Review: Superman
First things first, this movie is enjoyably fun and worth watching.
Secondly, put the social media down for a little bit and exempt yourself from the affirmation or threats of cancellation of people who have no bearing over your life. At least for this film, such notions of political statements or correlations are very easily left in this film’s universe. It is a desperate stretch by some to apply themes and elements of this film to our reality.
Thirdly, just under 50 years of cinematic history with the last decade being the most prolific requires some backstory…
In 2013, Zack Snyder and DC re-introduced a tonally dark and introspective Superman in Man of Steel following Christopher Nolan’s wildly successful Dark Knight Trilogy. However, rather than a character developing follow-up with Man of Steel 2, the studios and Snyder instead released a hotly anticipated yet financially short-lived Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice in 2016. 2017’s poorly received Justice League tried to reintroduce Superman yet again, in an unfinished film heavily reshot by Joss Whedon. In 2021, they finally released what would amount to be a goodbye letter in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In 2022, Black Adam headlined by Dwayne Johnson seemed to indicate a reprise for Henry Cavill, but Warner Bros./DC tapped James Gunn and Peter Safran to direct/produce DC properties nailing the coffin shut for any hopes of continuing Henry Cavill’s run. Now that a brief history is out of the way let us get into James Gunn’s Superman formerly billed as Superman: Legacy.
Why the re-billing? Spoiler ahead…
James Gunn in this telling of Superman’s origin keeps with the basic story elements, except there is a strong callback to Guardians of the Galaxy 2, in which our titular hero may have a celestial father, but only one person was ever his “daddy”.
The viewers are introduced to the Man of Steel as one that physically has been broken and in need of help — and here begins an overall theme of the movie. We are given a Superman that is grounded into a reality where he is heavily complemented by his relationships. Stories of the past have used these elements to serve as simple plot manufactured weaknesses to be exploited by villains, but instead the film portrays these as meaningful and integral parts of Superman’s strength that contribute to his inclusive character. This inclusiveness even extends to his relationship with villains, and the area where this is explored is with Lex Luthor. While Superman may not have any love for Luthor, Superman strongly wishes that someday Lex will understand that he himself could be a gift to humanity if he would just put his hatred for Superman down for a bit. This type of optimism in the face of even the most cruelest of people is an object lesson in “love your enemies” even when they belong in jail.
On a personal note, I love Man of Steel and I feel that it is a very well done portrayal of Superman, a portrayal that put focus on the mistakes our children are supposed to make, before they grow into the character we are given in Gunn’s film.
