“Your choices. Your actions. That’s what makes you who you are.”
With his role directing the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy for Marvel Studios, James Gunn has proven himself to be one of the most celebrated among modern superhero film directors. After 2021’s “The Suicide Squad” and the 2022 HBO Max series “Peacemaker,” he was given the task of leading a reboot of DC Studios away from the edgy and brooding direction of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), to a more lighthearted and joyful universe. This new film “Superman” is the first attempt in doing so, and I’d say he knocked it out of the park.
The plot follows Clark Kent as Superman (played by David Corenswet, star of 2024’s “Twisters”), who has just suffered his first ever defeat at the hands of the new villain “The Hammer of Boravia” for Superman’s meddling in his country’s affairs. It is revealed that this is a lie, and he is secretly being controlled by the villainous Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult, star of 2022’s “The Menu” and 2024’s “Juror #2”), who is trying to discredit Superman to benefit his own clandestine business interests.
Superman also runs into a group of heroes calling themselves the “Justice Gang,” who are a bit less experienced than him… They include the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (played by Nathan Fillion, star of 2005’s “Serenity” and 2006’s “Slither”), Mr. Terrific (played by Edi Gathegi, star of 2011’s “X-Men: First Class” and 2008’s “Twilight”), Hawkgirl (played by Isabela Merced, star of 2024’s “Madame Web”), and Metamorpho (played by Anthony Carrigan, star of the 2018-2023 HBO show “Barry”). Mr. Terrific, in particular, is one of my favorite new characters and has one of the best fight scenes in the movie, and is a lot of fun to watch.
Krypto the Superdog was also a new addition for a live action Superman film, and he brought a nice degree of levity to the movie. The other main character is Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan, star of the 2017-2023 Amazon Prime series “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) and she has great chemistry with Corenswet. The film does not waste any time setting up their relationship, and simply drops you into the status quo, which I appreciated.
Kent’s other coworkers at the Daily Planet were also a lot of fun, particularly Jimmy Olsen (played by Skyler Gisondo, who had a role in the 2021 Best Picture nominee “Licorice Pizza”) and provided some comedic relief. There is also Luthor’s girlfriend Eve Teschmacher (played by Sara Sampaio) who has an interesting relationship with one of the main leads…
There is also a focus on found family that helps tie the film thematically together, giving the movie a nice emotional heart.
Hoult is a standout as Lex Luthor, and is easily the best performance in the entire film. These past few months have shown us that some of the real supervillains in our world are corporate billionaires beholden to no one but their own pocketbooks. The new Lex embodies that perfectly, being an insecure and hateful egomaniac who tries to throw money at his problems and ingratiate himself to the federal government.
I also noticed that there were not many easter eggs that detracted from the film. There were a few recognizable brands from DC properties I noticed, but beyond one or two quick cameos, the average viewer will not miss anything particularly major.
If I had to share a few last criticisms, it is that it took me about 15 or 20 minutes to get fully on the film’s side. The beginning of the movie was just a little distant, and after the opening scene ended, I was able to get on its wavelength. I also struggle to find a purpose for including the reporter Cat Grant (played by Mikaela Hoover) and not giving her much to do in the movie except be treated as eye candy.
This is a hopeful take on Superman that is sure to win over the hearts of moviegoers. And if you are a fellow fan of the “Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy, then this film will be right up your alley. Whenever they release a sequel to this film, I will be sure to go out and see it. My final rating for “Superman” is an uplifting 9/10. Also, stay for the post credit scenes.
