‘Superman’ Review: A Delightfully Imperfect Superhero Movie

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a successful reboot..? Well, depending on who you ask, the answer may differ—and that all depends on whether you buy into James Gunn’s distinct visual identity and particular brand of kookiness.

As CEO of DC Studios, Gunn has been given the keys to a floundering kingdom that needs saving from itself. After a series of abysmal flops that definitively put a nail in the coffin for the DC Extended Universe, the director has a Herculean task ahead of him to rebuild and revitalise interest in the DCEU amidst superhero fatigue and oversaturation. His first order of business? Reintroducing Superman.

Now, the Man of Steel is no stranger to fighting tough battles and saving the world, but this time, he also has the added pressure of saving the entire DC Studios. Everything is riding on Gunn’s version of the caped hero to bring it home (at least $700 million at the box office, to be exact)—but did the film do enough to achieve this? 

Read on for our review of Superman to find out where this film soared and stumbled.

[Minor spoilers ahead—don’t worry, I won’t ruin all the fun!]

Putting The “Man” in Superman

I have to admit that while I was excited to see Gunn’s take on the DCEU, I was also apprehensive about how he would interpret Superman through his lens. 

After all, the writer-director, best known for The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and 2021’s The Suicide Squad, has reliably allied himself with the lesser-known outcasts, freaks, and anti-heroes of the comic book world. Because of their D-list status, Gunn had the privilege of having black canvases to work on without the scrutiny and expectations from die-hard fans. 

But we’re talking about the superhero here—the iconic Superman, whose mythos is known to everyone, comic book fan or not. But therein also lies the director’s exceptional skill in excavating his characters in ways that truly resonate and pack an emotional punch. 

From the get-go, this Superman is different from the type we’ve come to expect. The film opens in media res, with sprawling text over the screen to catch audiences up on Superman’s entire history. The movie doesn’t waste time going over the usual story beats—there is no destruction of Krypton, baby pod, or crash landing on a Kansas farm (a decision that may ruffle some feathers)—to dive straight into the action.

Our first image of Superman sees him in utter defeat as he lies bloodied and flattened in the snow after losing his first battle against another supe (or “metahuman”, to use the comic book lexicon). He whistles for his adorable super dog, Krypto, to drag him to their safehouse—hardly a hero’s entrance. Gunn not only humanises Superman, but others him as well.  

After all, he is an illegal alien who sought refuge in America after his home was destroyed. Throughout the film, he is constantly referred to as “the alien”, “it”, or “the Kryptonian”. Comic book fans might roll their eyes at the overt political messagings in the film, but Gunn’s focus on Big Blue’s foreignness makes Superman a powerful and timely immigrant story. Here, Superman is not just a symbol of hope and force for good; he also represents the outcasts and the displaced.

Far from Henry Cavill’s stoic and reserved nature, Gunn’s Superman is emotionally open, reactive, and brimming with personality. He whines, throws a tantrum when his dog is taken, and thinks being kind is punk rock. He stops a piece of rubble from crushing a lone driver on a bridge and saves a squirrel mid-fight with a kaiju. Rather than portraying Superman as a messianic, distant father figure, Gunn’s Superman is defined by his humanity and isn’t hard-bent on forcing the gravitas.

David Corenswet is perfectly cast as the eponymous hero, lending an eager, boyish charm that makes me believe everything is going to be okay. When Lois says that he thinks “everyone is beautiful”, I feel that. From his dimple to his perfectly curled strand of hair behind full-rim glasses, he certainly looks the part, too. I only wish the film explored more of the interplay between Superman and his Clark Kent alter ego, as they are both essential parts of his identity. 

A sweet combination between Christopher Reeve’s charismatic allure and a grown-up version of Smallville’s do-gooder boy scout, Tom Welling, Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman is more relatable, sentimental, and accessible, with all the mess that comes with being human. 

A Stacked Supporting Cast

Over the two-hour runtime, the film introduces us to a plethora of supporting characters at an almost dizzying speed. Some elevate while others bloat the narrative. Wendell Pierce is terribly underutilised as The Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, while Skyler Gisondo is a fine sidekick with a side plot that feels forced. 

A clear standout is Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, the whip-smart and astute journalist whose cynicism is the perfect foil to Superman’s grinning optimism. Brosnahan brings a sharp edge to Lane, trudging with vigour and purpose that makes her an integral part of the story rather than mere window dressing. 

Further, Brosnahan and Corenswet’s chemistry is palpable through the screen—nothing like the flat dynamic between Henry Cavill and Amy Adams. Every scene with the pair is electric as they seamlessly bounce off each other, whether that is bantering in the office to cover up their three-month relationship or Lane grilling “Superman” in a heated interview about intervening in international affairs. This is the best “Clois” pair to grace the cameras since Smallville. 

