Superman: Treating The Iconic Superhero With Reverence

Superman is such a hallowed character in the eyes of generations of comic book readers, so much so that depictions of the character as of late have been met with unprecedented amounts of scrutiny. Stuck between the past and the future, with James Gunn (and Peter Safran) now at the helm of the DCEU through the newly-created DC Studios, what better property to start a new universe than Superman (Creature Commandos aside)? Superhero film fans are a notoriously tough demographic to please but when it comes to DC, the history behind fans of the Snyderverse goes without saying, holding on to the vision of director Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill’s portrayal of Superman. While the Snyderverse has been litigated more than enough at this point, it is time to move on and move forward. Written and directed by Gunn, a man who is clearly no stranger to the superhero space, Superman goes in a different direction than what many audiences have grown accustomed to from him. Here, he delivers a bonafide comic book tale that respects the character and what he stands for with a refreshing earnestness that only helps it stand out more. That being said, it was not without Gunn’s trademark flourishes. Acknowledging that it is merely the first part of a much larger plan, the film doesn’t try to swing for the fences right away.

Casting David Corenswet as the titular superhero proved to be the right choice, bringing the kind of warmth and charm befitting of the aura that is Superman. Superman is a character that is best when audiences can believe in him and his ideals. Though he may be an alien, he represents the best of humanity, or what humanity should be. Corenswet’s version of the character is one that audiences will want to follow as he inspires the world to be better. Exceptionalism at its finest, all he wanted to do was to help others, even if it was difficult but those actions often found him in trouble with those who did not believe in him or his motives. With his focus split across conflicts both foreign and domestic, Superman (Corenswet) became the subject of public scrutiny from a growing contingent that saw him as more harm than good. Still a popular figure among the masses, tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Hoult) saw this newfound vulnerability as an opportunity to leverage the public discourse to his benefit. Meanwhile, the other side of Superman, reporter Clark Kent paid his dues working at the Daily Planet alongside the intrepid Lois Lane (Brosnahan) and his other colleagues. Despite not spending too much time on that side of the coin, the film at least does a decent job at laying the groundwork for the Daily Planet dynamic, even though the side characters here were essentially window dressing for Clark and Lois.

As Superman finds Clark and Lois’ relationship in its infancy, that arc is among one of the film’s highlights. Affording him a grounding presence and reaffirming that human perspective, the two complimented each other beautifully, whether they realized it or not. Still in the stage of getting to know one another, Lois knew about Clark’s secret identity (psychic glasses shielded his secret identity from others) which in turn made for an interesting dynamic between the two. Getting by with writing easy puff pieces about Superman, Lois challenged him on his journalistic and personal ethics by giving him a lesson on the consequences of his actions and how they could be perceived by others, despite his honorable intentions. However, with the walls closing in on him, Luthor’s fingers were all over it, as this was merely one part of his master plan to get Superman out of the way to advance his own interests. Putting himself at the forefront of internal discussions with the top brass of the US government, he not only presented his alternative metahuman team that he controlled as a means to protect the planet, but also tried to tip the scales in a foreign war made worse by Superman’s previous unilateral decision to try and stop the war on his own. Continuing the attacks on his credibility, Luthor finally appeared to have delivered a kill shot once Superman’s true motivations were put into question.

As Metropolis, and much of the world, stood divided, Luthor stood in a prime position to take advantage. With a warrant out for his arrest, he would not deter from doing what he believed to be the right thing and to him, that meant surrendering to the US government. Subcontracted by the US government to handle his detention, and the detention of other powerful metahumans, Luthor now had him right where he wanted him, or at least that’s what he thought. Lois, on the other hand, was not willing to give up without a fight, turning to another team of metahumans working for tech billionaire Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn). Anointed by the public as the ‘Justice Gang,’ Green Lantern/Guy Gardiner (Nathan Fillion), Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced), and Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) worked together with Superman to defend Metropolis but, in this case, the gang had reservations as it meant working far beyond their purview. However, defying Gardiner, who was kind of a jerk, proved to be an opportunity that was hard to pass off. Operating on multiple fronts, the Daily Planet would be yet another avenue for Lois to expose Luthor and his nefarious activity. Once the full extent of his activity became clear, it would take more than just Superman to save the day as the fate of Metropolis, and the world, was in jeopardy as a result.

On the technical side, Superman is the consummate blockbuster that is perfect for a summer release. Very much epic in scope, the overstuffed argument is somewhat valid as it definitely is guilty of pushing perhaps a bit more than needed, as the first film of the new DCEU, it is surprisingly shows some restraint, compared to what it easily could have been. While it looks the part and sounds the part amidst all the usual CGI superhero mayhem, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table with either. Though for what it does, derivative score aside, it does it all well. The action may be standard fare, but it works here as the film finds the right balance in delivering action and character development, coming from Gunn’s handling of moments, both big and small. Respecting the character of Superman and what he stands for, the immigrant commentary goes without saying as well as he being a beacon of hope in today’s seemingly hopeless world, he is still a person with emotions that thinks and feels just like the rest of us. Superman represents an ideal that appears to be fading from today’s society. Be it that aforementioned scene between he and Lois or he and his parents, Ma (Neva Howell) and Pa (Pruitt Taylor Vince) Kent, the film also thrives during those wholesome moments that help draw out more of his human side. On the other hand, in typical James Gunn fashion, some humor is sprinkled in to make things interesting but it is not enough to derail the film tonally.

Going back to the performances, Corenswet has the charm for for the role and the humanity to make his version of Superman one that is easy to rally around. If there is one argument that detractors can make, it is that he perhaps stumbles when the script requires him to dive deeper but as a whole, he is a delight to watch. The same could be said for Brosnahan as Lois Lane. As fierce as she is tenacious, she provides a boost of energy that is needed to stand out on her own terms and round out what was a powerful Lois and Clark dynamic, something that could make or break any Superman film. Corenswet and Brosnahan have such a dynamic chemistry that makes them such a blast to watch despite only scratching the surface of where they can go. The last part of the equation, Lex Luther, is played beautifully by Hoult. A formidable ideological counterbalance to Superman, he harnessed his own kind of energy while chewing the scenery as an egotistical supervillain fueled by envy and jealousy, and he certainly had no qualms about it. He was an absolute force and one that could hold his own going toe-to-toe with Corenswet’s Superman, or anyone else for that matter. The best of the rest are easily Fillion as Gardner and Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, two characters that should play a prominent role in the DCEU moving forward. Each steal scenes in their own way, with Fillion shining as an absolute jerk and Gathegi offering up a similar energy as the stoic and uber-confident tech genius. Honorable mention goes to Krypto, the unruly super dog, for being the bestest boy and its uncanny ability to show up at the right time.

In the end, instead of trying to hit a home run on the first pitch, Superman employs a more methodical approach, smartly bypassing yet another origin story and delivering something more akin to a classic comic book tale that sets the stage for the future of the DCEU. To that extend, audiences can expect a few surprises along the way and the trademark post credit scenes they have come to expect (but we will not be going into that here). While it may be a little rough around the edges, its deep reverence to the titular superhero is commendable, adding to a familiar type blockbuster that delivers more of the same superhero thrills and strong performances to bring it all together.

still courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.