Superman is swooping into cinemas once again for DC, this time with David Corenswet in the suit of the Man of Steel and James Gunn at the helm to usher in a new era for DC Studios.
The film eschews the tried and tested origin story in favour of something else, Superman is already four years into his time as a hero and his identity has already been revealed to the world. After stepping in during an international conflict in order to save everyone he can without a single casualty, Superman has unfortunately become persona non grata for not playing by political rules which leads to his status as an alien immigrant being used to turn the people against him.
But the hero’s convictions are pure, and through him the film hopes to return the franchise to his original message — as a beacon of hope who wants to create a kinder world. This brings him at odds with his trusty comic book rival Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and many, many others.
Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and David Corenswet as Superman. c(Warner Bros.)
A lot is riding on the film, for one, the film kick starts Gunn and Peter Safran’s vision for DC, and it also re-introduces the world to Clark Kent in the hope of revitalising the comic book movie. Even if the film’s director says that the success of the film is not as serious as people claim, for audiences that have grown largely tired of the genre it will take a lot to convince them to show up for it.
While audiences are no doubt the priority in Gunn’s mind, the critics have already shared their thoughts on the film and given their verdict on his take on the hero from the planet Krypton.
The Independent’s Clarrise Loughrey was an advocate for Superman as she said the film will make audiences “believe in superhero movies again”. The critic remarked that the film has a lot on its shoulders in terms of putting DC back on the map.
“But every spinning plate here – and this is a dense, busy film – has been carefully balanced on the fingers of America’s favourite caped Boy Scout, with his matinee idol grin and heart as big as a blue whale,” Loughrey wrote. “Above all, Gunn’s Superman understands exactly how this character and this world should make us feel, that there’s always pride to be found in hope, however naive its pursuit might feel on a planet that kills empathy on the regular.”
Superman received positive reviews from critics. (Warner Bros.)
The critic added that Corenswet is “such a natural fit for the part that it’s a little scary” and celebrates the way in which he makes the character endearing and relatable.
Variety’s Owen Gleibermann commented on how comic book films in general can be “overblown, convoluted, dunked in CGI bombast” but that Superman makes a “smart play” in the genre by not redoing the character’s origin story once again.
He wrote: “Gunn knows that the world has grown weary of comic-book film culture, and in the new Superman he’s out to reset not just one studio’s fortunes but the very idea of what a comic-book movie is.
“The movie has pummeling battles, giant plushy troll monsters, characters hurtling through space, and a general air of ballistic wizardry. Superman, however, is also dedicated to treating the Man of Steel as what he was in the comics and the first two Christopher Reeve films: a majestic force of good, yet one who’s stalwart but vulnerable, superhuman but touchingly humane, alive with internal struggle.”
The one problem the critic had with the film was the fact it has a “super-busy quality”, which “works for it and, at times, against it”. He wrote that the film thus fails to reach the pinnacle of superhero cinema but is as good as say Iron Man, Thor or Batman Begins.
The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw was not a fan of the film, writing that it was both a “bust” and a “pain” because of how soulless it all felt.
“What is the point of a film so stymied in its digitally encoded and generically prescribed world that it can’t even go through the motions, as that would imply some level of activity and signs of life?” Bradshaw wrote. “How many more superhero films in general, and Superman films in particular, do we need to see that all end with the same spectacular faux-apocalypse in the big city with CGI skyscrapers collapsing? They were fun at first … but the thrill is gone.”
Bradshaw added that he felt Corenswet approaches Superman “with square-faced vanilla dullness”, which was not a sentiment shared by Deadline’s Pete Hammond, who said the actor is “the real deal, a hero for a better time trying to spread old fashioned values of the good that has disappeared from the planet.”
Hammond was taken with the film, though he wrote that not all of it worked: “Overall, Gunn might be trying to do too much here, basically throwing everything against the wall and hoping some of it sticks. More than enough does in this entertaining new direction, but at times Superman suffers from overload… Nevertheless he is a talented and skilled director, no question, and one with optimism himself.”
Superman premieres in UK cinemas on Friday 11 July.