Superman

This weekend, Superman, the first film in the new DC universe and the latest film from James Gunn, releases in theaters. The movie follows Superman as he must live in a world where his traditional views of truth, justice, and the American way are viewed as old-fashioned, as well as attempts to reconcile the views of his alien parentage. This is the first Superman movie in 12 years and the kick-off of a new era of DC films. It is also my most anticipated movie of the year, so needless to say, I was very excited for this movie.

I am happy to say that I was not disappointed by this movie. It delivered everything I wanted out of a Superman movie. Superman is probably the most comic-booky Superman movie ever made. It embraces the weird and wacky with everything feeling like it is pulled right out of a comic book. There are weird aspects like a giant monster destroying Metropolis, a shape-shifting metahuman, and Krypto the Super Dog. However, much like with Guardians of the Galaxy, where James Gunn makes a raccoon and talking tree look cool, he does the same here with all of this weirdness. Nothing feels ridiculous, and everything just feels normal in this world. Along the same lines, the movie does a great job of being fun but not campy. It isn't as campy and corny as some of the Christopher Reeve films, nor is it dark and brooding like the Henry Cavill films. It finds that sweet spot right in the middle. This movie feels very much like a more traditional Superman movie with his values and moral character, and a story in Metropolis without mindless smashing. What makes this movie stand out is that it shies away from a traditional origin story and instead throws the audience into a world where Superman has been operating for 3 years. I like how everything feels lived in and preestablished, and we don't have to get bogged down by introducing everyone and everything. It's a story that throws you right into the action without worrying about showing Krypton or Superman's origins like both of the other Superman movies did. From a character standpoint, I thought the casting was very well done. David Corenswet was a great Superman. He doesn't try to copy Henry Cavill or Christopher Reeve and instead brings his own take to the character. I do like how his version of the character is a more emotional Superman. Little things will rattle him, and he will sometimes make decisions based on emotion instead of logic, something that I think humanizes him as a character. I also thought Nicholas Holt was great as Lex Luthor. He is definitely the most evil Lex Luthor we have gotten. He is so driven by hatred for Superman that it makes him a despicable character and makes him a perfect adversary to Superman. Finally, I liked how the score was a bit of a love letter to the original Superman movie. You can hear the original theme sprinkled into the score throughout the movie.

Overall, this is a fantastic Superman movie that is the perfect example of how to bring a more traditional superhero into a modern, more progressive world.

Score: 8.5/10 Grade: A- Recommendation: This is a must see movie