Did James Gunn Save Superhero Movies from Extinction?

Look up, look down, look all around. The marketing for the new ‘Superman’ movie is everywhere. I’ve been looking forward to this film for a long time. I walked into the theater with my fingers crossed hopeful that this time around things would be different. As I left the theater with buttery fingers and Coca-Cola running through my veins, I wasn’t really sure how I felt. Things were definitely different. There was a lot to love about this film. However, there were some things that felt odd and bloated – just like me after snacking on popcorn during the flick.

On one hand, the movie is not as grounded as Zack Snyder’s ‘Man of Steel’. On the other hand, it is not as charming and simple as Richard Donner’s ‘Superman: The Movie’. In some weird way, the movie is a mix of ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’, ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, and ‘Batman Forever’. I realize how crazy that last sentence sounds so let me explain.

Warning: spoilers ahead.

The Plot Boiled Down to Nuclear Nano-bites

The basic plot of ‘Superman’ is very similar to ‘Superman IV: The Quest for Peace’. Lex Luthor has one mission and that is to “DESTROY” Superman. This time around, Lex uses two super-powered beings to do his bidding. Instead of Nuclear Man, we get The Engineer and Ultraman.

Superman Caught in a Spider Web of Pocket-Dimension Drama

In ‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’, Peter’s abilities are stretched to their limits as he deals with the multiverse and things like a magical mirror dimension. It’s nothing like the semi-grounded Sam Raimi movies. To pull off the plot points of ‘No Way Home’, a lot of CGI was necessary.

‘Superman’ is no different since the story called for a pocket-dimension, an elemental man and his baby, and other wacky imagery that required a digital brush to render. These story elements pushed Superman in a direction that we’ve never seen before on the big screen.

Suspending disbelief to watch Superman fight Zod in downtown Metropolis is one thing, but it’s another thing when Superman is swimming through a proton river in a pocket-dimension filled with CGI characters.

Riddle Me This, Superman

Remember Jim Carrey’s over-the-top Riddler performance in ‘Batman Forever’? It was stereotypical and shallow. It was the very definition of a mustache twirling super-villain. In ‘Superman’, Gunn’s Lex Luthor is played in a similar fashion.

I know there is a lot of positive vibes going around about Nicholas Holt’s performance as Lex. I am not taking anything away from his performance. He played the part well. I just wish he wasn’t so one dimensional (more on that later).

So, Did James Gunn Deliver a Comic Book Movie That Saved the Genre of Superhero Films?

It’s no secret that superhero films as of late have been less than thrilling. I didn’t see many friends posting pictures of them going to see ‘Thunderbolts’ or ‘Captain America: Brave and the Bold’. However, many of them have taken to social media to share in their enjoyment of ‘Superman’ with their family. So, is ‘Superman’ a good superhero movie? We will get to that.

I found the opening act to be very enjoyable. Unfortunately, we saw most of the act in the trailers and other promotional videos. Regardless, Gunn interjected a great deal of heart and humor to suck you in. I especially liked the unruliness of Krypto, Kal-El meditating on the message sent by his biological parents (more on that later), the Fortress of Solitude robots, and the bone-breaking vulnerability that Superman experienced. All of this made Big Blue relatable and showed us why he chose to help humanity.

Following the opening, we get a battle between Superman and the Hammer of Boravia that includes our first introduction to Lex. As Lex directed the actions of the Hammer from his control room, it all seemed a bit too maniacal. Would Lex get his hands that dirty, or would he be in a penthouse enjoying a cigar, and watching the events unfold from a distance? Lex is very smart and calculating in this movie and there are many layers to his plan, however, I feel like an older, more seasoned version of the character would have played better against the younger, more hopeful, Superman.

I liked the fact that Lex was secretly working with the Boravia government, and he was behind the creation of The Hammer to manipulate public opinion against Superman. What I couldn’t understand was how the public viewed Lex, and what his company actually did. It would have been nice to have some context to understand the threat Superman posed to Lex. I could understand Lex feeling threaten by Superman if he was the owner of a major defense business and somehow gained public notoriety for defending humanity against the meta-humans. Superman showing up would have taken the spotlight away from Lex, and the profits of his business would have plummeted, subsequently igniting Lex’s hatred of Superman. But we never get that type of backstory.