Long-time arch-nemesis and S-tier hater Lex Luthor is devilishly played by Nicholas Hoult, who makes the best of a lacking script. In the film, we’re in the thick of his hatred for Superman, and the film doesn’t dive into the intricacies of their complex relationship. Rather, we are told through an extensive monologue that quite literally spells everything out in a way that insults our intelligence. 

As a result, he comes across as someone merely driven by his loathing rather than an antagonist with interiority and agency. There are instances where the film truly takes the character to diabolical heights, which is where Hoult sells the menacing act to perfection. However, this tension is not always sustained, and some silly antics in the third act reduce him to a whiny brat with a game controller. But it never gets too cringe in a way that keeps us up at night like Jesse Eisenberg’s manic portrayal. 

For the most part, Hoult is a star who brilliantly toes the line between a Machiavellian mastermind and a tortured billionaire whose evil genius almost had Superman dead to rights. 

We’re also introduced to the Justice Gang, featuring the Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). Fillion is delightful as the sarcastic self-acclaimed leader and puts a smile on my face with his comedic timing. Gathegi is an absolute scene stealer as the cool-headed savant, having the most character development out of the trio and an epic solo action sequence. Hawkgirl just shrieks. Rather than being shoe-horned in, I’d much rather see the Justice Gang in their own dedicated film. 

And because there is no shortage of metahumans in Superman, say hello to Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). The mid-tier DC superhero who can transmutate into various elemental forms gets his chance to shine. From his character design to eye-boggling transformations, he fits right into Gunn’s playground of weirdos and contributes to the strong comic book feel of the movie. You might find him divisive if your threshold for wackiness is low.

Superman’s support squad is also wholesome and adorable. Ma and Pa Kent, played by Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince, respectively, are sweet Kansas farmers who raised their adopted son to be an upright man. Gunn has a knack for making us care for non-human characters, even crying for a tree, and Krypto is no different. The playful furry sidekick is a highlight of the movie, and I would gladly watch a movie of Superman and Krypto’s adventures any day.

The Complete 180 Shift

Name a more extreme franchise switch-up, I’ll wait. Where DC Studios is classically doom and gloom, Gunn’s Superman is vibrant, quirky, and sentimental. Die-hard fans of Zack Snyder’s solemn and serious approach may find this new direction irreverent or too lighthearted for their appetite, but it goes to show that Gunn really isn’t here to aggrandise the mythos of these superior metahumans.

The film is striking in its saturated visuals (finally, some colour!) that pop off the IMAX screens, but again, the CGI epidemic that has plagued Marvel is also prevalent here. It’s not anything egregious like Ant-Man Quantumania or Thor: Ragnarok, but worth mentioning. Several scenes are let down by the obvious post-production CGI, where movements feel unnatural and wonky, and set designs look flat and lack field of depth. Fortunately, the fight choreography and action sequences are genuinely entertaining to watch, from hand-to-hand combat and airborne battles to clashes in pocket dimensions.  

Apart from the visuals, Superman also takes on a complete tonal shift, for better and for worse. The film is designed to be a family-friendly movie that you can bring your friends and family of all ages to enjoy. That means bye-bye emo 18-plus grittiness and hello, wide-eyed chumminess, which can be a good or bad thing. In the film, it’s both.

Superman has a good mix of humour, heart, and action, but we don’t need every character to be quirky and funny. Superman doesn’t always have to crack a joke to be relatable. There are clearly already characters written with a comedic flair who can take on that kind of stuff. 

Further, Gunn doesn’t let the emotional beats of the story play out before undercutting them with humour, much to the film’s detriment. This is a curse Marvel has been dealing with for years, and unfortunately, Gunn has brought this habit into Superman. Every time I felt like the film was going to slow down and dig deep, the moment is deflated by a quippy remark or slapstick gag that gave me emotional whiplash.

There is a particularly tender scene between Clark and Pa Kent, which brought tears to my eyes. His adoptive father gives a poignant speech, and the two hug on the porch of their farmhouse. No jokes, no sudden interruption. Just a pure and sweet moment between father and son that lets the emotions sit in the quiet. Those were the type of scenes Superman needed more of to drive it home.

Final verdict

Overall, Superman is an excellent film to kick off this era of the DC Extended Universe. By focusing on his humanity, Gunn has brought out the essence and spirit of Superman in a way that we haven’t seen in a long time. Gunn doesn’t implore us to look up to find Superman; he’s right here, earthbound and standing amongst us, with the hope and belief that our goodness will prevail. Perhaps, this is the type of hero DC Studios and the world need right now.

Rating: 8/10

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