Years ago, I interviewed James Gunn at South by Southwest for his movie Super. It was just the two of us in a big, mostly empty hotel dining room. I remember walking in and seeing him with a huge smile and an even bigger plate of grazing food. “Want some?” he asked. Of course I did, it was free food. He wasn’t in a rush, and our chat meandered from the film to life to other movies. He couldn’t have been nicer. Ever since then, I’ve rooted for the guy. It helps, of course, that his movies are consistently great, including his latest, Superman.
The film kicks off after Superman (David Corenswet) has just taken his first-ever beating, courtesy of the supervillain known as the Hammer of Boravia. He’s bloody, bruised, and in pain, until his loyal pal, Krypto the dog, swoops in to drag him back to the Fortress of Solitude. Turns out, Superman got himself tangled in a political mess after defending a war-torn country from an invasion by, you guessed it, Boravia.
So why is everyone mad at him for helping innocent people?
Enter Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who’s pulling the strings from behind the scenes because of course he is, he’s Lex Luthor and he’s hellbent on bringing Superman down, with the help of a few villainous friends.
But Superman’s not alone. He’s got backup… sort of, in the Justice Gang’s Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi).
The casting here is pitch-perfect. Corenswet is Superman. He’s got that classic Christopher Reeve charm, but makes the role feel fresh and his own. Hoult’s Luthor is a standout, a tech bro (a-la Elon Musk) with a god complex who actually believes the garbage he’s spewing about saving humanity.
Rachel Brosnahan‘s Lois Lane isn’t just eye candy or a convenient plot device. She’s a driving force in the story, and her chemistry with Corenswet adds real depth to their scenes. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Fillion’s Guy Gardner, but he totally won me over. And Gathegi’s Mister Terrific? Well, the name fits.
If I had one complaint, it’s this: more Wendell Pierce, please. He plays Daily Planet editor Perry White, and while he’s great in every scene, I just wanted more. But, I always want more Wendell Pierce.
And Krypto? He easily could’ve been annoying, like Ewok annoying, but Gunn plays it smart. Krypto’s just a dog. He plays, he destroys things and he occasionally he saves the day. He’s also ridiculously cute. Kinda like my dog.
Gunn’s direction, especially in the action scenes, is electric. The flying sequences make you feel like you’re soaring alongside Superman. The visuals and camera angles feel like a comic book come to life and his decision to use John Williams‘ iconic score was brilliant.
This version of Superman is everything I hoped it would be… and then some.
