I just saw the new Superman movie yesterday, marking the first time in... gosh, years... that I've watched a movie on opening day. Of course, it's easy to do that when you're funemployed and able to hit the 3.30pm show at your local cineplex. I'm gonna write without fear of spoilers below the jump, but just in case you're skimming, my overall verdict is that this is a way better movie than we had any right to expect, and better than any other attempt this century. I'd say the original, 1978 movie with Christopher Reeves is still better, but this absolutely holds its own.
So what makes it so good? It's big and bright and silly, a love letter to the Superman comics of yore, with the sensibilities of modern times. It's got Krypto the Super-Dog, the Fortress of Solitude and talking Super-Robots who take care of him, a giant kaiju, the Justice Gang, and some of the best Superman casting I've seen. Also, not for nothing, it's got a pretty good portrayal of journalism? The scene where Lois interviews Clark (as Superman) features some pretty pointed questions about the effects of Superman's actions, and whether he's thought them through.
But overall, the thesis statement of this film is that we need Superman because we need someone to be kind and upright when things are going wrong. In an era of cynicism and bad faith (and much worse), the moral is that radical kindness and empathy are punk as fuck.
Also, yes, you read that right: Lois knows that Clark is Superman. The movie starts in medias res, where it's been three years since Superman first appeared and three months since they started dating. Not only that but the Justice Gang (Guy Gardner, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl) know his secret identity, and it feels within the realm of possibility that Clark's Daily Planet colleagues know, or guess, too.
David Corenswet looks the part as Superman and as Clark Kent, although we probably don't get enough of Clark, just an early scene at the Daily Planet and a later scene at his parents' farm in Smallville. I think Henry Cavill looked like a great Superman, but he didn't seem very smiley, whereas Corenswet plays well off his costars and off the CGI Krypto, who's the best bad dog ever. More than Cavill, Corenswet looks like he cares about the people in the buildings, and the movie goes out of its way to show him saving individual people (and also a dog and a squirrel).
Rachel Brosnahan is a fantastic Lois Lane, channeling just enough of Margot Kidder but also enough of modern Lois. She looks the part, and helps drive the action well, especially when she goes to ask the Justice Gang for help. We also get Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, who normally feels like a joke but in this gets the confidential scoop that breaks open Lex Luthor's plot.
Speaking of, Nicholas Hoult as Luthor is inspired casting. He's not the transparently creepy nerd that Jesse Eisenberg played, rather he channels some of the 80s Luthor who was butthurt that nobody cared about his advances because they were too distracted by Superman. He's just the right side of unhinged for most of the movie, and he drives a lot of the action well.
Now, I've mentioned the Justice Gang a few times at this point, so I'll talk about them for a sec. Guy Gardner is a Green Lantern played by Nathan Fillion, who nails the unpleasantness of the character without him being actively off-putting. He's the self-styled leader of the Gang and loud-mouthed, none too bright, but still up for doing the right thing. As big a fan of Green Lantern as I am, I loved seeing him generate giant green hands to sweep away a battalion of tanks late in the film, complete with big green middle fingers to the bad guys. I can't wait for the upcoming Lanterns series on HBO.
Edi Gathegi also played a good Mister Terrific, who's sort of a more techie Batman. He plays a surprisingly big role, but inhabits it well. I'd have liked to see more of Isabella Merced as Hawkgirl, but I'd also like to see her as Hawkwoman, since, come on, it's the 21st Century and a version of the character was being called Hawkwoman back in the 80s. It was also great to see Metamorpho, since his powers are ideal for being portrayed by state of the art CGI - plus, I loved the references to Stagg Industries and Metamorpho's kid and wife, Sapphire, which are just proof that James Gunn has a handle on the source material.
I'll admit I had misgivings when I first heard about this movie. Gunn's movies haven't all been winners for me, and I was worried that this would be a convoluted mess like Guardians of the Galaxy. Instead, everything feels like it's in the place where it belongs, and the characters' motivations broadly make sense. It's not Shakespeare or Hitchcock, or even Wes Anderson, but it's infused with that spirit I mentioned: that Superman isn't flashy, but he's inspiring, and he's inspiring because he cares about the people he lives among.
He frequently puts himself in danger to save individuals, he checks on the welfare of the people in the buildings being destroyed by his fights, and he's just a good, inspiring person. That inspiration comes with consequences to some people, but that's the point - Superman does these things because he's strong and hard to kill, but the falafel seller who helps him early on (and suffers the consequences) knows that helping is dangerous, but he does it anyway, because the movie acknowledges that good can't only come from one guy who's not really in danger from the kaiju or armored goons.
I've been sitting with this movie for 24 hours. I've thought about it, listened to the All-Star Super-Fan Podcast's take, and worked out my feelings in writing this blog post. There are holes to poke in the logic, probably, but right now I can't think of any. I'm just feeling the warm glow of a fun movie, and isn't that enough?
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