Superman

by Philip Price

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Director: James Gunn
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan & Nicholas Hoult
Rated: PG-13 (violence, action & language)
Runtime: 2 hours & 9 minutes

 
Neither the character nor the symbol that is Superman (or Clark Kent, for that matter) has ever been considered cool, edgy, or frankly, all that interesting. Often referred to as the oldest living Boy Scout, Clark Kent and his alter ego have always meant to crystallize what is pure about humanity, as perceived by those on the outside looking in. So, in a world where everyone is believed to have ulterior motives and no one’s intentions come purely from the goodness of their own heart, where, and how, does Superman fit in? This seems to be the angle with which writer/director James Gunn - a man mostly known for telling saccharine stories about scumbags - has approached his Man of Steel movie for, while this is the first piece of Gunn’s larger, brand new DC cinematic universe, it is just as importantly a justification for why the character of Superman matters just as much as the Superman character does in today’s divided climate. Gunn didn’t seem a natural fit for a story anchored by a hero whose facets are limited if not a little one-dimensional but when viewed through the prism of questioning said character - and I mean Superman’s sincere mission of serving humanity in order to make the world a better place, just to be clear - when that character is called into question by those who once believed in him but have been turned mercilessly against him by the billionaires that control the narrative, the story automatically turns from one about fighting for truth, justice and the American way to one asking and hopefully challenging audiences to investigate what those terms mean based on the source that is spouting them. 
​
It is no secret Gunn knows a thing or two about having one's past dug up in order to smear their name and reputation, as Superman is subjected to very much the same treatment here. It is also no secret that the current President and Lex Luthor would rather make detractors disappear than actually allow the truth, justice and the American way to be upheld, but it is somewhat surprising how overt this theme is in the film and how it sustains itself throughout. A throughline involving Dinesh Thyagarajan’s Malik “Mali” Ali is the most visceral and brutal part of the film, which now resonates in more ways than Gunn likely intended when he initially wrote it. Is it a little funny for Gunn to equate his experiences to something on the scale Superman might experience? Sure, but in taking this approach to the character the writer/director finds his way to a hero who is both consistent with what the movies of the past have presented (I was just the right age to prefer Batman to Supes) while making the character, if not necessarily punk rock, at least a little more cool and edgy than we’re accustomed to. Furthermore, Superman’s frustrations here align with the more modern aesthetic and world of the story, as opposed to the retro ideals of Americana that seemed of the past, even in the 1978 original. Superman, and Gunn’s version (and movie) specifically, still amounts to the belief that if we’re all a little kinder to one another the world will be a better place, but David Corenswet’s portrayal never for one moment makes us think we should mistake his kindness for softness; he is very much determined to do what it takes to keep basic human decency intact regardless of fabricated policies and political decorum.

Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, a villain so easily portrayed in the vein of any one of the current tech billionaires wielding their power through the President, holds the real weight of the substance of so much of what Gunn attempts to explore here. Hoult, an actor who has consistently shown dynamic range and a penchant for small choices that leave large impressions no matter what number he might be on the call sheet, chews every piece of scenery he’s given here with fierce precision. Luthor’s plot is a perfect example of how Gunn balances homages to past Superman films while firmly planting his film in the realm of modern parable. Yes, it would seem Luthor is simply a power-hungry criminal mastermind capable of deceiving the governments of several nations into allowing him unchecked power, but Hoult’s performance, coupled with Gunn’s writing, elevates the standard serialization of superhero stories and stock characters into something more specific. It wouldn’t be difficult to walk away from Gunn’s film with more than the sense of adventure and rush of nostalgia it delivers but it’s almost impossible not to glean parallels to the conflicts in today’s world. Luthor’s plan to feed a U.S. ally discounted weapons in turn for ownership of land in the neighboring country they’re invading is so obviously Israel and Palestine coded that it’s seemingly impossible to ignore. What Gunn is saying about these conflicts or what points he’s attempting to make are what might provide the most debate, but aside from the aforementioned notion of people over policy and human life being of more importance than the semantics of interfering in foreign policy to ensure actual justice is delivered there is plenty more going on to convey the film’s point of view; essentially telling us that over complicating conflicts is a tactic to make what is clear seem questionable.

