Harmless fun, but not really my scene
Summary
If you’re a fan of James Gunn’s style then Superman will be your kind of movie (and you can add another star to the rating) as it’s filled with his usual humour, but I was mostly baffled by it and found it too silly. It had its moments and there are a few laughs, but I have no desire to watch this one again.
Plot: When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman’s four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it’s too late?
Review: I’ve been trying to keep an open mind about James Gunn’s interpretation of Superman as I always like seeing different iterations of the character. I’m one of the few who finds something to enjoy in all the versions we’ve seen before from Christopher Reeve to Henry Cavill; they all bring their own distinct vision and now it’s up to David Corenswet to don the red trunks.
There hasn’t been much from the trailers that made me want to see this as it looked aimed at a very young audience. Sadly that was very much the case and I am definitely not the target demographic for this movie.
I always feel with James Gunn films that there is like an inside joke that I’m not a part of, so I never quite get his movies. At one point in this when a CG green baby and Superman are flying through what looked like Lego I leaned over to my brother and said “what the fuck is happening?” to which he shrugged.
This is one of the strangest movies I’ve seen for some time which is no bad thing as weird should always be celebrated and there is still plenty to enjoy if you’re a comicbook fan (which I’m not).
The colours are bright and the tone is very light with one emotional scene between Clark and his dad on a bench. It’s just a quiet father/son sequence but it was my favourite in the film and I wish there were more scenes like it. At least his dad didn’t tell him to let a bus load of kids die this time…
Rachel Brosnahan has a smaller role than expected as Lois Lane but she captured that Margot Kidder essence and I liked how she and Clark were already together so we don’t have the tedious will they/won’t they stuff.
David Corenswet looks the part as the Man of Steel, but it’s too bad he spends most of the movie lying on the ground getting his ass kicked and never winning a fight on his own; he usually gets help from the annoying Krypto or Mr. Terrific and Guy Gardner (who nearly steal the show).
Spoiler alert but during the build up to the finale where the kid puts up the flag and they all start shouting “Superman”, Guy and the Justice Gang show up… Superman doesn’t. He’s in Metropolis trying to stop Lex, but then he doesn’t anyway… Krypto does.
Why is everyone saying it’s so great to see a “hopeful” Superman? You mean when he’s letting the other guys do the work while he’s lying on the ground. Superman to me always had a quiet authority and dignity to him, but he’s treated as almost a joke in this and and despite the music trying to make him seem heroic there are few jump out of your seat and cheer moments.
I wish John Williams iconic music wasn’t used in this as it really doesn’t belong; that’s Christopher Reeve’s theme tune and they should have created something new. It also sounds overly-synthy and rarely exciting like the classic tune. I also hated having the Guardians of the Galaxy type rock music which has no place in a Superman movie.
On the action front there’s a lot of CG with Superman fighting a big monster and a few fun moments, but there’s nothing that really stands out.
Overall, I wanted to love Superman, but I knew from the trailers that this wasn’t going to be my kind of movie; it was just too ridiculous and will appeal more to James Gunn fans, a younger audience or avid comic readers.