Film Review: Superman

Welcome back to the blog readers. In case you were living under a rock around January, you would know that Superman is my most anticipated film of the year. Not only have I been blown away by all the marketing I have seen for this film, I am looking forward to seeing a different adaptation of the Man of Steel than what Zack Snyder gave us in his DCEU ("Snyderverse"). Would this film live up to the hype? Stick around to find out.

Superman was written and directed by James Gunn, based on characters from DC. The film stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. In the film, Superman attempts to prove to the world that he is their protector when billionaire Lex Luthor orchestrates a plan to sway public opinion against him.

Before I begin with this review, I want to mention what is going on with the so-called "Snyder Bros." This group of people are die-heard Zack Snyder fans that have been very vocal over the last half-decade about restoring the "Snyder cut" of Justice League (2017) that they eventually got in Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). They have also been loud about "Restoring the Snyder-verse" so Snyder can fulfill his vision. Now did I want Snyder to conclude his vision? Of course I did. Did I openly protest this film and want it to fail because Henry Cavill is no longer Superman? Fuck no, and those people are complete idiots. Let that go and accept that this is a new era for DC. I was looking forward to this film anyway.

Like I just mentioned at the end of this paragraph, I have been looking forward to this film ever since I heard about it all the way in 2022. Turns out, Gunn finally did get to make that Superman film DC wanted him to do when he originally left Marvel. This film never needed to make $1.5 billion at the box office but it needed to be good, and an 82% critic score and a 93% audience score (and me loving the film as much as I do) definitely help. The performances of Corenswet, Hoult, and Gathegi and the writing and messaging of the film were definitely all highlights for me.

I want to start by talking about our Superman: David Corenswet. I have to admit when I learned the news that this good-looking guy would become the new Last Son of Krypton I had no idea who this guy was. But seeing his brief role in Twisters (2024) really sold me on his potential as the Man of Steel. And boy did he deliver on that potential. Corenswet did a phenomenal job of making you feel this Superman's morality and his empathetic nature. You feel as if this is a Clark that wants nothing more than to do good despite what he may have been tasked to do. And it was extremely easy to root for this Clark to accomplish his mission as opposed to someone like Henry Cavill or Christopher Reeve. I have a feeling Corenswet will be playing Superman for a very long time.

I next need to talk about the performance of Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. When I first heard the news that Hoult would be playing Lex Luthor, my eyebrow was raised in curiosity. To me, he did not seem like the type of person that would have as much bravado as someone like Michael Rosenbaum or Gene Hackman. For the portrayal of Lex that James Gunn was going for, Hoult absolutely fucking nailed it. Hoult does a masterful job of getting you to hate his version of Luthor and cheer whenever his plans were foiled. And just his speech on envy alone told me everything I need to know about this character and why we should hate him. He better show back up for something because he is the villain you love to hate.

Next up is the performance of Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific. Gathegi had been turned off by comic book films since he was treated poorly on X-Men: First Class (2011), but remembered how nice James Gunn was to him when asked to submit a self-tape for this film. Thank goodness he did, because I think he was the biggest standout of the film. Gathegi has a swagger about him when he plays this character, and you could feel it through the screen every time he was on it. I also think that he had the best individual moment in the film near the middle involving a fight. I want to see more of Gathegi as Mister Terrific (and ideally the rest of the Justice Gang) in future DCU installments.

And finally, as a bonus, I want to praise one more performance. Have you guessed who is the recipient of this praise yet? No? Well, it's the best boy himself in Krypto. I have to admit I was curious seeing James Gunn include Krypto in he film but he clearly knew what was doing. Krypto was the clear standout of the film and I had a smile on my face and in my heart whenever the "not-so-good good boy" was on screen. Now I am so sick and tired of this slander that Krypto is a bad boy. I am his lawyer and am declaring that he is innocent. He did nothing wrong in this film.

I next want to talk about the writing of this film. Gunn had a tall task when it came to this film because his writing had to be next-level to kickstart a brand new universe, and I believe he was able to live up to the task. Like I mentioned in my review of David Corenswet's performance, this Superman was written to be one that was hopeful and kind regardless of what he may have been tasked with doing. And I love how committed Gunn was to preserving that quality throughout the course of the film. He does not kill people, he is shown to want to see the humanity in everyone (even in Lex), and these qualities really make you want to root for this version of Clark. The messaging that being kind to one another does not require superpowers is one that should resonate for audiences of all ages.

In conclusion, Superman is a bright and hopeful take on the world's most famous hero, carried by a star-making performance by David Corenswet. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.