Superman

TL;DR - James Gunn knows how to manage Superman in a way that plays on his strengths and weaknesses. It's a movie that is built to last the test of time and perfectly shapes the way the DCU will pan out. ..I never was a Superman fan growing up. In the 2010s Superhero world, most studios prefer heroes who got their powers through experiments or innovation. The X-Men were mutants who didn't ask for their powers, the Fantastic Four were explorers who got too curious, Spider-Man was a teenager who appeared at the right place at the wrong time, and Batman was a billionaire who wanted to prevent the tragedies that shaped him. .Humans were how I viewed heroes; I didn't care for a man who came from another planet and had an unlimited set of powers simply because of the Sun. The 2010s treated Superman poorly. For starters, we had the Injustice games/comics, a series that made Superman the villain as he kills the Joker after the death of Lois Lane. Between 2013 and 2021, we had Zack Snyder's Superman. Henry Cavill was by no means a bad actor for Superman, but he was never given the right story. Snyder sought to differentiate Superman under his vision. During Cavill's run as Superman, the character faced its fair share of issues. Including - Snapping General Zod's neck, the leveling of Metropolis, letting Jonathan Kent die, insisting that Superman turning evil in the future was fate, and failing to include Superman in other potential projects until it was too late. .It's because of these issues that left me not interested in Superman. He became too OP to me, like a Goku or One Punch Man who is unstoppable. I knew how Superman was in the comics, but for most people, like myself, the judgment of our heroes comes from he movies. But I felt that James Gunn would be a great choice to be the one to redeem him. Gunn did the same with the Guardians of the Galaxy, a ragtag team who were only known by comic book readers. But after the success of the Guardians trilogy have become household names beyond the pages. .James Gunn had me blown away. I was always hesitant about the film because James Gunn had success with the Guardians, but all 3 films followed a similar copy + paste pattern..Superman proves James Gunn can make a Superman film that doesn't follow the basic origin story trope. One of my favorite things about the film was that it throws the audience into the middle of the action. It feels like the film should've been called "The Adventures of Superman." Because that's what it is, it's almost like we're watching Season 2 episode 19-22 of a TV show. We have a Superman (David Corenswet) who has already fought some foes, rather than just throwing a mega threat at him like Zack Snyder does. .But arguably my favorite part of the movie was the discussion of Immigrant themes. In an age where anything showing simple human kindness is considered "Woke", I'm glad those so-called "reporters" at Fox "News" can remind us all that Superman is an immigrant story. Those MAGA-Christian viewers view Superman as a representation of Jesus Christ, but they fail to understand that he's a representation of Moses. Kal-El was created by two Jewish immigrants, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Kal-El even means "Voice of God" in Hebrew, and the message from his Kryptonian parents represents Moses and the Burning Bush. Superman is sent away from his home world and sent to a world of people who are different then him, such as Moses, who is taken down the Nile until living with the ancient Egyptians. Kal-El and Moses are hated by those in charge of the place where they live. Both are considered outsiders and a threat until they show the people their true power when they become a hero for those who suffer, i.e., Moses parting the Red Sea. .James Gunn does great by this on multiple occasions. Including having Lex Luthor antagonize Superman by showing the public his original parents' message, Superman explaining to Lex how he is more human than he is alien, and showcasing how the U.S. Government treats him as less than human. But in the end, it's Superman who proves the people in power wrong. Because despite never hearing the end of the message, Superman chooses to protect the people of Earth rather than enslave them because he believes it's his duty. The duty that his human parents taught him and the parents that Superman accepts as his own at the end of the film. .I'd like to wrap this up because I've been yapping for way too long. .Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) was a great villain and I'm glad that he was a great commentary on how corrupt billionaires and politicians really do act in our daily lives. I did enjoy the Daily Planet employees, though they did become a bit forgettable during the 3rd act, and it feels like there is a cut of the film where they do more. JImmy Olson (Skyler Gisondo) was well cast, would've liked a bit more tho. Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) was a perfect choice for the best journalist in comic book history. Her romance with Clark felt real and wasn't as rushed as love interests are in other comic book films. .The Justice gang & Metamorpho were all fine additions to the film, though I was worried it would be too much considering the film is titled Superman. Anthony Carrigan was great as Metamorpho, and I was surprised to see him included as much as he was. Nathan Fillion and Isabella Merced were great, and I'm interested to see how they are included in future DC projects. But the best member had to be Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), I'm so glad he gets a big role after Fox wasted his talents as Darwin in X-Men First Class.. Overall, Superman is one of the best superhero films that we've had in a long time and arguably the best DC film since Nolan's Dark Knight films. The film challenges how people misinterpret Superman; it proves he can be beaten, but is still one of the strongest characters in comic book history. David Corenswet proves that Superman stands for Truth & Justice, he's willing to do the right thing even if it may not follow every code or law in the book. He's willing to let a building get damaged if it means he can save more lives, even if it's a squirrel. Are there some moments that follow the basic tropes of comic book movies and poorly timed comedic moments? Sure! But the film remains an entertaining and meaningful project that will shape the way future generations will come to view Superman. . Thank you, James Gunn, you've saved Superman for me and I can't wait to see what's next for the DC Universe. 4.5/5