Ironically, some of the film's missteps stem from its complexity and the convoluted nature it assumes for a large portion of the second and third acts. The most glaring convenience or manufactured aspect is, unfortunately, the hinge on which the public turns against Superman. Lex Luthor reveals Jor-El’s original message to his son as one not of compassion and loyalty, but rather one that emphasizes Kal-El's superiority to the citizens of Earth and suggests it should be easy for him to rule over humanity. Gunn almost makes it seem as if this is a fake out, a doctored bit of audio sent by Luthor to the press in order to give him the leverage he needs to make the “illegal alien” status stick and have people doubt Superman’s intentions, but we never double back to this point. Instead, we seem expected to eventually ponder, “Oh, well I guess that really is true” after a certain amount of time has passed despite Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific delivering a line about “knowing those forensics guys” and “ how they don’t mess up” that is the most unconvincing thing in a movie featuring pocket dimensions and shapeshifting aliens. The fact that the message is authentic pays off narratively, but is executed clumsily, given the slight confusion it elicits. Superman’s imprisonment leads directly to the two-fold climax that to some degree also feels manufactured specifically to include Mr. Terrific and other Justice Gang members in Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). We don’t wince because the portrayals are fun and their inclusion adds to the feeling Gunn is aspiring to make a superhero movie in the vein of a Saturday morning cartoon but these leaps we’re asked to make sometimes feel a little taller than the buildings Superman can usually handle in a single bound. 

I took my 10-year-old daughter with me to experience “Superman,” not because I thought she might enjoy it (in fact, I wouldn’t have put money on it striking a chord with her), but the trailers did something right as she came to me asking if she’d be able to see it despite the PG-13 rating. The fact that we were still getting “this film is not yet rated” tags on those trailers up until recently made me think it hued closer to a PG than the PG-13 it was destined to be straddled with, so I said, why not? Other than the aforementioned moment with “Mali” the violence is mostly comical and even surrealistic at times (proton river, giant gremlin eye-gouging) but while her primary complaint about the film was that Clark Kent and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) kissed too often and for far too long what struck me most about her reaction and our discussion afterward is that she simply couldn’t fathom why Luthor had so many seemingly normal people working for him and actively against Superman, so clearly the force for good. What is so powerful about the movies is that no matter the vast difference of moral codes sitting in the theater when you sit in that seat the lines between who to root for and who to vilify become one, but Gunn seems to have intentionally cast actors that looked like they could just as easily manage a call center as they could Luthor’s command center. This pointed effort to portray just how manipulative wealth and power can be when it comes to common sense awoke something in my daughter’s sensibilities. We didn’t get too deep in the weeds on Gunn’s potential analogies, but that what are essentially cronies come across as seemingly normal employees who on a weekend we might easily carry on a conversation with isn’t only intentional but begs the question of what compels them to serve as cultish acolytes for a man so horrible his desire to be the most powerful person on the planet is more important than the planet itself is pointed, indeed. 
 
If you’re not looking for social or political commentary, though, there is still plenty to pick from at Gunn’s opening day DC buffet that will satisfy. Clark Kent is barely in this movie which means we get A LOT of Superman, in his suit, flying and fighting, with Corenswet making his titular hero one who lives up to the ideals of that classic Boy Scout image while giving the man of steel that punk rock edge that actually forgoes our suspicion or dubiousness of his honorable objective and instills a trust in him; he also gets his ass kicked. A LOT. The “in media res” choice allows Brosnahan’s Lois to be a solid foil for Clark and Superman by foregoing the awkward introductions and tedious dynamics of their relationship, dropping us into the middle of it. Lois isn’t relegated strictly to the Daily Planet set either, getting a character arc that teams her with Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific, who truly steals the show with his deadpan delivery, genuinely cool gadgets, and hyper-intellect. While Hawkgirl and Sara Sampaio’s Eve aren’t afforded the screen time to be as fleshed out as their counterparts in Guy Gardner and Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen they all - including Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho - feel of a piece and more importantly, a universe, that is cohesive in its goofiness. Leaving the theater it was hard not to think of Gunn as kind of a genius, not because his “Superman” movie is necessarily great - it’s really good, it’s really fun, has a ton of heart and is genuinely moving at times along with being a movie I’m eager to see again and suspect will have a very high re-watchability factor - but mostly because he just gets it. Emphasizing the human over the meta and the man over the super, Gunn’s screenplay consistently illuminates his central thesis without ever coming across as heavy-handed. He also manages his affinity for animals with Krypto in ways that (surprisingly and much to my relief) don’t overwhelm, but instead payoff in a classic screenwriting structure fashion in which Krypto is not only characterized differently than expected but whose actions end up being key plot points. Ultimately, this version and Gunn’s vision for Superman is as a hero for our time. It will be interesting to see how this ages, though if history has taught us anything it’s that the parallels to the real world won’t wear thin anytime soon and that despite Superman not being the coolest, edgiest, or most “punk rock” hero that maybe the coolest thing to be right now is simply a kind, caring human.