The moment has finally come for James Gunn’s relaunch of the shared DC cinematic universe. Starting like the previous incarnation with the introduction of Superman. Unlike Snyder’s version and unlike the MCU, this isn’t starting with a world that doesn’t know superheroes. Marvel built up slowly from Iron Man, bringing in heroes one by one. In later years they’ve retconned heroes to have been around longer and begun to flood their world with them. It’s easy to forget how slow they started. Snyder’s DCEU however started with a world new to superheroes, but post “Man of Steel” it rushed them in with a determination to reach an “Avengers” level pay off as fast as possible. That method failed. Gunn however decided to start with a world well aware of meta-humans. The big names will still get their introductions though and Superman, the most powerful hero, is still a game changer.
A lot is riding on this movie. We are in an era of superhero fatigue. In 2006 when “Superman Returns” came out, you could be sure to hit near the half billion mark with a superhero movie, without much concern. By the time “Man of Steel” came around that was close to a billion. But times have changed. The superhero frenzy, mostly driven by Marvel, peaked with End Game and then fell off a cliff. Covid impacted things too, making movie goers fussier about what they pay to see in theatres. The quality declined with superhero movies and TV shows and yet their numbers continued to grow. The market was saturated and the audience got bored of it all. The DCEU failed and attempts to course correct failed worse. There is only room for one more shot at a DC cinematic universe and this is it.
A New Era
Enter James Gunn, departing Marvel after a somewhat rocky relationship. Unfortunately, Zack Snyder’s fan base wasn’t going to take this lying down. They’ve gone out of their way to cast doubt on this new venture. Hard to say if it has caused real damage. It has however earned them the reputation of most toxic fanbase on the internet (Few fandoms genuinely deserve the “Toxic” label, this is one). Gunn has not helped sell the movie either, making too much of the promotion about himself, instead of focusing on the charismatic appeal of David Corensweat. The trailers also gave the wrong impression on a lot of aspects of the movie that the Snyder Bro’s took advantage of. Still, it wasn’t all bad. Most people went in thinking the movie could go either way and the pressure was definitely on.
Gunn decided to write and direct this movie personally instead of give this huge responsibility to another party. Whether he’ll be as hands on with the DCU in future remains to be seen. But here it made sense. Even if some were concerned that Gunn would make it too comedic. Long time Gunn collaborators Henry Braham and John Murphy take on cinematography and compositional duties respectively. Murphy shares credits with David Fleming and it has to be noted a good part of the music is a reworking of John Williams “Superman March”. Sensible choice given how well recognised that theme is. David Corenswet takes on the cape as Superman/Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan becomes the latest in a long tine of actresses to play Lois Lane. Last but not least, Nicholas Hoult steps into the roll of Lex Luthor, previously played by Kevin Spacey, Jesse Eisenberg and of course Gene Hackman.
Up Up And Away!
After a brief summary of events prior to the movie (Metahumans being common, Superman’s arrival on Earth and revealing himself to the public), we are launched right into the action. Superman has stopped a military incursion of what appears to be an Eastern European nation into a third world country. As a result a previously unknown hero from that country has launched an attack on Metropolis with the intent of fighting Superman. Shockingly, Kal-El is having his ass kicked. Don’t worry, this will all make sense in time. After a brief rescue by a badly behaved Krypto the super-dog, and rejuvination in his fortress of solitude Superman returns to the fray. This isn’t his only battle. The controversy of his decision to intervene in other countries affairs has given him a political backlash along with a growing one one on social media.
Of course the megalomaniac Lex Luthor is behind this. The evil genius is working two simultaneous plans, the most significant one being the destruction of Superman. Lex wants to destroy him both in name and in person. As a private contractor he offers the US government with the means to incinerate the man of steel, he just needs the excuse to do it. This is where we get into spoiler territory, so all I will say is that the story is simple, but the world is complicated. It’s a personal journey for Clark, pushed by Luthor’s obsession, but this is more than a head to head. Superman isn’t alone in this world, other “metahumans” also exist. These include a Green Lantern (Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and “Metamorpho” (Anthony Carrigan).
Best Since 1978?
First off, the casting here is superb. There are some strange decisions, such as Nathan Fillion’s bowl cut, but as far as the personalities on screen and the characters they are portraying goes they did a great job. David Corenswet, above all else is the best Superman we’ve seen since Christopher Reeve. He truly embodies the character on and off screen. This is a more emotional Superman than some may like, but given the personal journey he goes on it would diminish the story to make him too stoic. The important thing is that he holds back where he needs to, is always representing the best of humanity, doesn’t want to kill and wants to bring out the best in others. He gives you that sense of hope and when he shows emotion it is for good reason and helps to humanize him.
