Superman

Superman is an incredibly hard character to get right. With a legacy that spans over eighty-five years, this iconic superhero represents a lot of different things to a lot of different people.

Personally, I always felt that Superman's overpowered and godlike abilities made his character hard to relate to. And while I do respect every attempt at grounding and humanizing the character, none of them have ever really worked for me.

The Christopher Reeve films are admittedly charming, but they're also a bit cheesy and outdated. Henry Cavill's Man of Steel tells an interesting first-contact story, but his interpretation of the character left a lot to be desired.

So, I was interested in seeing a new version of the character, but I also had some reservations about James Gunn's involvement. Because, while I do love most of Gunn's work, I wasn't sure if his particular style would mesh well with an iconic character like Superman.

But how did I feel about the movie? Well... I think my fears may have been justified.

To be clear: I do like this movie. I think it's a perfectly fun and entertaining summer blockbuster. I just think that it could've been a lot better if it wasn't bogged down by Gunn's quirky style and mannerisms.

But to start with some positives: I do think that Gunn does a great job of bringing us in to this new world. Unlike with Man of Steel, Superman begins in a world that already feels well-established. We don't get a typical origin story because most people already know the story of Superman. So, when this movie begins, we're told that Metahumans have existed for hundreds of years, and that Superman has been a hero for several years already.

This is both a good and a bad thing. On the one hand, the film doesn't have to re-explore anything that the audience is already familiar with. Instead of wasting time revisiting plot beats we've seen a hundred times before, this movie gets the chance to explore some new ground.

On the other hand, by skipping over Superman's origin story, the audience does miss out on some incredibly important context. For example, we don't really get to know why this version of Lex Luthor hates this version of Superman so much. And that's really unfortunate, since that hatred has a lot to do with the story being told here.

That story:

After intervening in an international conflict, Superman is forced to deal with the unintended consequences of his actions. In order to win back public support - and thwart Lex Luthor's sinister plot - the Man of Steel must rely on the help of his reporter and superhero colleagues.

Now, to be clear, that is a compelling story in and of itself; I just don't understand why Lex would want to put this story into motion in the first place. Other than the fact that he's Lex Luthor. And I know Luthor is supposed to be evil - he's supposed to hate Superman - but that information isn't enough to help me understand what motivates this version of the character.

Thankfully, Nicholas Hoult delivers a fantastic performance as Luthor. His insanely diabolical portrayal of the character is probably my favorite part of the entire movie. So, while I do have some issues with the character's lack of development, I am happy with Hoult's depiction of the character. And the rest of the cast is really good as well.

David Corenswet is excellent as a kindhearted and goodnatured Superman.  Nathan Fillion is great as a silly Green Lantern. Edi Gathegi is wonderful as Mr. Terrific. Isabela Merced is really fun as Hawk Girl. And Rachel Brosnahan is exceptional as Lois Lane. I was particularly glad to see that her character has an active role in the story being told.

But, for as good as the performances are, I wish the script did a better job of fleshing out these characters. I think all of them could have benefited from some more development.

As it stands now, I don't really believe that this version of Louis and Clark would be in love. I don't believe that Lex could get people to turn on Superman as easily as he does, especially when he's stupid enough to have a girlfriend who takes selfies with his evil plans. And I definitely don't believe that Jimmy Olsen would be some kind of womanizer.

But I think I could have believed all of these things, if the movie just spent some time exploring these details a bit more.

The opening shot of the movie, for example, explains how Superman lost his first fight, ever. But that information is never followed up with. So, it might as well not have been included in the film at all, since we never get to see how Superman feels about losing a fight. The opportunity to develop that part of his character is completely missed. And that is a damn shame, given how good Corenswet is in the role.

I don't think he's portraying the definitive version of the character or anything, but he certainly embodies what the character should represent. Kindness. Hope. Optimism. And those characteristics do inspire the people around him. Which is nice. Because that inspiration makes every character's growth feel earned.

Still, I do wish that Gunn spent more time fleshing out the plot and adjusting the tone a bit. But, despite my personal issues with the plot and with the tone, I still think this is a thoroughly entertaining film.

For better or worse, this is a fun movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously. And James Gunn's typical goofiness is (usually) grounded by the outstanding performances that are featured here.

So, while it may be flawed and messy, it's still a pretty solid movie nevertheless. Meaning that, even in spite of my issues with it, Superman would still get a recommendation from me.