Superman
MAGA idiots will tell you that Superman no longer using the line "Truth, justice, and the American Way" in James Gunn's "Superman" means he's being un-American. From a certain point of view that's correct, as the current public face of the USA is one that subscribes to white supremacy, sexism, and rabid jingoism. In Gunn's picture, Superman goes out of his way to state that an ethos of kindness and love to all people is why he does his thing, and that it's a philosophy that belongs to humanity, as flawed as we are.
Because Superman is us.
Gunn's film isn't afraid to dive into political themes other films like this have either briefly addressed or outright ignored, and it's especially welcome considering the hell we find ourselves in outside of theaters. In the comics, Superman first appeared towards the end of the Great Depression. And once again, when we really need him, he shows up in that beautiful blue, red, and yellow outfit - no desaturation crap here.
"Superman" is as comic book as these movies come, which is a lot considering so many feel nothing like their source material. This may be because the film has clear influences, from John Byrne's '80s reboot "The Man of Steel" to Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb's gorgeous "Superman For All Seasons," and finally, Grant Morrison and Frank Quietly's beloved "All-Star Superman." Not only narratively, but often visually, with Henry Braham's cinematography feeling like it's siphonic colours directly from the pages.
But make no mistake, for all the disparate threads behind it, this is James Gunn's tapestry, for better or for worse. His Superman feels a little underpowered compared to some previous incarnations, but together with David Corenswet's wonderfully honest performance, it makes him feel all the more human for it. This is a Superman who does screw things up, who isn't perfect in any way. But will always try to do his best, not for himself, but for us.
Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor steals a great deal of the film; well, the parts that haven't already been stolen by superdog Krypto. It was smart of Gunn to have Krypto appear at the beginning of the first teaser, introducing this goofy character to an audience who are so used to grimdark approaches to stories for children as to prime them for his vision of the world of the man of steel. And it works beautifully, from huge battles with monsters to cyborgs that can make their hands turn into circular saws to the "Justice Gang," who literally live in the Hall of Justice from the '70s "Super Friends" Saturday-morning cartoon.
But it knows when to hew to things a little more real, like Superman's nascent relationship with Rachel Brosnahan's Lois Lane, which gets bumpier when she asks him about his interference in an apparant civil war between two fictional Middle-Eastern countries. She asks whether he had approval from the president, he cries "People were going to die!" Asking an audience to look at these two different lines of thinking is brave, as it gives us permission to doubt Superman ourselves, all linking in to a plot Luthor has concocted to make the citizens of Metropolis turn on Superman. Which of course they do, because we're human and we're scared, albeit of the wrong person.
But being human is something Superman/Clark not only appreciates, but is defined by. With his Kryptonian heritage and the apparently benevolent mission of his parents under question, it's his parents in Smallville, Ma and Pa Kent, that are the ones who raised him, the ones who instilled his values. As the brilliant Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent says, it's Clark's choice to be who he is that is what makes him Superman, whatever his biological parents really think. In a wonderful touch, the Kent's are portrayed, for maybe the first time, as absolutely normal people. There's always been a sense of theatrical nobility that has appeared in previous incarnations, which has worked fine for some of them, but would perhaps be misplaced here.
It's hard to overstate how much I loved "Superman," and it's a fairly dense movie, but there are so many things I want to shout out, such as Hawkgirl's incessant shrieking, Mr Terrific's "Hot damn!", Superman saving everyone from a falling skyscraper to a squirrel, Eve Teschmascher's selfies and her love for Jimmy Olsen, the beauty of the physically scarred Metamorpho, the Superman robots (he calls them "Superman robots"), Nathan Fillion's utter dickness as Guy Gardner, the neat way Lex uses his brain to combat Superman remotely. I need to see it again, really.
There are bugs. The tiny kaiju that grows into, well, a full-size kaiju reminded more of Stitch than anything - maybe that was the point, although it was nice that Superman was reluctant to see it die. The idea of a white character being a saviour for the Middle-Eastern country is still a bit iffy, even if it does back up Clark's mission being for everyone, not just Metropolitans. But mainly, the music. The score, which is based on John Williams' classic themes for the 1978 Superman, always felt like it was on the cusp of unleashing them properly but instead never did, instead choosing to use abbreviated arrangements of them. The score outside of the themes was not that impressive, a shame as John Murphy is a terrific composer. But like, if you're going to use that theme, just use it, don't tiptoe around it.
The film also features in a key moment a weird alt-rock track that is supposed to tie into an idea about how Superman's caring for people is punk rock, and it doesn't work. It doesn't help that the song isn't good, but also that it hampers what is otherwise a terrifically heartwarming and emotionally pure moment. It pissed me off and it still pisses me off, because "Superman" is such a terrific film and it kind of left me annoyed when I left the cinema.
I have to admit, I was not hugely excited when Gunn was announced as writer and director for "Superman." I like the "Guardians of the Galaxy" pictures, but they are full of snark, and I was worried how this would go. Still, with the Justice Gang especially, he worked out an outlet for that snark without it overpowering the general message. I just can't wait to see it again.
