There’s a new Superman movie in theaters. It’s named, fittingly, Superman. You’ll never guess what it’s about.
We join our titular hero 3 years after he announced himself to the world as the most powerful metahuman on the planet. During that time Superman has been busy doing good deeds, saving innocent lives, and generally being a beacon of light for humanity. However, his heroism isn’t without controversy. Right on the heels of having unilaterally stopped a war between two rival third world nations, Superman finds himself the subject of hot global debate over the role of powered beings. As Supes struggles to come to terms with his true purpose on this planet, he’ll have to navigate international politics, corporatized superhero organizations, a strained romantic relationship, an unruly pet dog, and his very first ass kicking. Lots to deal with for a simple goodhearted Kansas boy, but all in the name of truth, justice, and the American way.
For the most part, Superman is a successful superhero movie, and a fun addition to the catalog of movies about the Man of Steel. A bit closer to the movies of the late 70s and 80s than the more recent Henry Cavill installments, this film is less moody and serious and more of a return to the “aw shucks,” America and apple pie, slightly goofy Superman movies we used to see. This has to be a good thing for the DCU, which has lagged behind Marvel for decades. James Gunn (director of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies) fills this film with MCU-esque quips and jokes, almost to a fault. Unlike previous reboots, there’s no retread of the origin story, no first discovery of Superman’s powers, no hiding his secret identity from Lois, etc. On the one hand this is good, because we don’t need to see all of that again. On the other hand, it does feel like we’ve parachuted into movie 2 or 3 in a series without really having some of the background.
The movie looks pretty good, and there are more than enough big action scenes, fights, super power displays, etc. The cast is pretty good, although there are a ton of main and side characters and several recognizable actors, especially if you’ve watched a bunch of MCU. David Corenswet is well cast as Superman/Clark Kent. He brings the right amount of earnestness and humor, and looks the part. He plays Superman as a slightly old fashioned Midwestern boy scout in a world that is just a bit more cynical. Rachel Brosnahan is good as Lois Lane, and manages to portray a strong female character without seeming like they were desperate to make you know she’s a strong female character. You have Nichoulas Holt, Nathan Fillion, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Scott, Frank Grillo, and Isabela Merced, all of whom appeared in MCU movies. Even Superman’s team of robots are voiced by Michael Rooker and Pom Klementieff from Guardians of the Galaxy, and Alan Tudyk from a ton of stuff. They all do fine, in a comic book movie sort of way.
As you might expect, there are more than a few plot holes and moments where you just have to push the “I believe” button. If you don’t overthink character choices or motivations or how/why some events play out, you’ll be happier. There are probably too many characters, and it periodically dumps a bunch of exposition in a bit of a “tell instead of show” manner, partially because the movie drops us in several years into this Superman’s journey and needs to do a bunch of catch-up world building and character introduction. There is also a LOT going on. Tons of little details, gimmicks, bits, nods, and jokes, all cast in technicolor and running at full volume. It’s probably too much, but again, it’s a comic book movie, so you’re getting what you paid for.
Overall, Superman is a reasonably wholesome superhero movie in the Marvel tradition even if it’s made by DC. It’s rated PG-13 for some violence and just a touch of foul language. If you take the family to the theater to see it on the big screen, you’ll have fun, but if you don’t want to shell out a small fortune and decide to wait for streaming, that’s probably ok too.
