Superman review: The superhero fatigue continues
Since they took over as the heads of DC Studios in late 2022, James Gunn and Peter Safran have been gearing up to launch their overhauled DC Universe with their version of Superman. And here it finally is!
Superman’s origin story has been depicted on screen many times, so writer-director Gunn wisely skips that and sets his tale three years after Superman (David Corenswet) makes himself known to the public. He already works at the Daily Planet, he is already dating Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and has just intervened in a war between the countries of Boravia and Jahranpur. When tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) releases damaging information to destroy Superman’s reputation, the superhero must reevaluate what he knows about his Kryptonian heritage.
While it was the right call to avoid rehashing the origins, it feels weird to be dropped in the middle of a story. Even though the opening on-screen text catches you up, it’s quite unusual to have a film without a beginning. I felt a bit disorientated and never really settled into its groove. This could also be down to the momentum being all over the place, and some areas feeling rushed, probably because Gunn is trying to pack in so many ideas and characters.
Even though it skips the origins, the story still feels unoriginal and not refreshing enough to end my superhero fatigue. There are some good moments (like a scene where Lois interviews Superman) and some interesting parallels to today’s society, but I didn’t care for the familiar story and glazed over at the world-destroying CGI in the chaotic and unengaging final act. In fact, all of the fight sequences were less exciting than expected, with even a setpiece set to Noah and the Whale’s 5 Years Time feeling a bit off.
After Zack Snyder‘s dark and serious interpretation of Superman, this feels like a step in the right direction tonally and visually. It’s bright and colourful (until it gets bogged down in a dark CGI mess) and it has a sense of humour and lightheartedness. It’s not as funny or quirky as Gunn’s prior comic book films, Guardians of the Galaxy and The Suicide Squad, but hopefully, he can step up the humour and levity in the future.
The film’s biggest strength is the performances; the casting is spot-on across the board. Corenswet looks perfect as Superman and does his best to inject some life and personality into the bland character, although the script gives him less and less opportunity for that as the film progresses. Brosnahan is smart, radiant and captivating as Lois Lane – I wish she had more scenes – and Hoult elevates a villain role that isn’t much on the page. Edi Gathegi and Nathan Fillion also deserve a shout-out for their scene-stealing portrayals of Mister Terrific and Green Lantern.
Superman feels overstuffed yet somehow flimsy at the same time, and the script isn’t one of Gunn’s strongest. However, the pitch-perfect cast, the lighter tone and the awesome dog Krypto ensure this isn’t a total write-off.
In cinemas from Friday 11th July