Superman Review: A DC Film That Delivers Pure Superhero Fun

It’s been 12 years since we’ve had a Superman film, so naturally, there was a lot of anticipation about the DC Studios project. Marketing was done right, trailers showed us enough without revealing the story, and even the projected box office numbers predicted a successful run for Kal-El. The important question, though, is does James Gunn’s Superman deliver?

The short answer is yes, but there is a lot to break down here. I’ll do my best to review the film without any spoilers, but I’m not making any promises.

Right off the bat, Gunn introduces his Superman with an L. Remember those scenes in the trailer where Superman is asking Krypto to take him home? Well, that’s how the movie starts. I found it to be an odd choice given how other superhero films open, but it pays off when you consider the short runtime of the film (yes, 2 hours 9 minutes is barely enough for the large cast of Superman, but I’ll get to that later).

Gunn introduces us to Superman‘s characters like we’ve seen them before (which we have, just in different faces). Clark Kent’s life revolves around Lois Lane and the occasional banter with Jimmy Olsen, and how he interacts with them feels authentic and natural.

People of Earth, and especially the media (no surprise there), never miss the chance to remind Superman that he is an alien. It’s no wonder Lois means so much to him. She is the anchor that keeps him grounded to his purpose when the world feels too noisy.

The US government doesn’t seem to be too bothered about his actions despite Lex Luthor’s best efforts to convince them that he is a danger to all of humanity. But Lex will stop at nothing to see the Kryptonian six feet under. If you’ve read the comics, you already know that Superman is the archnemesis of Lex Luthor, so his beef with him cannot be easily resolved with words and good intentions.

To get his way, Luthor has a few cards up his sleeve that give Superman a heck of a day in office, but he’s not alone either. Guy Gardner (whom I’ll henceforth refer to as the dumb Green Lantern), Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific do a good job on those few occasions where Superman has too much on his plate.

Still, they’re no match for his output, even when they work as a team. Gunn really wants you to know that at the end of the day, this is a Superman film. Not the Justice League.

Oh, I almost forgot. There’s a superpowered dog who goes by the name Krypto that needs to be house trained. He causes all kinds of problems for Superman’s robots in the Fortress of Solitude, but he more than makes up for it when it counts.

The Kent farm doesn’t get featured enough, and from the few scenes we get with Clark’s adoptive parents, it appears Clark doesn’t come home often (or at least as much as Martha and Jonathan would like). Maybe this is because he’s trying to figure out his life with Lois and still get Perry White off his back at the Daily Planet. Maybe not. Either way, it’s clear that Clark Kent is all grown up.

As far as casting goes, DC Studios did a fantastic job across the board. Every actor takes their role seriously, even when they don’t have as much screen time as the core cast. A lot of DC fans were not too pleased when Henry Cavill was fired (or resigned – that whole fiasco has never been clear to me), and David Corenswet ended up on the receiving end.

Despite all the negativity online, he managed to keep his cool and let his acting chops do the talking. So for all of you out there who are wondering if Corenswet measures up to the standards set by his predecessors, I can confidently tell you that he does.

He is exactly what Gunn needed for his version of Superman, which bears a lot of resemblance to the comics. He is goofy, funny, compassionate, modest, an unbearable optimist, and a symbol of hope with a strong sense of duty and responsibility. 

However, his best traits are brought out by Lois Lane, who is perfectly played by Rachel Brosnahan. Amy Adams is a fantastic actress, but Zack Snyder didn’t give her much material to work with. Her rendition of Lois Lane felt plain, and for the most part, she seemed to be in the film solely as a weak point for Superman and a damsel in distress who needed to be rescued.

Brosnahan challenges Superman’s viewpoint, especially when he convinces himself that all his actions have been justified. Their relationship is not perfect, and cracks appear when they have to address the elephant in the room, which is Superman.

Yet, somehow, their romance does not feel forced on us. Even without seeing the history between them, you can appreciate the uncontrived way their love is taking shape.

The biggest star of the show, however, was Nicholas Hoult as the self-absorbed Lex Luthor. He dominates every scene he appears in without effort. Hoult has demonstrated his acting range over the past decade, so I wasn’t surprised to see him switching between different emotions without breaking a sweat. He does not throw a single punch in the entire film, yet his actions hit Superman harder than any villain he’s faced.

Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner and Isabel Merced’s Hawkgirl do a decent job with what little screen time they’re given, which leads me to my biggest gripe with the film. As soon as I saw all the characters that would appear in the film, I suspected that some characters would be underdeveloped – a concern the film ultimately confirmed.

You could remove Guy, Hawkgirl, and Clark’s adoptive parents from the film, and plotwise, nothing much would change (okay, maybe a very small part of the third act).

Luckily for fans of Edi Gathegi, Gunn takes his time to fully develop his character, Mr. Terrific. As the brains of the Justice Gang (its other members being Guy and Hawkgirl), Mr. Terrific lives up to his name by putting to good use his superior intellect to overpower foes and save the day with Superman’s help.

He only gets his hands dirty when he needs to, and to be fair, it is more of him showing off that he still has the physical athleticism to give bad guys a beatdown. As a Kenyan and also a big fan of Gathegi, I am very proud of him and how far he’s come as an actor. After his X-Men role as the mutant Darwin, it’s good to see him recognized for more than just the black guy that’s easy to kill off first.

Believe it or not, Superman’s ungovernable pet, Krypto, is also a big star of the film. All the chaos he causes ends up being extremely important in driving the plot forward. As a superpowered dog, he is also a major threat to anyone that dares to cross Superman. Mr. Terrific, though, is not too fond of him, and I can’t blame him after the hell Krypto raises around him.

The only things I have not addressed are the visuals, editing, and sound design. I’ll put it this way: it’s no Dune, so don’t expect these elements to blow your mind. That said, I strongly suggest you watch Superman at the cinema. The larger IMAX aspect ratio and immersive sound quality will give you a much deeper appreciation of the film. Note that I said IMAX and not just your regular 3D cinema.

Superman is not a perfect film, but Gunn was not trying to make a perfect film. He was striving to give weary DC fans a movie worth watching. And after the superhero fatigue that Marvel’s Phases 4 and 5 have dished out, it’s wonderfully refreshing to just sit down and watch a flick that retains its comic-book charm and keeps the fun alive until the credits roll.

James Gunn‘s DCU is off to a great start, and Superman is certainly in safe hands!