“Look up.
Superman, a journalist in Metropolis, embarks on a journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.” – Letterboxd Synopsis
I have a weird history with the former DCEU. I haven’t seen everything, but from what I have seen, Man of Steel, Suicide Squad, Batman v Superman, Justice League (both versions) and Black Adam. I’ve enjoyed them to the degree that there are ultimately qualities that I really liked within these very, very flawed movies. That are ultimately bad to solid. But there’s enjoyment there. With the way everything ended and the shake up I had no hopes for the future of my favorite characters. The MCU has a special place in my heart, but outside of that, I’m a DC guy all the way. I had zero interest in this movie or in this new universe until a month ago when I randomly saw the trailer. When I saw the suit, my boy Krypto, my guy Mr. Terrific, Guy Gardner Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. I was sold, and this movie delivered. And most importantly, this movie gave me something that the previous DCEU never did. It made Superman feel human. It made him feel like a relatable hero.
The biggest revelation and innovation in the superhero genre happened about a decade ago when these studios realized, for the popular characters, we don’t need traditional origin stories anymore. This universe feels so alive because we’re just dropped right in the middle of it. A title card at the beginning explains how we got here, and that’s that. There are aliens, life on other planets, high tech, and meta-humans. It is normal in this world. It felt refreshing being trusted to accept the world as it is. It really helps this world feel like a comic book world brought to life. Which I loved. One of the main points of friction in this movie is a plot beat that’s often thrown in as throwaway in hero movies, and the last I remember it really being relevant was in Age of Ultron and Civil War but the idea of superheros/meta-humans being unchecked. Doing as they please, especially when it comes to foreign affairs, regardless if it’s right or wrong. Putting Superman of all heroes, the kindhearted, naïve powerhouse, really works and creates some good conflict and actually raises some interesting points. It helps that while the political conflict in this movie is something as old as time. It is clearly mirroring the current long standing conflict in the Middle East. There’s also a big point about media perception and how quickly people can be turned against something. Now, I will say this whole part of the movie was a bit flimsy and felt a bit too easy compared to everything else, but I think that’s just the problem with adapting something like this and tackling something like that in the modern day. This movie definitely took some big swings with its themes that I think really paid off because the dialogue and the characters are so good.
This is the most human I’ve ever seen Superman, and I loved it. Unlike the Snyderverse, where he is portrayed as an un-killable god. Here he is a man. This movie makes it a point to show and tell how he is one of us. He hurts, loves, bleeds, feels like one of us. And on top of that, he is a genuinely good person with good intentions. There’s a scene where he is genuinely angry and frustrated at the fact that he is getting backlash for stopping a war in a foreign country, for saving lives. This movie humanizes Superman more than I’ve ever seen, and I loved it. Every fight scene, he is more worried about saving people and animals and minimizing damage than he is defeating the bad guy. He is a hero that everyone can look up to. He is hope. A scene that I didn’t quite know how I felt about as I was watching it, but ended really liking was a 12 minute scene with just him as Clark Kent and Lois talking. No action, no bad guy that needs to be defeated. Just them talking and you really get such a deep human insight into Clark as a person and what he values. That scene alone gave more depth to this version of Superman than any other one that I’ve personally seen. I loved it. There is a moment/revelation that I know has rubbed fans in the wrong way, but personally that revelation in this movie only solidifies that Superman is a good person because he was raised by good people and he chooses to do good. I love this Superman. David Corenswet absolutely killed it.
Lois was great as well. She got way more shine than I thought she would, and I think that was for the best. Rachel Brosnahan did a great job portraying this reporter, who has similar values to Clark, but she knows the game. She understands the politics of the world. Their relationship really balances both characters out. She wasn’t ever afraid to call out his naivety but also was sympathetic to how he felt. I’m very excited to see where their relationship goes in future movies.
Lex Luthor was amazing in this movie. Nicholas Hoult is just a great actor. From the beginning to the end, Lex is intelligent, envious, and full of himself. If Superman is what the best of us can be, he is what the worst of us can be. And I love how this movie he is already established. Lex Corp is big and powerful. He has a private army, meta-humans at his disposal. Lex is lethal in this movie, and it makes the stakes feel that much higher because there is a genuine human hatred in his heart for Superman and the idea in Lex’s head of what he stands for. Every scene where they come face to face, you can just feel the envy and hatred bleeding off of Lex. I’m super excited to see this dynamic grow in future movies. It was way too good and interesting here for him to not come back at least one more time as a main or secondary villain.
The rest of characters were very enjoyable. While I liked the moments with Jimmy and the rest of the Daily Planet crew. The Justice Gang were scene stealers for me. Hawkgirl didn’t really do much but make sly faces and remarks and screech while fighting, but I love Hawkgirl, so it’s fine. Choosing Guy to be the Green Lantern for this movie is a choice that pays off well. Unlike his more popular counterparts, Hal, Kyle, and John, he’s a funny asshole. Hal definitely has that tendency, but Kyle is really an asshole, and it’s just perfect in contrast to how nice Superman is. And then you have my two goats. To me, the standouts of this movie outside of Superman and Lex are Mr. Terrific and Krypto.
Ever since I saw that episode of Justice League Unlimited where the Watch Tower is under attack and Mr. Terrific has a bunch of scenes, I’ve been really interested in his character. His portrayal in this movie is so good. One of those purely logical characters, but he’s also hilarious, and not unlikeable. He’s actually very likeable and funny. His little beef with the cutest CGI dog ever, Krypto, was really fun. Speaking of Krypto, his inclusion was great. I feel like he’s a too often forgotten part of Superman’s lore. He was absolutely adorable in every scene.
This movie has color and it’s bright. Which is such a breath of fresh air from previous DC stuff. There were some moments of obvious CGI, but ill give the movie credit where it’s due. Krypto is one of the best CGI animals put on screen. His model was great, and he was very emotive. The fight scenes were great, especially Mr. Terrifics and the final fight at the end. I also have to say how amazed I was at the set design. From the Fortress of Solitude, to The Hall of Justice, to LexCorp. The sets looked great, and they felt ripped straight out of a comic book, which is just lovely.
So yeah, Superman was the most I’ve enjoyed a superhero film in years. I was in after the first trailer dropped, and man did this new rendition did not disappoint. This is a Superman that I can get behind. This is a hero with a genuine good heart who wants to good things and constantly shows that by his actions. As a start to a new universe, it’s hard to do better than this. There is a lot here, and for how much there is, it all worked. I am actually very excited about the future of this new DC Universe.
Superman – 10/10
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