbase this side of Star Wars. A few years removed from all that nastiness, it’s clear Snyder was attempting to deconstruct the Superman mythos much like he did with his serviceable 2009 adaptation of Watchmen. The problem is Superman is 100 percent the wrong character to try that with.
Although 2013’s Man of Steel hasn’t aged well (and 2016’s Batman v. Superman fares even worse), it did showcase Snyder’s flair for visuals and proved Henry Cavill could be a great Superman under the right circumstances. He just never got the chance. Credit where it’s due, however: when Snyder finally got to release his four-hour(!) cut of Justice League in 2021, he corrected most of his previous mistakes and crafted a solid finale to his misguided trilogy.
Now, after a long string of critical and commercial disappointments, DC has tasked former Marvel wunderkind James Gunn with rebooting the studio’s entire superhero universe. He starts with writing and directing the latest take on Superman, which is the most comics-accurate interpretation of the character so far. Not-so-coincidentally, that makes the flick a lot of fun.
In this version, superpowered beings (known as Metahumans) have existed for three centuries. The change in mythology allows Gunn to skip the usual origin story stuff. (If you don’t know how Kal-El made it from Krypton to Kansas, there are dozens of ways to find out.)
When the story begins, Superman (David Corenswet, easily the best actor in the role since Reeve) has been active in Metropolis for three years; assimilated into his life as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent; and is dating Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who already knows his secret identity.
Furthermore, the evil Lex Luthor (a perfectly cast Nicholas Hoult) is already executing a complex plan to destroy the being who the billionaire genius considers a foreign enemy drawing attention from the spotlight he deserves. It involves the mysterious Ultraman, the first being to ever defeat Superman in battle, and a host of associates devoted to ruining the hero’s reputation.
In the meantime, two warring nations (an obvious representation of the conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as Israel and Palestine) show Superman’s place in the modern world is more complicated than it seems. When his goal is protecting innocent lives, but doing so sets off protests at home and abroad, what does that say about our current geopolitical climate?
The overall plot of Superman transcends the concept of a spoiler warning, but I’m keeping it vague just in case. All I know is I haven’t had this much fun with these characters since I was a kid. The movie is messy, but fun. That chaotic energy is fine with me – ambitious but imperfect is way better than a technically decent movie that plays it safe.
Still, the all-over-the-place energy means the smaller character beats are far more interesting and amusing than the epic, mega-budget battles. Honestly, it seems like Gunn would’ve preferred to focus on that stuff, but it just wouldn’t fly in today’s blockbuster marketplace. It’s too bad – a “Superman on his day off” story from this filmmaker would be amazing.
Regardless, the most compelling aspect of the film is Gunn’s emphasis on Superman’s status as an immigrant in an increasingly complex and divided world, which makes his Boy Scout persona more important than ever. A common critique is the character’s near-invincibility and angelic conscience makes him boring, but I’ve always thought that was silly.
The same criticisms were levelled at Captain America, but the MCU still managed to bring him into the modern world and used his characteristics to represent a stark contrast. Gunn pulls off a similar magic trick, and evidence suggests it’s pissing off all the right people. Cable news pundits and social media trolls are already whining about the new “woke Superman,” which is a ridiculous claim considering the character has been fighting Nazis, Klan members, McCarthyites and other fascists since his first appearance in Action Comics back in 1938.
In an even more impressive feat, Gunn plants the seeds for future DC films without making Superman feel like the pilot episode of an ongoing television show. Heroes like Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) appear in memorable scenes without feeling like tacked on easter eggs.
What’s more, memorable characters including Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Perry White (Wendell Pierce), as well as Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince) pop up along the way and establish themselves as critical members of this new universe. And they’re all interesting enough to warrant their own stories.
I know many moviegoers are growing tired of superhero flicks (as evidenced by quality fare like Thunderbolts* underperforming at the box office), but Superman is coming along at the perfect time to inject new energy into the genre. Hopefully it does well enough to warrant a few sequels – I really want to hang out with Gunn’s interpretation of these characters some more.
Superman is rated PG-13 for violence, action and language. Opens in theaters on July 11.
Grade: B+
Reach out to Josh Sewell at joshsewell81@gmail.com or on BlueSky @joshsewell.bsky.social
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