IMDb.com
By Keith Walther
Yes, there is enough explosive action and humor to make the entertainment value passable, but the story, dialogue, and music pale in comparison to the Christopher Reeve or even Henry Cavill iterations. Thankfully, “Superman” is not another regurgitated origin story, opting for a more unique tale of the original, true superhero. Unfortunately, silly gimmicks and goofiness make this big budget behemoth nothing more than an old Saturday morning cartoon come to life.
It begins with Superman (David Corenswet), the so-called man of steel, receiving a brutal beatdown that leaves him inexplicably bloodied with multiple internal injuries. Luckily, he’s assisted by his unruly super-powered dog friend, Krypto, who drags his broken body to safety. The man behind Superman’s defeat is none other than his arch nemesis, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), the evil genius whose obsession with killing this alien superbeing dictates every move he makes.
Meanwhile, Superman’s prior actions overseas to prevent the outbreak of war between two countries has had political ramifications, leading to the superhero’s waning popularity and the American government looking to Luthor for help with containing the superhero. With Luthor and his entourage of metahumans gaining power, Superman, aka Clark Kent, needs help from his friends. The Justice Gang, comprised of Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), along with his girlfriend, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), seek to help and liberate Superman before Luthor’s diabolical plot succeeds.
With as much hype and anticipation there’s been for the unveiling of the brand-new direction of the DC Universe under the guidance of acclaimed writer/director James Gunn, “Superman” is a disappointment as its first entry. Gunn, whose work with “The Guardians of the Galaxy” trilogy received well-earned praise, certainly had his work cut out for him after a series of disastrous flops of recent DCU films. His decision to depict this iconic character as the weakest and dumbest version to date is head-scratching at best. This immediately alienates fans of the superhero, which is counterintuitive and counterproductive to reigniting interest in this ailing franchise. He certainly captures the wholesome goodness of the Superman character, but he overdoes it, showing him going out of his way to save every single life, even if that life is a squirrel (literally), which makes it somewhat of a mockery.
Gunn’s incorporation of over-explanative dialogue, gimmicky inclusions, like a cute superpowered dog, and obvious forced attempts to elicit tears from melodramatic scenes only act as an insult to viewer intelligence. While the action sequences are plentiful throughout the production, the silliness Gunn imbues them with create moments of cartoonish choreography that contradicts the seriousness of the plot. This contradiction strips away emotional connectivity, leaving audiences somewhere between laughter and the land of cringe. Even the music, which was a pillar of strength in the 1978 original, is a disappointment, using the original theme from Oscar winning composer John Williams, almost as an afterthought.
At times, the action can be pleasing, especially with Gunn’s brand of humor. The visual and sound effects are sometimes on point, but other times overly fake. The biggest thing James Gunn does right, like he’s done in his previous comic book-based films, is establish strong side characters that appeal to all viewers. In this instance, he overapplies that strength, making the side characters more interesting than the main characters.
The actors cannot be faulted for any of the film’s shortcomings. David Corenswet makes a serviceable Clark Kent/Superman, but fans can’t help but compare him to Christopher Reeve and Henry Cavill, both of whom portrayed this character better. He does grade out slightly better than Brandon Routh, displaying a self-identity crisis that carries a strong message. Same goes for Nicholas Hoult, also a victim of poor dialogue writing, making his iconic villain portrayal less than Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey, but higher than Jesse Eisenberg. The real surprises were Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi, and Rachel Brosnahan, who showed terrific chemistry with their scene mates, adding significant entertainment value to their respective scenes.
The over inflated critic scores of this movie prove the dumbing down of American cinema is very real and very concerning. “Superman” caters to the Tik Tok/ADHD generation of people who care more about quick, meaningless action than a cohesive storyline. For those interested in mind-numbing fun, you may enjoy this film well enough, but don’t feel the need to see it in an IMAX theater, it’s just not worth it. At least it’s not nearly as bad as other recent DC films like “The Flash” or “Wonder Woman 1984.”
This movie earns
