Superman Review | James Gunn Pulls off a Risky Blend of Nostalgic Fun and Geopolitics

James Gunn is a director with a peculiar vision, and he is someone at one point refused to take up the directorial responsibilities of Man of Steel sequel and opted for Suicide Squad, because he felt, like Guardians of the Galaxy, the characters in Sucide Squad sort of offered him more scope for exploration and interpretation. So, when it comes to the new Superman film, which was initially titled Superman Legacy and later became just Superman, it feels pretty much like a gutsy and pulpy take on the superhero by James Gunn. By choosing not to make it an origin story and setting it in this era of social media, Superman is a quirky and surprisingly geopolitical film.

The story is set against the backdrop of an ongoing, invading war between two countries, and Superman has decided to take the side of the weaker country, which hasn’t gone well with the people in power. Lux Luthor, who has a lot at stake with this war, wants to eradicate Superman from the picture, and what we see is his plans for that and how Superman tackles those difficulties.

So this movie is not structured as an origin story. It is almost like Spider-Man: Homecoming reboot, where we are entering the world of the character after he has discovered his powers. It is sort of helping the movie to cut to the chase, and James Gunn plants all those origin story elements in a latter part of the film. The way Gunn incorporates humor in the script and also the way he reimagines certain character dynamics are what make his style somewhat unique, and you can see that happening here. Unlike other superhero films, this is perhaps one of those rare reboot films that brings an ensemble of superheroes in its first film. One more thing that I felt kept the movie interesting was the inclusion of less-explored characters and story elements.

The tonal contrasts of the movie are what make it look pretty scary from a creative point of view. On one side, we have this ethical debate going on about a situation that pretty much reminds us of the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict. But on the other side, we have these huge set pieces where Superman is fighting a Kaiju. And the tonality of those fights is funny, similar to some of the stuff we have seen in Guardians of the Galaxy. And then you have the whole pocket universe thing where both the funny and emotionally charged dramatic elements are happening. Cracking the middle ground with such contrasting treatments inside one film is a gutsy risk. But with the help of some nicely choreographed set pieces like the one where Superman thrashes hundreds of Luthor’s super soldiers with the camera stylishly revealing the hope sign, this movie manages to pull it off.

David Corenswet is the new Superman, and much like how Lois says at one point in the movie about the kind of unreal trust and optimism he has in people, Corenswet’s Superman is a soft one. Maybe that’s why we don’t see him in a superhero costume that really accentuates his muscles. The focus is more on his face, and while Henry Cavill’s Superman mostly had that composed face, Corenswet’s Superman is going into that zone of supremacy very rarely. Rachel Brosnahan plays the part of Lois Lane, and she has that vivacious energy in certain parts of the movie. Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor gets a pretty extensive role as the antagonist, and as this modern-day version of a power-greedy corporate tycoon, he manages to pull off this eccentric character without overdoing it. Edi Gathegi was fine as Mister Terrific. There are many more extended cameos and cameos who will have their stand-alone films in the future in this new DC Universe.

With the visual feel of the movie reminding you of the Christopher Reeve era of Superman, James Gunn’s version has those nostalgic elements working in favor of it. Coupled with the lighter, humor-oriented treatment given to the overall story, this 129-minute-long film is fun to watch. It is not necessarily a mind-blowing reimagination in terms of scale or concept. But the fact that some of the bold treatment choices landed smoothly for this movie makes it an interesting watch.