Review: "Superman" Soars Once Again Thanks to James Gunn's New Take

Here we go again. We have yet another iteration of Superman. But I love Superman so I was interested to see James Gunn’s take. And while I loved the character, I hated Man of Steel  which seemed to have no grasp on what makes Superman tick and seemed to think everything should be viewed through a Kryptonian lens while taking all of the fun out of the character. Luckily, this new version is a major course correction, even if some of the choices are either very odd, very James Gunn, or both.

This isn’t another retelling of the origin story. Gunn skips the familiar beats of exploding planets and Kansas cornfields, instead dropping audiences into a world that already knows Superman—and a whole lot more. From Green Lanterns to Mister Terrific, this is a DC Universe well underway. While that makes for a fast-paced, lived-in setting, it may leave casual moviegoers playing a bit of catch-up. Still, this approach lets the film hit the ground running, even if a little narrative breathing room wouldn’t have hurt.

That being said, this film gets at the heart of what makes Superman special. While I don’t want to get into the realm of spoilers, it atones for the mistakes of Man of Steel, which seemed to forget that Superman is the mask and Clark Kent is the true heart of the character. Even though he spends very little time outside of his costume, the audience and Clark learn what makes Superman the hero he is.

The film sometimes can’t shake off its James Gunn-ness. There is no mistaking who directed this movie. Large aliens, odd humor, old-school musical references and Nathan Fillion are all present. These tropes are worth it, if just for his penchant for including animals. Krypto is the film’s secret weapon. While you may spend a lot of time trying to figure out why Krypto is around, his bad-boy yet good-boy demeanor is magnificent. And while he is oftentimes an obvious visual effect, perhaps it is best so we never have to truly worry about a dog’s safety.

Krypto isn’t the only performer to give great performances. David Corenswet is a fantastic Superman and an even better Clark. The line between personas is much thinner than in the Christoper Reeve films, which is more nuanced and appropriate for this era. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane has the guts of most previous iterations, but is allowed to have insecurities that let her go on her own development journey. Nicholas Hoult gives a delicious performance as Lex Luthor in what may be the most frightening take on the character as his villany is unparalleled but somehow believable.

There will be much discussion about Superman and trying to compare its universe to the MCU. The James Gunn connection will only amplify those trying to find parallels. But while the film definitely takes place in a DC Universe, it spends nearly no time on universe building. Therefore, it is a bit futile to try and compare the DCU to the MCU. But as a film, this is the best film version of Superman we have had since before I was born.

I give Superman 4 out of 5 stars.