So it is finally here after months of hype James Gunn’s Superman is finally here and is the official start to the DCU. Does it live up to the hype? Well I say it’s a pretty solid start and I quite enjoyed the film and down below I am going to break down each of the characters of the movie and their good and bad traits. Then I’ll talk about my overall thoughts of the film and rate it so let’s discuss…
Superman/Clark Kent
David Cornsweat takes on the mantle of Man of Steel in this movie and he does a brilliant job! He really embodies Superman and gives a great performance and really makes the audience believe in hope even when times are tough. He has great morals and only uses his power for good and still tries to see the good in people even Lex Luthor. As for the Clark Kent persona I always found it silly that people in Metropolis couldn’t tell the difference between Superman and Clark Kent and I love how in this movie Lois points that fact out.
Lois Lane
This depiction of Lois Lane by Rachel Brosnahan is the most accurate depiction of Lois I’ve ever seen. She’s not stupid and does actual reporting in this movie including a no soft question interview with Supes himself. While I quite enjoyed Amy Adams in Snyders version of Superman, Rachel’s is more comic accurate and has more to do. She is very much involved in saving the day and even brings her entire Daily Planet team along to take down Lex by publishing the story on his true intentions.
Lex Luthor
This is the most drastic difference from the DCEU version in my opinion. Nicholas Holt does a very good job playing the iconic villain. While in the DCEU Lex started off with long hair and acted like a tech bro where as this Lex Luthor is comics accurate bald and acts more villainous with his Lex Bots and Ultraman clone of Superman. He is extremely envious of Superman and even tries to get the government and world to turn against Superman by playing the full message Superman’s parents recorded for him when they sent him to Earth. Pure evil.
The JSA
The JSA consisting of Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, and Mr. Terrific are pretty good in their supporting roles. The one issue I have here is that the movie does not explain who these people are so if you are not into comic books you may be very confused when they show up on screen suddenly. Green Lantern states they have been hired by Maxwell Lord, who makes a cameo at the end of the movie, but again other than that there is no explanation to who they are or what they do or even their group name.
Hawkgirl played by Isabella Merced from The Last of Us is quite funny and does a lot with her small role in the movie. Green Lantern played by Nathan Fillion is also quite funny and his bullcut doesn’t look as ridiculous as it did in the trailers. Mr. Terrific played be Edi Gathegi is absolutely fantastic and has quite a large role here. His tech is awesome and he really does a lot to save the day and help save Superman. I would love to see a series or movie with him as the lead.
Krypto
This dog is so ADORABLE! I am such a dog person and he was one of my favorite parts of the movie. He certainly doesn’t always act the best and when we find out his actual owner we can see why, but he certainly cares for Superman and always comes to his rescue and saves the day in crucial situations. I can’t wait to see him in future adventures and I have a feeling we will be seeing very soon, quite possibly as soon as next year in the Supergirl movie.
Is This Movie Political?
James Gunn got a lot of flack for saying this movie is political and some of the cast got even more flack for saying Superman is an immigrant. Well the fact of the matter is that Superman is an immigrant by the definition of the word and yes the movie has political undertones but it is not a screaming point in the movie.
The movies political message comes second in my opinion and first is about the actual Superman story and just being a fun comic book accurate summer popcorn flick. I think this movie is good for all audiences to enjoy no matter what side of the political spectrum you are on.
Overall Thoughts
While Man of Steel was more dark visually and serious , this had the classic James Gunn brightness visually that is found in his other films such as the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. It’s interesting because the reason I do like DC movies usually is because they are more darker in tone than Marvel movies so it offers a different perspective on the superhero genre.
With that said, I actually did quite enjoy the brightness and lighter tone here for Superman. James Gunn still made it distinctly different than any Marvel movie but not as dark tonally as a typical DC movie. I do hope that in the sequel though the stakes are higher and it is slightly darker which from Guardians of the Galaxy 3 we know James Gunn can do darker stories very well.
The cameos appearances in this movie are fantastic and have ties to past and future DCU movies and shows which is already making it feel like a grand connected universe.
I give this movie a 4/5 stars and I think it’s a really solid start to the DCU and I’m excited to see if next years Supergirl movie continues the momentum. I saw this on an IMAX screen I recommend you do the same or see it Dolby as it will enhance the viewing experience.
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