‘Superman’ review: A hero worth celebrating

James Gunn’s Superman is a celebration of hope, optimism, and the power of the human spirit. It’s a tale we need more desperately than ever.

“…and remember, boys and girls, your school — like our country — is made up of Americans of many different races, religions, and national origins. So if YOU hear anybody talk against a schoolmate or anyone else because of his religion, race or nation origin — don’t wait: tell him THAT KIND OF TALK IS UN-AMERICAN.”

Superman, 1949

The first serious attempt at a DC cinematic universe (called the “DC Extended Universe” for reasons that still don’t make sense) managed a few compelling highs and even more disappointing lows, but no film featured a more catastrophic misunderstanding of its source material than when the franchise first debuted with Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel in 2013. Snyder’s Superman lay somewhere at the collision of messianic Christian icon and mouthpiece for Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, spending most of the film questioning the morality of someone so superior to humanity making any effort to help mankind.

Man of Steel‘s ideology was in direct opposition to the Superman character. Superman has never been Superman because he is Kal-El from Krypton. Superman is Superman because he’s Clark Kent from Smallville. He is, at his heart, human. His humanity drives every choice that he makes. To posit Superman as a God who takes pity upon us mere mortals is to deny the very core of what makes him a hero. Is it any wonder that the DC Extended Universe turned into such a tonal disaster when it started out on such a grave misinterpretation of one of its primary characters?

In many ways, Superman was the only way to start a new DC cinematic universe. The clearest way for James Gunn to establish this new attempt (now simply titled the DC Universe) as an actual clean slate is to show that it isn’t going to repeat the DC Extended Universe’s earliest sin.

A more human Superman.

Gunn smartly bypasses the origin story, picking up three years into Clark Kent’s (David Corenswet) career as Superman in a world where superheroes like the Justice Gang (Edi Gathegi, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced) are far from unheard of. Superman has just intervened to stop the invasion of the small nation of Jarhanpur by neighboring Boravia, led by President Ghurkos (Zlatko Buric). This has prompted some to question the limits of Superman’s power, which billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has seized as an opportunity to turn the public against the hero. Faced with his first in a rapidly escalating list of public defeats, his relationships with reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and pet dog Krypto become both his biggest liabilities and his only lifelines.

This Clark Kent is undeniably messy. He struggles to do the right thing as a superhero. Juggling his dual identities is a pain. When he’s not saving citizens, he’s balancing his relentless faith in humanity with his new girlfriend’s deep-seated cynicism. He can barely even keep a handle on his dog. But the combination of Gunn’s script and Corenswet’s performance ensures this messiness is both endearing and wholly indicative of Superman’s humanity. It’s especially apparent when Corenswet gets to share the screen with Kent’s adoptive parents, Jonathan (Pruitt Taylor Vince) and Martha (Neva Howell).

The chemistry between Corenswet and Brosnahan is fantastic. But notably, Brosnahan’s Lane has just as much opportunity to shine when Corenswet is absent. It’s not the most agency the character has ever been afforded on the big screen (check the 1941 Fleischer shorts for more), but it’s pretty close. Her interactions with Mr. Terrific (Gathegi) and Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) especially shine in such a stacked (perhaps overstuffed) cast of characters.

Superman is (and always has been) unapologetically political.

Fox News is already mad that the film has pro-immigrant themes so it’s worth noting that, yes, this is a political film. But the story of an immigrant journalist defending his community has ALWAYS been political. It was political when Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster — both children of immigrants who came to the United States fleeing antisemitism — created the character in 1938, a time when the United States was largely disinterested in the actions of Nazi Germany and actively turning away Jewish refugees. And it’s relevant today, at a time when the credibility of American journalists is facing unprecedented attacks and a masked police force with little oversight is gleefully touting the ability to raid schools and churches. Superman finished filming nearly a year ago, which makes just how relevant it feels to our current moment a testament to both Superman’s ongoing relevance and the sad predictability of our current state of affairs.

It’s that relevance that makes Hoult’s performance all the more remarkable. The Ahab-esque rage and obsession the actor brings to Lex Luthor is shocking both in its believability and in how deeply familiar it feels. It’s not hard to look at the character’s cult-like following, casual misogyny, and self-appointed role as savior of mankind without being reminded of any number of rich narcissists whose faces we’re bombarded with on a daily basis. This Luthor has no tragic backstory. He has no softer side. His actions serve himself and himself alone. Hoult’s ability to bring meaning to a character so singular in his motivation results in one of the most impressive performances of the actor’s career.

The bottom line.

The film isn’t quite perfect. Gunn is biting off a bit more than he can chew regarding just how many characters he’s squishing into the ensemble. And, as is often the case with superhero blockbusters, it’s obvious that the visual effects team wasn’t given the time necessary for some of these shots to look as good as they deserve. And yet, Superman is pretty close to perfect. Gunn has delivered the most thoughtfully and lovingly crafted piece of Superman media we’ve received in a very long time, and it’s clear that we need a Superman now more than ever. If whatever Gunn has in store for DC is half as good as this, it couldn’t come at a better time.

Superman is now playing in theaters everywhere. Watch the trailer here.

Images courtesy of Jessica Miglio/Warner Bros. Entertainment. Read more articles by Brogan Luke Bouwhuis here.