That was a huge shock to comic book fans all across the world as many thought that Gunn’s involvement with The Suicide Squad would kind of mean new leader but same old world. Then after that shock announcement many thought Gunn would perhaps do what he had done with Guardians Of The Galaxy and focus on some lesser known characters in the universe.
That theory was shot to shreds though with the announcement that the first new ‘Gunn DC’ film would be Superman and that David Corenswet (Pearl) would be the new Man Of Steel. That then divided the internet – some saying Gunn could never replicate what Zack Snyder had done with the universe while others excited about what could come.
Well now Superman is in cinemas and I have to say that while Gunn’s take on legendary character is different it certainly works and should win over most of those nervous about what would happen next.
Gunn doesn’t muck around with a back-story as he throws the audience into the deep end with the opening of the film depicting a bloodied Superman crashing into the snow and ice outside his Fortress Of Solitude. He has been on Earth for 30 years, made himself known to humanity three years ago and just suffered his first defeat. He is also on the outer with some members of the public because he recently stepped in to stop two countries going to war. It seems the public are happy for Superman to stop old ladies getting hit by busses but interfering with ‘human politics’ is a no no.
Soon we learn that Superman’s defeat has come at the hands of a small team put together by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult – Mad Max: Fury Road) – we won’t spoil who is that team because we don’t want any spoilers here.
From there Luthor goes on the attack – desperate to sway both the public and the Government away from Superman. While he is busy going on talk shows to promote his opinion, Superman, under the guise of Clark Kent, is working with his girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan – The Final Hours) and good friend Jimm Olsen (Skyler Gisondo – Booksmart) at The Daily Planet to try and work out what Luthor’s end game is.
Soon that finds Superman and his dog Krypto’s lives in danger as Lois and Jimmy work with some of the Superman’s super-hero friends (again no spoilers here) to try and rescue them and bring an end to Luthor’s world-changing plan.
Old-school vibe
What James Gunn has done with Superman is pretty smart. He has somehow managed to capture the old-school vibe of the Christoper Reeve Superman movies, while incorporating the human side of Superman like was done in Smallville and Clark & Lois and using modern day film technology to wow audiences during the action sequences.
Add to the mix a fairly decent plot that will keep the audience intrigued for the full film and as an audience member you start to think that perhaps James Gunn is exactly what the DC Universe needed.
Admittedly there are times when Gunn tries to infuse comedy into the film in parts where it doesn’t need to be and one popular DC character (again no spoilers) becomes a bit of a laughable character but hopefully the director will realise that was an error and hopefully with some character development they may be able to turn the character around if they are chosen to appear in other films.
When it comes to the performances of the cast Corenswet plays a great Clark Kent/Superman. He has the ability to pull off an action sequence just as well as handling a dramatic scene with Brosnahan as Lois and Clark struggle with their relationship.
Brosnahan also plays a great Lois Lane while Hoult is brilliant as Lex Luthor. Hoult has become one of the best actors in Hollywood over the last few years and once again here he puts in an amazing performance. Credit must also go to Gisondo though who is a scene stealer as Jimmy Olson – hopefully we get to see a lot more of him in the DC Universe.
If Superman is anything to go by then the DC Universe is in good hands with James Gunn. I’ll admit that I was sceptical after The Suicide Squad but I am impressed that here he has created a superhero movie with heart, a great plot, action and manages to bring some little known DC characters to the big screen. Superman works on all levels.
Superman is currently screening in Phuket and is rated ‘G’.
4/5 Stars.
David Griffiths has been working as a film journalist for over 25 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. He currently hosts a film podcast called The Popcorn Conspiracy. He is also a Rotten Tomatoes accredited reviewer and is an alternate judge for the Golden Globes Awards. You can follow him at Facebook: SubcultureEntertainmentAus.