Movie Review: Superman (no plot spoilers)

Movie Review: Superman (no plot spoilers)

One of this summer’s blockbuster hopefuls opens today – Superman.

I started collecting Superman comic books in 1961, but had been reading the Superman comic book before then. He was my first favorite superhero. I collected thousands of comic books over 22 years during the Silver Age of comics when I was young and single.

So my views are colored by a certain respect for the “canon” of the comic book.

Having said that, what’s the bottom line on the new Superman?

Superman is one of the silliest superhero movies I’ve ever seen (and I’ve seen them all). I expect it to make millions. And it has the smell of sequels yet to come.

Why? There’s something for everyone in this movie. It’s tons of fun. This reboot has got current events galore:

• People addicted to texting on their smartphones
• Conspiracy theories
• Manipulation of the mainstream media by powerful characters
• Journalistic ethics
• Narratives vs. truth
• Commentary on the credibility of social media
• Cancel culture
• Fear of immigrants/aliens
• Geopolitical danger of invasion by a more powerful nation
• Monsters, metahumans, robots, and kaijus
• Modern romance
• Superman has dimples

Inspiration for this Superman

All-Star Superman cover

I thought this movie shared a remarkable look and feel from the 2005-2008 comic book series All-Star Superman, and it’s true, James Gunn took inspiration from the series.

I read the series, and it has a very different feel, tone, and a unique color palette.

When Gunn announced this fact, the comic book showed up on Amazon’s best-selling comic book list.

Harkening back to the “Original” Superman Movie

The first major feature film of Superman was in 1978, starring Christopher Reeve. Let’s call Superman: The Movie the “original.” It had three sequels. It set a bar that has been hard to meet or exceed, though it’s been tried.

Christopher Reeve as Superman

Let’s not count the 2006 film Superman Returns, shall we? The film that came closest was the 2013 film The Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, though it was much darker and more violent than the original.

This new Superman has some nostalgic tributes to the “original”, including the iconic John Williams score, with some new variations. The Fortress of Solitude is made of ice crystal stalagmites like the original, though it’s in Antarctica now, rather than the Arctic.

Miss Teschmacher, played by Valerie Perrine in the original, while not in the comic canon, is depicted in this movie as Eve Teschmacher, played by Sara Sampaio.

Superman’s Director

James Gunn, co-CEO of DC Studios since August 2022, is the writer/director of this movie. You know his other works: Guardians of the Galaxy, The Suicide Squad, Dawn of the Dead, and the upcoming Supergirl.

• He also has directing and executive producer credits for Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: End Game, Thor: The Dark World, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok.

This Superman movie is intended to be the first film of the DC Universe (DCU) Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

Characters/Actors

The leads are played by actors you may not remember having seen before. There are no big names:

• Clark Kent/Superman: David Corenswet was recently in the film Twisters. He’s got not only dimples, but a big heart, and a big S on his chest. Ironically, the Superman comic character was created in 1938 by two Jewish writers, Jerry Siegel and his friend Joe Shuster. David Corenswet is partly Jewish.

• Lois Lane: Rachel Brosnahan is perhaps best known as the lead in the TV series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. In Superman, she plays a strong, independent character who, for 3 months, has been in a relationship with Clark Kent. There’s palpable chemistry there. Let’s say they have a complicated relationship.

• Jor-El: Bradley Cooper, almost unrecognizable as Superman/Kal-El’s Kryptonian father. You may remember him as the voice of Rocket, the talking raccoon in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

• Lex Luthor: Nicholas Hoult was in the film Mad Max: Fury Road ten years ago. But you might remember him as “Beast” in X-Men: Days of Future Past. His billionaire character “monologues” a lot (think Syndrome in The Incredibles). Like Goldfinger, the villain explains to James Bond what he’s going to do with terrific drama.

• Green Lantern/Guy Gardner: Nathan Fillion, you may recall from the film Serenity, based on the TV series Firefly. He was also in the TV shows Castle and The Rookie. He’s been in lots of James Gunn productions. In this film, he’s Green Lantern, the loudmouth spokesman for the superhero group “Justice Gang”, based on the comic Justice League of America. Not to be confused with Hal Jordan from the forgettable 2011 film Green Lantern, played by Ryan Reynolds.

• Mr. Terrific: Edi Gathegi has been in the recent TV series, For All Mankind.

• Hawkgirl: Isabela Merced was recently in the TV series The Last of Us and the film Alien: Romulus.

• Krypto: Yes, Superman’s Kryptonian superdog is featured in this film. He’s a scene stealer but not a “good boy.”

• Superman’s Kryptonian Robot Number 4 (Gary): Alan Tudyk was in Firefly with Nathan Fillion, but has done lots of voice work, including as the droid K-2SO in the Star Wars prequel Rogue One.

• The Engineer: María Gabriela de Faría plays the nano-powered sidekick to Lex Luthor. The Venezuelan actress has been in lots of Spanish-speaking films, but was most recently in the American TV series The Moodys.

Superman’s CGI

In the 1978 movie, they advertised it with “you’ll believe a man can fly.” That promise didn’t really fly in the pre-CGI days of film. But in this movie, there are tons of Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), primarily by Industrial Light and Magic, and Superman’s flying is believable.

The depiction of monsters, robots, and even Krypto requires a considerable amount of CGI.

Superman’s Music

Early in the film, Lois tells Clark that she grew up on Punk Rock music. We’re treated to The Mighty Crabjoys. The playlist also includes Teddybears, featuring Iggy Pop, and Noah and the Whale.

The original score, put together by John Murphy and David Fleming, will not be remembered like John Williams’ score to the original. John Murphy composed the scores for Gunn’s last two movies: The Suicide Squad and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. David Fleming was involved with Top Gun: Maverick and the first two Dune movies.