Superman Review – James Gunn’s DCU Soars To Incredible Heights

Superman was an incredible film, and here are my full thoughts on the movie. The movie was a 9/10 as a whole, being a great start to the DCU and an incredible reinvention of the Superman character after he was completely butchered in the DCEU. This was one of the most comic-booky projects that I’ve ever seen, feeling like an episode of Justice League Unlimited with all the campy and fantastical elements that’ve been taken straight from the comics. The film draws a lot from Silver Age comic book influences specifically, and manages to bring it into the story in such a way that it has a reason to be there, and helps the story to move forward. It’s like a comic book come to life, and isn’t afraid to shy away from more goofy or fantastical elements. These Silver Age influences are also reflected in the movie’s tone, which is very positive and uplifting, delivering a message of hope, which is in stark contrast to the overall tone of Man Of Steel and other DCEU movies. This film manages to bring back the magic of Superman for a new generation, and shows that maybe being kind is the new punk rock. 

There are many positive things to be said about this film, but I really loved how brisk the movie’s pace was, and how James Gunn didn’t make this film into a traditional origin story. The opening credits tell us everything we need to know about the world, and the film wastes no time in jumping straight into the world, with already established characters in it.The plot kicks into high gear right off the bat with Superman getting his ass beat by the Hammer Of Boravia, introducing the central Boravia-Jarhanpur conflict. We are then introduced to the Fortress Of Solitude and Krypto, and Lex and the rest of Luthorcorp, all within the first 10 minutes.

The threat of Lex and his henchmen is also immediately established, with Ultraman, Engineer, and himself breaking into the Fortress with apparent ease. The evil of Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is immediately put on full display, with him referring to Superman as an “it” and jumping for joy every time Superman suffers. This iteration is perhaps the best Lex that we’ve ever seen, and Nicholas Hoult gives it his all in this phenomenal performance. Throughout the film, we see that he is driven solely by his hatred for Superman, which provides for one of the best and most entertaining comic book villain performances of all time. The performances of the rest of the cast are amazing too, with David Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane in particular having incredible standout moments and great chemistry. Unlike in the DCEU, these two actually feel like a real couple. David absolutely nails the duality between the awkward geekiness Clark Kent and the inspirational heroism of Superman, making the Man Of Steel feel like an actual hero and allows his humanity to shine through.

The key plot point of Superman’s humanity is also an incredible basis for the film’s central conflict, and creates a clear contrast between him and Lex. The Justice Gang each delivered great performances as well, with Edi Gathegi’s Mr.Terrific in particular being a surprising standout. Nathan Fillion is such a loveable asshole as Guy Gardner, and Isabella Merced is also able to make do with her limited screentime. The previously mentioned Silver Age influences in the film are everywhere, from its bright, colorful color palette to its hopeful message and overall lighthearted tone. These influences can also be seen in certain creative decisions, namely the addition of Krypto the Super Dog. His inclusion actually makes sense in the story and serves to drive the plot forward, which is a feat only James Gunn could achieve. Of course, this being a James Gunn film, it also includes many classic Gunn tropes, like incredible action scenes, costume design, and an absolute banger soundtrack. 

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While this movie was amazing in most respects, I still have a few gripes and nitpicks that I’m now going to address. Firstly, once you peel back all the performances and hopeful messaging, the plot of the film is quite basic overall, following a simple hero vs villain story that wasn’t innovative or unique. Certain plot points also didn’t work for me, like the twist involving Kal-El’s parents which felt rushed, and Eve’s betrayal of Lex, which just felt like lazy writing in order to allow the heroes to get their hands on incriminating information. It also leaned a bit heavily into comedy at times, which distracted from serious moments and exchanges. The film also had the challenge of juggling an incredibly  large ensemble cast, which means that inevitably some characters will get less screen time than others. The cast of the Daily Planet felt really underutilized and underexplored, in particular the Clark Kent persona and Perry White, who had a tiny presence compared to his role in the animated series. In the Justice Gang, Hawkgirl was a noticeably sidelined member, which is a real shame given how cool Hawk-hero-people like herself are in the comics. This film also has a large ensemble cast of antagonists as well, meaning that with Lex taking center stage, characters like Ultraman and Engineer didn’t really get their time to shine aside from being Lex’s bodyguards. 

On the whole, this was both an excellent movie and an awesome moviegoing experience, and managed to capture the joy and hope that Superman should represent perfectly. This was an incredible start to the DCU, and I’m really excited to see where James Gunn will go next with this universe. This is one of the must-see blockbusters of the summer, and serves as the perfect launchpad to the new DCU.