Over a decade has passed since writer and director James Gunn was called upon to add his filmmaking flair to the world-building of Marvel’s cinematic extended universe with the beloved Guardians of the Galaxy series. In more recent years, he jumped strip to reimagine DC’s Suicide Squad division and has now been tasked with rebooting their tale of arguably the world’s most iconic caped figure.
Simply titled Superman, the story of Clark Kent (David Corenswet) is picked up three years after his arrival in the city of Metropolis. A globally-known saviour from the planet Krypton, he’s dating his colleague Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) from the local newspaper and has recently intervened in a military clash between two neighbouring countries. Threatened by his all-powerful presence, bratty billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) wants to change the world’s perception of him from hero to villain, deciphering a message from the alien’s past.
Reflecting modern society in its storytelling, the narrative incorporates elements of fake news, cancel culture, social media trolls, deep fakes, and tech-bro capitalism in the busy script, even somewhat aligning its fictional war between Boravia and Jarhanpur with today’s contemporary conflicts. Gunn’s pulpy aesthetic makes for a vibrant change from the Snyder brand of sombre self-seriousness that came before, but his signature sense of fun does become a little overwhelmed by the film’s allegorical overstuffing. That being said, there’s colourful comic book passion in the craft that nurtures the development of the central characters and this shines through even as the final act descends into uninspired action sequences within the genre’s obligatory CGI slopfest.
At six foot four with a strapping physique and optimism behind the eyes, David Corenswet definitely looks the part in the titular role. A far cry from Henry Cavill’s stony-faced portrayal, this man of steel has a much kinder, calmer demeanour which is enhanced by the inclusion of his hyper canine companion, Krypto. Gunn makes a sensible choice in skipping his meet-cute with Lois Lane to neatly gloss over the already suitably covered discovery that her office squeeze is in fact a flying metahuman. Brosnahan is terrific, bringing wit and intelligence that contextualises the romantic angle in a way that feels grounded, even in the heightened realm of capes and spandex. A little less grounded but equally excellent is Nicholas Hoult; he channels just the right amount of Elon-energy into his manchild depiction of the classic antagonist Lex Luthor, and his green-eyed motivations tie in nicely with the ambitious themes around morality.
Brighter, sillier, and full of hope for what might come next, James Gunn’s playful take on Superman kickstarts the newly relaunched DC Universe, marking the beginning of its ‘Gods and Monsters’ chapter on the big screen. Putting his big boy briefs over his blue tights with aplomb, David Corenswet delivers a super-charged performance with a presence that cements him as the face of the franchise’s personality-era.
Cinema Perspective 