No one else is like Superman in the majority of Superman films, and there have been quite a few over the years. In our world, the blue-and-red-costumed Kryptonian is usually unique—an alien god thrust into a strange culture, evoking both fear and awe.
This is not the case in the most recent version, which is the character’s first solo film in twelve years. After Zack Snyder’s grim and operatic take on the franchise, James Gunn’s new Superman both reintroduces the character and relaunches the on-screen DC Universe. The hero is viewed in Gunn’s lively and optimistic film as just one of the many talented good deeds on Earth. This narrative decision is essential to the film’s busy energy: the fact that Superman is surrounded by his peers helps explain why he is unique in the first place.
Several Superman movie adaptations have had trouble arguing for the character’s uniqueness. Brandon Routh’s portrayal in 2006’s Superman Returns was a general tribute to Christopher Reeve’s simple yet endearing performance, which he first portrayed in 1978 and which is still widely accepted in culture. In contrast, Henry Cavill’s portrayal of the Man of Steel in the Snyder-verse was a deliberate but melancholy digression, showing him as remote and cut off from human civilization.
Gunn has chosen the relatively unknown David Corenswet to play Cavill’s replacement. Despite having a traditional appearance (square jaw, broad shoulders), Corenswet’s performance highlights the hero’s everyday sensibility. Superman does his best to save the planet every day because he thinks that’s what he’s here to do. He jokes, grouses, and quarrels with his girlfriend.
Gunn seems to be actively trying to change the busy comic-book movie landscape. Since the release of his first Marvel film, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), he has solely worked in this genre as a director. Since then, he has moved to DC and is co-head of that studio’s film division.
Blaring needle drops and an off-color snark that complemented the franchise’s self-aware comedic stylings were hallmarks of Gunn’s work at Marvel. Superman, however, does not have these characteristics. Rather, it’s a purposefully honest piece that evokes the whimsical joy of Saturday morning cartoons on a larger scale. Superman is quite content to be simply silly, and it wants you to be content with its silliness as well.
This is in contrast to Guardians, which at times seemed to be made to reassure the widest audiences that superhero films can be both edgy and silly. What better way to sum up a movie where Superman’s archenemy, the well-known, dimwitted businessman Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult), employs a horde of chimpanzees to compose hateful posts about the hero he is so envious of on social media?
Where Supes strikes a malevolent lackey in the jaw so forcefully that his teeth strike the camera lens? In which the fleet of amiable butler robots milling about is upset by Superman’s hyper-powered, ill-trained dog, Krypto, destroying his owner’s Antarctic Fortress of Solitude? As costly and action-packed as it is, this Superman is also full of ridiculous side characters and fanciful ideas.
The swarming scene of well-established metahumans might turn off some viewers. However, Gunn appears to recognize that many theatergoers are tired of mythological spectacle and origin stories, so it’s a risk worth taking.
The protagonist of Superman has been living in Metropolis for roughly three years when the show opens. Alongside his girlfriend, the fiery Lois Lane, he works as a reporter at the Daily Planet while posing as his alter ego, Clark Kent. In the meantime, Luthor, who lacks any special abilities of his own, is envious of Superman and is criticizing him in the media for a recent decision in which he intervened in a war that was developing overseas.
As if to wonder if anyone could truly be that selfless, Superman’s loved ones, including Lois, and his fellow costumed acquaintances, including the corporate super-team known as the Justice Gang, look at him with suspicion. What makes Gunn’s perspective so brilliant is their skepticism: the story of Superman, an alien who was adopted by Kansan farmers and brought up to use his abilities for clear-cut good, may also seem cheesy to modern audiences.
In order to accommodate the film’s sunny politics, which are immediately apparent, the director incorporates our contemporary discomfort with sincerity into his interpretation. The characters constantly question our hero about his relationship and whether they can trust him—whether it’s Luthor fuming in his skyscraper over his rival’s fame or Lois conducting an unplanned interview about her boyfriend.
The struggle of our society to believe in the possibility of inherent goodness is the primary concern of this Superman. The end effect is a hopeful film that envisions a bright future for Superman and the other caped men and women in the world.
This also applies to the hysterical, closed-off brainiacs (a very droll Edi Gathegi as the tech-powered hero Mister Terrific) and the furious egotists (Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, a B-list version of Green Lantern). However, when comparing Superman to other beings who are similar to him, it becomes evident that what makes him unique is not his variety of abilities but rather the disarming purity of his life’s purpose.
Hoult makes a fantastic foil as Luthor, who is enraged by Superman’s generosity but hides his contempt in academic jargon. Gunn’s blatant contempt for the self-described “geniuses” who actually make news is on full display.
It’s a crazy fantasy, of course, but a pretty blissful one to absorb. Superman‘s counterattack is to make us root for the ultimate nice guy.