Luthor will be a bit more divisive. You are meant to dislike the villains, but some are so good as characters it’s hard to avoid romanticizing them. Here, Lex is a vile, nasty man with no redeemable characteristics. Personally, I find it refreshing. Why should every villain have to be “misunderstood” or even “Think they are the hero”? This Luthor iswell aware of who and what he is and embraces it. Some won’t like that. Hoult is a good actor and does the role justice, second only to Gene Hackman. Great work. Lois Lane is a real stand out too. The last two cinematic versions of the character fell so wide of the mark it was embarrassing. Brosnahan is the best in the role since Teri Hatcher’s TV series run (And Hatcher had most of the focus of that series).
The New DCU
It doesn’t stop there though. It is worth mentioning Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio). Neither have a large amount of screen time but both play a pivotal roll. Teschmacher of course was a character invented by Richard Donner for his movie, she since found her way into the comics and is a welcome return to the screen. Olsen, while a slightly different take to the comics, fits perfectly into this new world and is instantly recognizable as Jimmy. Perry White is race swapped (Nothing new, Laurence Fishburne played the character for Synder), but Wendell Pierce gets the character across with almost no screen time, so job done. The Justice Gang are the highlight of the supporting cast however. Hawkgirl is a little bit “Just there”, but Guy Gardner and Mr Terrific are a joy to watch whenever they are on screen.
No one lets the side down here. If there is a weakness, it could perhaps be derived from the simple, yet dense plot. But the thing is, it works. It does what it needs to in both establishing the world and giving superman an arc. More importantly it is an origin for Superman, in a way. Here’s the thing, there’s always a debate on showing origins for superheroes. We’ve all seen the capsule arrive on Earth, we’ve all seen Batman’s parents killed, we’ve all seen Peter Parker get bitten by a spider. But the thing is, the important part of a superheroes origin is not what gave them powers, it is what drove them to be the people they are. Gunn avoided rehashing the Donner Superman movie, but he still spent this first movie establishing to the audience why Superman is who he is. That’s the real origin story.
Comic Book Action
The “Justice Gang”, don’t get an origin. But they are as fleshed out as they need to be for supporting roles. Over time they will no doubt be replaced by more established characters that do get the solo treatment. This is a new way to a shared universe (Compared to MCU’s and DCEU) and it seems to work. It adds, not so much a realism, but a very lived in feel to the universe. This isn’t a realistic world though, this is a comic book world and it follows comic book rules. No surprise for those that know Gunn’s movies. He has always embraced the sillier aspects of the comics and made it work. Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad are both evidence of this and it’s a refreshing approach. You will never get a superhero movie that feels ashamed to be a superhero movie under Gunn.
The action and cinematography follow suit. There is a lot of action, with a great deal of variety and heavy CGI. Giant monsters, buildings falling, tears in the fabric of the universe. All that fun stuff. If you hate CGI, this may be a turn off, but it’s done well. The comic book aesthetic helps here and really shows why this is a better approach than trying to make things dark and gritty. Each action scene has a purpose and tells it’s own story, none feel inserted just for the sake of it. The score is well done too, with regular references to John Williams theme from the 1978 movie. We get a blend of old and new and being a Gunn film, naturally a couple of songs in the mix too.
Back Down To Earth
There is one negative with the movie and this is spoiler territory so I won’t say too much on it. But, it involves a major change to Superman’s Kryptonian parents. In the film itself, things are left open ended due to how the information is revealed. However James Gunn has confirmed in interviews his intention and it is something that will be divisive with fans. What I will say about it though is within the story it serves a purpose and essential to Superman’s story arc. To me this wasn’t a deal breaker, but it is one story beat I did not like. During the epilogue we meet Supergirl, who will be the focus of the next DCU movie. We will likely find out more about Krypton, then so we can determine if this change is a mistake or just something different.
One thing I do note though with the story arc related to this plot twist. That is, Gunn has repeated Starlord’s story arc from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. The truth is, this was better done in that movie and that does impact the final score. Overall though, this is one of the best superhero movies I’ve seen for a long time. Of course it still remains to be seen if this is too little too late, but it is as good a launching point for the DCU as you are likely to get. This is what a comic book movie should look like. More importantly though, David Corenswet has been universally praised and accepted as our new Superman and hats off to him, he nailed it. See this in theatres if you can! 7.5/10