Lex and his goons invading the Fortress of Solitude was necessary for the story and therefore I wasn’t too bothered by it, but how many times are we going to see this occur? It happened in ‘Superman II’, ‘Superman Returns’, and – in a way – ‘Batman v. Superman’.

The jaw-dropping moment for me was when the message from Kal-El’s biological parents was deciphered. I didn’t realize this same story twist was used in Superman lore before. For me, it worked because it put the focus back on Clark’s human upbringing that led him to be Superman. Lex weaponizing the message against Clark to persuade the public that Superman was a threat was a very relevant plot point. How many times have we seen someone gain positive public notoriety only for them to be brought down by a tweet they published years ago? If you recall, this happened to Gunn and that is why he departed from the MCU.

Ah, the Justice Gang. Not sure how I feel about them. I really like Isabela Merced as an actress, but she really wasn’t given much of a chance to shine. Guy Gardner played by Nathon Fillion kept giving me Woody Harrelson vides, and Mr. Terrific was noteworthy. Their introduction established the difference between “superheroes” managed by a corporation and the Man of Steel. My only gripe is that they should have been limited to the Kaiju battle and the intergalactic imp fight – both amusing scenes. Seeing Lois team-up with Mr. Terrific really didn’t work for me though. I’ll tell you what my new favorite song is though – “5 Years Time” by Noah and the Whale.

The whole inter-dimensional pocket universe was fine, but I felt like it got overused much like a mask in a ‘Mission Impossible’ movie. I could have done without the proton river scene and Metomorpho and his baby. It’s world building and that’s fine – just not an interest to me.

The final battle between Lex/Ultraman and Superman was fine, and the reveal of Ultraman’s identity was ok, but why clone Superman once? Wouldn’t you want an army of Supermen? In my opinion, it would have been better if whatever Lex had of Big Blue’s DNA was lost in a botched experiment which hatched Bizarro.

I’ve read the reviews that call the movie messy and cluttered. To some degree, that is true. However, there is a lot to like here. Gunn nailed Superman. Everything about the character was spot on, and for that I praise Gunn and David Corenswet. Corenswet can wear the red cape just as well as Christopher Reeves, hands down. I wish we could have seen Corenswet play more of the quirky, bumbling Clark Kent. Thus far, no one has done CK better than Reeves, but Conrenswet’s Superman is very, very good. Probably the best big screen adaptation of the character.

Regarding Lois, she came across as a seasoned reporter that wasn’t afraid to ask the tough questions and dig into the details to uncover Luthor’s scheme. Is Rachel Brosnahan better than Margot Kidder? It’s close, but I would have to say yes because of how the character was written in this movie. A stellar performance by Brosnahan because she sold her scenes with such conviction.

Jimmy Olsen was probably one of my favorite supporting cast members. His role in this film was fun and had a lot of levity. Unfortunately, the rest of the Daily Planet crew didn’t really have a chance to have their moments.

Ma and Pa Kent were very stereotypical, but I will say this – it worked, especially the scenes involving them on the telephone. There is also a really touching moment between Pa Kent and Clark that choked me up a bit. I wish we could have seen more of them because they hit all the emotional beats that were needed between parents and their grown-up son.

Krypto and Supergirl absolutely nailed every scene they were in.

The Engineer and Ultraman were unfortunately bland and uninteresting. With Gunn going all in on the Silver Age, we should have gotten Brainiac working with Lex or maybe Mr. Mxyzptlk coming through the pocket dimension to wreak havoc.

Overall, Superman being described as punk rock and not shying away from his roots is the big screen adaptation of the Man of Steel that has been sorely lacking for so long. I definitely give this movie a solid B.

Check out the podcast episode I did with my good friend Eric as we discuss our reactions to the movie and what these means for the superhero movie genre going forward.