Movie Review: Superman

It has been a decade since the last film featuring the character of Superman as a main character appeared on screen. Since that film – 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – the DC Cinematic Universe (DCCU) saw a changing of the guard as director James Gunn was tasked with righting the course of the films and steering them to producing a more audience friendly product.

The first of which, 2023’s The Flash was released with mixed results all around, ultimately forcing the studio to rethink the character and subsequently recasting for any future adventures. The crown jewel of the DC Universe – the Man of Steel – however, seemed to be the more logical point from which to launch the new era of the DCCU. So, with Gunn set his sights on making the next film in his new relaunch a reintroduction of the character of Superman to the public. Now, after years of anticipation and numerous rumors and casting changes, the final product has arrived and the DCCU has been properly relaunched with the appropriately named Superman.

Rather than begin with an origin story, this Superman adventure assumes the audience has at least some background knowledge of the character and instead opts to sprinkle the nuts and bolts of the character in through visual cues and action onscreen. Thus allowing the film to begin almost at full throttle and move on from there.

There is quite a bit going on in the film in terms of an overall story arc, but essentially, the plot centers on Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) obsession with defrocking Superman (David Corenswet) and proving to the world that he is dangerous and not their extraterrestrial savior. To that end, Luthor employs a lot of henchmen as well as a few meta-humans (i.e. “super” people”) of his own to brings down Superman.

Superman, however, also has “friends” in the guise of characters like Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) that help him keep the world safe from the dangers that Luthor is unleashing upon it.

To its credit, the narrative never feels as cumbersome as that short synopsis may have made it seem. The conflicts here are laid out and then the story moves on. There is not an endless cycle of explaining how everything ties into something else or equates to some real-world counterpart or anything else that could derail the narrative. The film assumes the audience is accepting of the conceit of the film and treats it as honestly as possible.

Similarly, all of the actors appear to be very comfortable in their roles as well. Everyone plays their parts honestly and without seeming to feel like they’re involved in something silly or even preposterous. There is an earnestness about the production that makes it all the more endearing as the film moves along.

David Corenswet in “Superman.” Photo by Warner Bros – © Warner Bros.

Echoes of previous incarnations of the character do permeate many aspects of the film. Perhaps the most prevalent is the consistent use of the theme from the 1978 incarnation of the character. But this is hardly a flaw and is instead a nostalgic callback to the enduring popularity of the character and his ability to inspire across generations. That aspect of Gunn’s script proves to be his ace in the hole as he approaches everything as a matter-of-fact universe and simply sets an action movie within that world.

Although it may not be the game changing cinematic event many fans were hoping it would be, Superman does bode well for the future of the DC Cinematic Universe and offers a glimpse of new set of heroes that might perhaps help shepherd the property into a new age.

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Mike Tyrkus

Editor in Chief at CinemaNerdz.com

An independent filmmaker, co-writer and director of over a dozen short films, the Editor in Chief of CinemaNerdz.com has spent much of the last three decades as a writer and editor specializing in biographical and critical reference sources in literature and the cinema, beginning in February 1991 reviewing films for his college newspaper. He was a member of the Detroit Film Critics Society, as well as the group's webmaster and one-time President for over a decade until the group ceased to exist. His contributions to film criticism can be found in Magill's Cinema Annual, VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever (of which he was the editor for nearly a decade until it too ceased to exist), the International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, and the St. James Film Directors Encyclopedia (on which he collaborated with editor Andrew Sarris). He has also appeared on the television program Critic LEE Speaking alongside Lee Thomas of FOX2 and Adam Graham, of The Detroit News. He currently lives in the Detroit area with his wife and their dogs.

@miketyrkus

Mike Tyrkus

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