I watched Superman and I have thoughts.
Let me state my position in case that was not clear: I love Superman. I grew up reading the comics, and for me he was always the very definition of a hero and a true inspiration, an ideal we all strive to be. I watched the Christopher Reeve movies and I loved them (yes, even the bad ones!) and I’ve waited years for a film that finally does him justice. The Zack Snyder abominations were almost physically revolting to me, and when I heard that James Gunn would abolish the entire quagmire and start afresh with a new respect and love for the character, I was over the moon.
I went into this new movie genuinely excited, hoping it would bring that same sense of wonder and moral clarity back to the big screen.
With that being said, here are my thoughts. Spoilers abound.
What I liked:
Superman is back to the way he is supposed to be – heroic, altruistic, idealistic, a role model to look up to and to strive for. He shows us that each and every one of us can be a Superman, and reminds us all that we can fly.
David Corenswet as Superman was perfect; he projected just the right amount of heroism and determination, but also naivety, vulnerability, and blue-eyed idealism. He had the right physicality and the right voice. His Clark Kent was slightly weaker, mainly distinguished by hairstyle, I thought (and let me just skip that stupid “hypno-glasses” nonsense explanation, to which I’ll get to later), but he was charming and relatable. He had great chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, who was beautiful, witty, intelligent, and brave – everything Lois Lane has to be.
The entire supporting cast was great, and we finally got to see Cat Grant and Steve Lombard on the big screen. They gave Jimmy Olsen something to do, too (I loved the hint at all the shenanigans Jimmy had got into in the past, and maybe we’ll see Giant Turtle Boy Jimmy Olsen and Elastic Lad Jimmy Olsen one day!)
What I didn’t like:
The uniform did not work. While I will be eternally grateful that we got the trunks back, the uniform was so bulky and unwieldy that I really struggled to like it when I saw it for the first time. I tried hard to get over it, and when I finally watched the movie I realized why it simply does not work. We never got this:
And we can’t get this scene because the uniform is too thick to fit under Clark Kent’s clothes, and it has a collar too, which would be visible under his shirt – it just does not work. The most iconic imagery of Superman, and the new movie completely does away with it. (We had the same problem when we got the New 52 Superman in the comics, and most artists just chose to ignore it – but you can’t ignore it in a movie.)
And that is only where the problems start. This movie called “Superman” that was about Superman simply needed more Superman.
Instead of using the excellent cast and characters, we got, once again, stupid and distracting world-building, giving us a silly “Justice Gang” (a running joke that never gets resolved and has no connection to the comics) with characters that are third-rate at best in the comics, and which have no natural relation to Superman at all, but feel shoehorned in because James Gunn likes them (and don’t get me started on the uniforms which are boring and uninspired).
Worse, these so-called heroes are cold-blooded killers who make jokes about their murders, and we are expected to cheer for them and feel that, in contrast, Superman – who respects all life because this is simply who he is – is outdated and soft. That’s in the same movie that purports to want to distance itself from Zack Snyder’s “neck-breaker” Man of Steel, but then chooses to portray him as an exception to all the other so-called heroes. I mean, what?! We even show him saving a squirrel, and it is played for laughs.
Granted, Mr. Terrific was terrific, but he should go and get his own movie.
Then the villains: Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor was amazing, but his character and motivation were all over the place. This is a man who can create an entire pocket dimension, and uses it to imprison his stilted ex-lovers?!
What absolutely took me out was when James Gunn had Lex Luthor murder an innocent character in cold blood – just for the sake of a cheap joke. Luthor is a megalomaniac who is not even above genocide if it serves his plans, but he would never make his own hands dirty.
Also, let’s make up a nameless giant monster for Superman to fight instead of using established monsters like Titano. Or Chemo. Or Shaggy Man.
Most insultingly, James Gunn completely squandered the concept of Bizarro by making his ridiculous “Hammer Of Whatever” a failed clone of Superman – and he also seems to have wasted Mr Mxyzptlk in the same breath, by having the Justice Gangsters fight a floating blob that looked exactly like Solaris but of course was revealed to be an “extradimensional imp.” In one fell swoop, we lost any prospect of getting the real Bizarro in future movies or Mr Mxyzptlk – some of the most important and fascinating characters in the Superman mythos. What was Gunn thinking?!
Then we had Metamorpho who was simply distracting, with his silly CGI “baby” that has no counterpart in the comics.
It’s like Gunn has no idea who these characters are, and just uses them as background noise – except characters which he warps to fit his own narrative, like the Engineer, who is criminally mischaracterised.
All of these characters could have just been dropped and we could have had a better, tighter movie. This movie about Superman desperately needed more Superman.
Which, finally, brings me to the “hypno-glasses.” Now, what probably only die-hard fans know is that this was actually brought up in the comics decades ago as an in-world explanation for why no one recognizes Superman in his Clark Kent disguise.
It is cute, but it was mentioned in one comic and then never again. And you know why? Because an explanation is not required – just as we do not need to know how Superman can fly, how he is invulnerable, and how an alien from a distant planet looks just like a human.
It’s because superhero comics are about suspension of disbelief; we get so involved in the story and the characters, so immersed in our imagination, that we are happy to forget aspects which do not make sense. Only someone who does not understand comics on a fundamental level needs an explanation for everything and a backstory for every little quirk.
We do not need to explain why Clark Kent is not recognized as Superman when he wears glasses, for exactly the same reason why we do not need to explain why he wears trunks or a cape.
Because it’s a comic, and that’s enough.
So I do not think James Gunn understands comics or understands Superman. But he is the best thing we have, and compared with what went before, it is still light-years better than what we had to put up with.
Still, did I enjoy it? Yes – because I love Superman, and apart from all my quibbles, this was the Superman I grew up with. I just hope that we get more of him in a future movie – and that someone gets him a better tailor.
P.S. I loved Supergirl’s cameo and I can’t wait for her movie.
P.P.S. Krypto was a good dog.
