Superman Review: James Gunn’s DC Era Kicks Off With A Bang

Superman (PG13)

Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult

The problem with the recent batch of superhero movies (take a bow, Madam Web, Thunderbolts*, Captain America: Brave New World) is that they feel like glorified teasers for their own sequels — or whatever the next chapter is in the universe-expanding saga.

Not Superman, though. The first feature under the DC Studios banner — and the official big-screen launch of the new DC Universe — is its own sequel. Geddit?

Writer-director and DC Studios co-head James Gunn did everyone a solid by skipping the origin story route — just as Marvel Studios did with Spider-Man when the webslinger joined the MCU sandbox. Superman’s been around for more than eight decades — he’s DC’s most famous undocumented alien.

Gunn knows the audience (well, some of us, anyway) already knows Supes’ deal — where he’s from, why he’s on Earth, who his foster parents are, his day job as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent, his romance with Lois Lane, yadda yadda yadda — so he drops us right into the thick of the action: Superman’s (David Corenswet) ongoing beef with belligerent billionaire baldy Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult, excellent in asshole mode).

(Warning: Gunn crams a ton of backstory into the first minute via title cards — so if you show up late, good luck playing catch-up.)

In other words, Gunn isn’t reinventing the cape — he’s just trying to keep comic-book movie fatigue at bay. And for the most part, he succeeds.

If Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns was too sombre and Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel too serious, Superman hits the sweet spot — the middle lane of escapist fun — even if some parts mirror real-world international crises, as one might expect from the director of Guardians of the Galaxy.

Yes, DC has been Marvelised! (Gunn already had a dry run with 2021’s The Suicide Squad and the animated series Creature Commandos.)

The story moves along briskly and offers a well-balanced mix of action, humour, heart — and best of all, far better lighting than Man of Steel.

The cast assembled is fantastic. Corenswet is terrifically sweet and charming as Kal-El (kinda “punk rock”,' to quote a character — and no, this isn’t the first time that label has been used to describe the hero in a movie); his Clark Kent, however, is a little creepy — like someone whose browser history could get him in trouble with the law. Just saying.

Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan (as Lois) share far better chemistry than previous big-screen pairings. Nathan Fillion (and his bowl cut) is a scene-stealer as Green Lantern, the leader of the so-called ‘Justice Gang’ — a work-in-progress moniker that’s a running gag — alongside Edi Gathegi as the wise-cracking Mister Terrific.

Another surprise? Jimmy Olsen. In the movies, he’s often been an underwritten character. But here, Skyler Gisondo’s adorkable take gets a bigger role than expected. Krypto the Dog is also a crowd-pleaser; never mind that he’s CG — he’s cute enough.

The finale is a mixed bag — a CG city-levelling demolition derby. Not the worst sin — at least it isn’t as numbingly bombastic as Man of Steel’s. Small mercies.

Superman is a promising start to the new DC Universe. Savour the moment before it gets too sprawling, unwieldy, and out of control (already, it’s dropping hints for the upcoming Supergirl movie, the Lanterns TV series, and Season 2 of Peacemaker). But that’s another story for another time. (3/5 stars) out in cinemas

Photo: Warner Bros Pictures

P/s: As much as I enjoy Superman, I can’t say I enjoyed the experience of watching it — I caught the movie at its premiere at IMAX Lido. Throughout the screening, I was distracted by what appears to be burn-in square marks on the screen. I don’t know exactly what they are but I do know they’re an eyesore that completely pulled me out of the movie. It’s something you can’t unsee. I initially thought they were floaters, but then everyone started noticing them too. The marks have been there for a while. I know I shouldn’t whine since I watched it for free, but for those who paid for their tickets — sorry, you were shortchanged. Can the theatre operators do something about it? Seriously, this is hardly “Ultimate Movie Experience” we’re promised. Just saying.