FILM REVIEW: James Gunn’s Superman

Soars in All the Right Places

Lately, I have been struggling to find the “voice” in my writing. Every time I put words to paper, it feels like sandpaper grating against each syllable. “Did I even go to school???” — a popular intrusive thought. Imagine my surprise when walking out of Superman, turning to my friends and loudly saying, “that is how I want my voice to come across in my writing.” Set aside their confused faces, they understood and even agreed after I explained what I meant to convey: I can be silly, but in a serious way. Superman feels the same: intentionally silly and fun, with a heart seriously pointed in a hopeful direction.

A film about discovering what it means to be “punk rock” figures it out by realizing kindness can go a very long way. Cynics found lying in a ditch somewhere in their own pile of tears. (Kidding.) My point is that cynicism runs so rampant in society that people will find every nook and cranny to find “faults” in a piece of media when something so good is staring them right in the face. A character that is so strong it can face the storm of the good (Reeve’s Superman), the bad (Man of Steel), and the ugly (Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice). Here, the focus is less on Superman’s strengths as a non-human, but more on his strengths as a human. If these moments do not work, then the movie crumbles. Luckily, these are the strongest points that not only uphold the film, but help it soar to fun new directions.

The film starts like a Star Wars movie: right in the action. Superman/Clark (David Corenswet), just defeated in battle, has to get stronger on Krypton then back to Earth so he can keep fighting Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult, who just hates Superman so so much) and his merry band of metahuman misfits. We discover that Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) already knows Clark’s secret, which they try and hide throughout the film. Everything is already in motion. That thread continues as new characters are introduced, including the Justice Gang and Luthor’s aforementioned minions. At first glance, it feels like we should get exposition for these characters? Then I realized that the whole point is we are supposed to be right in the action. That feeling I had was more along the lines of wanting to see more of these characters. Many people will view it as a bad thing, but forget that wanting more is exactly what Gunn and Friends are trying to do with this new reboot of the DC Film Universe.

Throughout the film, Clark is faced with his own mortality and what it means to be human. That has always been the case with this character, but this time the focus is on hope and heroism. It strays away from the Americana angle that Reeve was so known for, and the god-like qualities of Cavill’s iteration of the character. What it leans into is how can we be the best versions of ourselves even in the face of imperfection. I interpreted it as saying that, despite our imperfections, we can still be outstanding humans. The imperfections are why Superman is needed, and that is okay. It flows in the same vein as “all you need is love”. It is so earnest and corny on paper, but it works extremely well in the context of the film.

Walking out of the film, the smiles were abundant. There was excitement as people were chatting about the experience we all shared. This aggressively optimistic message felt refreshing because that space is not really given these days. Negative messaging and fear-mongering are what bring in the money. I do not subscribe to that notion, and I think this Superman would agree. There is a space for silly, there is a space for imperfection, and there is a space for serious fun. It is a great reminder that striving to be our best for whatever community we are a part of is always the right and just answer. My hope is that more space is given to both films like this and spaces like this site that can help people express and show up for both themselves and those around them. I believe that is one way we can make our world a better, safer, more fun place to be in.