Superman

Superman has finally released and it’s maybe the most unapologetically comic book comic film of all time. Characters have normal conversations as super beings battle space oddities or giant kaiju in the very same city. It’s almost everything I’ve ever wanted from these films, for them to finally embrace the absurdity of the source material, and Gunn pretty much says he’s okay with the inherent childish of the comics, and it’s all the better for it. Superman’s never been more concerned with protecting life than he is shown here, being less worried with the person attacking him than he is with innocent life that may suffer from the battle he’s tied up in. It’s a simple idea that doesn’t come up too often in these types of films, but here Gunn makes it the forefront of most of his action scenes, and they all benefit from it. This Superman has such a remarkable care for everyone that I’d think it’s pretty much impossible not to fall in love with him, and Corensweat balances it perfectly. It may be the best the character has ever been presented on film, and that’s a mind numbingly high feat. He just manages to nail the sentimental angle they need for the character and the naivety that Superman has. Brosnahan is without zero doubt the best Lois ever put to the screen. She behaves like a true reporter, she challenges Clark when she has to, and understands that she has to be his other more cynical half and cover his blind spots. Her chemistry with Corenswet is great, and I didn’t realize until watching the film just how much romance is lacking in comic book films. And while Clark and Lois have their hands a bit full for them to go on a weekend getaway, Gunn still keeps the characters’ relationship in play, and it’s all the better for it. It’s wonderful stuff. Hoult is also pretty great as Lex. He’s petty, he’s envious, and he’s angry for most of the runtime and excels throughout. The other big notable character is Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen. He’s pretty much the perfect Olsen, and even being given some traits I don’t totally love, it’s hard to deny just how stellar he is. The Justice Gang gets a fair amount of screen time. Gathegi makes the most of his time and really nails Mr. Terrific. Fillion’s Gardner is very Guy Gardner for better or worse, and finally Merced gets the least of the three but does good with her deliveries, and especially her numerous screams throughout are fun. The story kind of gets away from Gunn at some moments. It’s just a bit unfocused at the beginning, with some awkward pauses between scenes, and it throws you straight into a conflict that is already in full swing. It’s a choice that gets the film going fast, but also gets it to a rocky start that it thankfully escapes from pretty quick. He keeps it simple throughout, not worrying about big reveals or cameos, but just presenting a story that feels very in line with the stories that these characters are so accustomed to. Heroes come and go, and while I could see some getting annoyed with that, it didn’t feel like a cheap get out of jail free card for Gunn to write his way out of moments. The big negative for me comes from most women who aren’t Lois. They feel pretty pathetic in a way that I thought came off weirdly mean spirited. That’s not to say the actresses don’t do a good job, and a lot of it happens to reinforce Jimmy’s aloofness, but I just don’t love the decision. I actually just felt really bad for a certain character in the film, but he manages to twist that character in a tremendously satisfying way, so it still comes out at least semi positive. It’s not a perfect film, but every DC film I love came out far before I was born. So to have a film that comes out and I can experience as a new story, not one that is decades old when I get to it, is an incredible feeling. I found myself pretty overcome with emotion multiple times throughout the film. It’s unapologetically a comic, and it benefits from it at every opportunity it can. It features at every stop the optimism that comes with so many of my favorite stories, and really embraces the idea that a superhero’s greatest strength is their innate goodness. I loved it.