Superman: Truth, Justice, and a Really Good Movie

Superman

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Rating: PG-13

Run Time: 2 hours 9 minutes

Stars: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Krypto

Writer/Director: James Gunn

In Theatres Now

Strange Visitor. The Big Blue Boy Scout. The Man of Tomorrow. The Man of Steel. Those are just a few of the nicknames assigned over the years to Superman, arguably one of the most important fictional characters in American history. Inspirational and aspirational, beloved and occasionally snickered at, Superman has always had a lot to tell us about us, and that inclination has never been more of-the-moment than it is in the new DC Studios film, Superman. Here’s why it touches greatness.

Superman trailer (Uploaded to YouTube by DC)

Written and directed by James Gunn, that rare beast who is both CEO of DC Studios and a filmmaker of monster hits like Guardians of the Galaxy, Superman thrusts the viewer right into a living, breathing universe in progress. There’s no slow-build origin. The film assumes we already know the basics of Big Blue’s backstory (as Grant Morrison once wrote: “Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Friendly couple.”) and drops us right into a world already populated with super-beings and a title character who has been operating for three years. Superman (a perfectly cast David Corenswet) has stirred controversy by stopping a war between two fictional, but familiar, countries, and the eyes of the planet are on him, raising questions about power, responsibility, and government response.

This premise sets the stage for a dazzling tour of this new incarnation of DC as a cinematic universe. Gone is the dour and desaturated nature of the so-called Snyderverse, which encompassed DC films from 2013 to 2023, including Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice . The film is bright, alive with familiar background characters, and loaded with heart and wit. Although the trailer already let us know that superdog Krypto would be a stand-out, we get a fleshed-out Daily Planet staff, other well-drawn heroes, and more than one familiar villain and henchpersons. It feels, in all the best ways, like a comic book come to life (which is, really, exactly what it should be).

And just like the best comics, the film makes us ask questions about ourselves. For Superman, doing the right thing is never the question; it’s why do people have such strong reactions when he does do the right thing? Superman sees the stopping of a war in absolutes: He just doesn’t want to see anyone die. The fact that his actions are debatable in the global arena somewhat baffles him. How on Earth could doing good be controversial? This issue comes to a boiling point in a dynamic scene between Clark and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan, also perfectly cast). Lois is chiding Clark about his tendency to clandestinely interview himself, and Clark agrees to let Lois interview him as Superman. He’s unprepared for the grilling he gets from his ace reporter girlfriend, but it does lay bare his core motivation of doing what’s right no matter what people in power say. For those of you who may have read a Superman comic or two since 1938, you’ll recognize that as your guy.

In terms of direction, Gunn keeps everything moving while filling the screen with familiar characters and locations (the Fortress of Solitude is great, as is one surprise spot that’s among the most iconic of DC locales). He puts heart and humor alongside action and consequence in the same successful way he did in the Guardians films. Among his well-chosen cast, his long-time collaborator Nathan Fillion is on point as perpetually angry Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Anthony Carrigan essays Metamorpho with pathos, and Nicholas Hoult is among the best Lex Luthors I’ve ever seen. But the real break-out is Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific. First introduced in 1997 as a modern spin on a DC character from the 1940s, Mister Terrific is a genius and tech wizard, and he knows it. Like many of the best heroes, he’s driven by a terrible loss. Gathegi grounds the character in competence, confidence, and occasional lacerating wit; I expect to see a lot of Fair Play jackets come Halloween.

But beneath the action, the fun, and the parade of familiar DC faces, Gunn never strays far from the defining concepts of Superman. He’s an immigrant. He works hard to fit in with a humanity that he will never quite belong to. He does the right thing for the right reasons. And he just doesn’t want to see people die. That last one is the foundation that links the character so strongly with Batman (not in the film; sorry), and undergirds exactly why we have super-heroes in fiction. We can look to them to do the right thing, even as real people with power fail moral tests over and over. The world needed Superman when he first appeared in 1938, and the world needs him now. The good news is that Gunn and company have given us a great one, and this reporter hopes that he’s here to stay.