Superman

what a breath of fresh air. on every rewatch i come to love this movie and iteration of superman more. it’s a return to form. long time superman fans probably fell to their knees and cried after they realized they got a faithful adaptation of the character after whatever the hell snyder was doing.  as a new fan who has read, count it, one (1) superman comic (birthright by mark waid of course) this movie does the character justice. it understands what makes superman so compelling: his humanity. clark kent is just as much MAN as he is SUPER. if not more so. he’s lonely and flawed, and cares deeply for a people that aren’t even his. this is where snyder stumbled (and more aptly, committed total character assassination). he took what made superman important/beloved (his humanity) and made it 5% of cavill’s character. the other 95%? his invulnerability and super human strength, coupled with a borderline robotic level of emotional depth. foolish, foolish mistake. clark kent - the man behind the uniform - is what makes superman who he is. the uniform, and the subsequent powers he possesses are simply tools he uses to do good, to EMPHASIZE his humanity. his powers should in no way be the main focus of the movie. snyder elevates him to a jesus-like character, whereas gunn brings him down in the dirt with the rest of us, allowing us to believe that anyone truly can be super, choose good, stumble and get back up.  superman is a friend, not a god. (the cast even spoke about how the bright colored uniform, controversial trunks included, was meant to emulate this. a uniform a kid could draw with some crayons, brightly colored to draw fire, soft and plush looking so as to inspire safety and calm etc etc). when i think about the impact this movie had i could tear up. superman summer was a time when it felt like the world was healing, people were kinder, life was a little more colorful. being kind WAS punk rock. illusion or not, it was certainly fun. i remember seeing so many videos of people inspired by the movie. here are some notable ones: 1. a woman who was a reporter excited to go to work cause she felt like lois lane 2. a man who had just got out of prison and the first movie he’d seen in 20 years was superman 3. a man battling cancer saying how superman inspired him to keep going 4. and not to mention all the little kids who saw the movie with their parents. one story in particular  had me tearing up (what can i say i’m sensitive). a little boy going to see the movie with his dad, came home said “i love you dad. i want to be just like you when i grow up.” like cmon man that’s special.  and as a side bar, david corenswet’s portrayal of masculinity is very important here. henry cavill’s  superman informed an entire generation of young men on what it is they should look up to. knowing that little kids now have a superman like corenswets to idolize means the world. the character understands that it’s ok to be imperfect, to feel, to fail. as long as we get back up, try our best (our actions, that’s what matters) it will be alright.  5. and of course, krypto look alike contests. need i say more? some other fun tidbits:  1. stray dog adoption spiked after the movie released 2. Fahim Fazli talked about how through out his entire acting career, he had only ever been cast as a terrorist/bad guy. but in this movie he was a hero.  all in all the movie probably isn’t perfect. but it’s has a fantastic score, beautiful colors, a good theme and emotional beats, speckled with wonderful performances (nick hoult ate as always). and is perfect so important when something has heart? i don’t think so.  not to mention, gunn once again brought niche characters to the lime light just as he did with guardians. and people loved it (me included). this movie influenced an entire era of my life, i started reading comics because of it and made a new playlist i listened to incessantly. i even had a superman themed christmas tree this year. all in all, it made me believe in good. and that’s something.