To me, superheroes and science fiction are more than just people with power, spaceships, and robots. A sci-fi film like Superman has to say something about humanity. Otherwise, it’s just a rollercoaster ride that doesn’t end. Two moments won me over. First, it’s this discussion between Lois and Clark where Clark has to explain why Superman went rogue and ended a war. The reason is that in war, people die. Can you imagine if one of our leaders just up and said, “I’ll end this war, so people will stop dying?” That leader would be Superman. Like any good sci-fi conversation, it’s up to you to figure out if Superman was right or wrong in his display of compassion.
The other conversation is about the so-called immigrant story. Clark is an alien raised by midwestern parents, which begs the question: as immigrants in America, are we defined by the values of our current country where we were raised, or will we always be citizens of where we came from? Do Clark/Superman’s values come from Smallville or Krypton?
NICHOLAS HOULT as Lex Luthor in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
“I hated the pseudo-John Williams soundtrack.”
I’ll quickly go through what I didn’t like. Ma and Pa Kent were not good. The overacting was godawful, and at their age, there’s no reason they shouldn’t be able to figure out how a cell phone works. At times, their Kansas accents were difficult to understand. The film’s pace is non-stop. A lot is going on, and by the time one chapter ends, a new one starts. It feels overly edited at times. The reveal of Hammer/Ultraman’s identity was unclear to me. If I hadn’t seen Superman 4 just days before, it would have flown over my head. Lastly, Hawkgirl’s powers are dumb…especially the screeching. Hate the pseudo-John Williams soundtrack. Practical is always better than CG.
Needless to say, David Corenswet steps into Superman’s shoes very easily. What I liked was the return of romance to superhero movies. Clark and Lois go hot-and-heavy. More spit was swapped than in all the other Superman films combined. The Krypto stuff grew on me at the end and thankfully integrated into the overall story. I also like Gunn’s take on Superman constantly leaning back on his heels. He doesn’t become “super” until the end. He’s not all powerful, and Lex always has the upper hand on him throughout. Change is good.
I’ll conclude by saying that I don’t understand DC Comics, these weird characters (what the hell is a Mr. Terrific?), but I’m fascinated to see where we go from here. I love the bright colors and positivity. What Superman felt like was that someone had taken my childhood box of action figures and found a way to tell an exciting story with it.
"…what the hell is a Mr. Terrific?"
