Superman will always be criticised in media. In recent years, Henry Cavill’s adaptation was too heavy handed, while Tyler Hoechlin somehow wasn’t strong enough. The star of James Gunn’s Superman revival, David Corenswet doesn’t have an easy job taking on the role of the Man of Steel this year, either. But, with the Marvel director at the helm, he may have a better chance than many.
Superman begins by informing viewers the Boy in Blue has been a public entity for three years, in a world of metahumans and general absurdity. It also begins by showing him losing his first fight – ever. This is the tone of Gunn’s film – and indeed his entire career: subverting your expectations. It’s a shtick that works well (most of the time) and does so in this iteration of the hero. But there’s a problem with that.
Gunn’s Superman is flawed in that he gets defeated… a lot. The Kryptonian is sometimes penned as laughably strong; unbeatable, and often without any meaningful weakness. Corenswet instead delivers Superman as a fraying mid-tier hero with struggles both in and out of the cape.
Don’t get me wrong though: this is the best Superman adaptation of all time. Page to screen, it’s perfect. The absolute paragon, Lawful Good version of Kal-El originally penned in the comics is here on the big screen for the first time.
He’s perfectly good, in the purest of senses. Superman doesn’t lose his temper (perhaps once), he saves absolutely everyone he can, he weeps when bystanders die, he minimises destruction – he even saves squirrels from falling trees. He is the absolute ‘boy scout’ Batman brands him as.
Therein lies his fault, though. While Clark Kent is endearing and funny and all kinds of charismatic, Superman is just plain dull. As a result, the film’s side characters pick up the slack. Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and Mr Terrific kill mortal enemies, get their hands dirty, and generally fix the problems Superman won’t. As a result, they are the meat of the picture, with Mr Terrific in particular having a standout moment that will be talked about for months.
Still, Coronswet is simply electric on screen. A true Hollywood icon in the making; blending the macho prowess of Cavill while touching upon the heart of Hoechlin all wrapped up in the gorgeous charm of Christopher Reeve.
And he’s emboldened further during his sultry scenes with powerful Rachel Brosnahan. I’ve written extensively about how fine an actor I believe ‘The Marvellous Mrs Maisel’ star is, and she’s somehow better on the big screen. Not only commanding to the Man of Tomorrow, but also to the audience, and indeed the plot.
Sadly, the plot is what one might expect from James Gunn. There are visual gags and quips aplenty, with an endearing and heavy-handed political front, but – as with many of Gunn’s pictures – it unravels in the third act. Devastating world events are fixed by ‘code’ while an 11th hour enemy rears its head with no (literally zero) lines. It’s sloppy, and functionally pointless.
Thankfully, the true star of the film is Krypto. Superman’s alien pup is ever present throughout the movie and is a real heart-warmer throughout. Any avid dog lover or owner will no doubt see a lot of this wonderful hound in their own furry bundle of joy. I generally think having a cute super-powered dog is a cheap way of getting viewers on side… but boy does it work.
Superman is a great film. Gunn has once again worked his magic to blend the perfect mix of writing for those who do or don’t read comics, with some family-friendly moments inter-spliced between the nonsense. David Corenswet is charming and empathetic as Clark, but wholly dull as Superman. While he comes to life alongside wondrous co-stars Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult, the plot leaves lots to be desired. Regardless, this is one comic book movie fans will look back on fondly, and as one of the better Superman pictures in history.
Superman hits cinemas on July 11.