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Following his first official reboot of the DC Universe (DCU) this past December with the animated series, Creature Commandos, writer-producer-director James Gunn has finally returned with his long-awaited Superman film. The creative, along with producer Peter Safran, offers a new tone to the titular character, his home, Metropolis, and the wider world, Earth. It’s a reboot in the sense that the DCU faces massive changes, starting with the casting of Kal-El/ Clark Kent/ Superman (David Corenswet), his love interest Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), his archnemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and those in their vicinity. This action-adventure science-fiction film takes its inspiration from Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, and Jamie Grant’s All-Star Superman comic book series. Yet, Gunn approaches the DC Comics mythology with refreshing means.
Superman is written and directed by James Gunn (Scooby-Doo, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Creature Commandos).
In this review, I will discuss Superman. As this article’s title suggests, spoilers will be present.
DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures’ Superman Synopsis
According to Warner Bros. Entertainment, here is the official synopsis for James Gunn’s action-adventure science-fiction film, Superman.
When Superman is drawn into conflicts both abroad and at home, his actions to protect humankind are questioned, and his vulnerability allows tech billionaire and master deceiver Lex Luthor to leverage the opportunity to get Superman out of the way for good. Will the Daily Planet’s intrepid reporter Lois Lane, together with the aid of Metropolis’s other metahumans and Superman’s own four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help Superman before Luthor can completely destroy him?
The film follows Superman’s journey to reconcile his heritage as the Kryptonian Kal-El with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas, and his selfless determination to use his power for good as humanity’s protector. Guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned, he is the embodiment of truth, justice and a better tomorrow.
DC Studios and Warner Bros. Pictures
Discussion
James Gunn’s filmmaking doesn’t fully live up to the legacy he left behind with the Guardians trilogy, especially ending it with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. However, he slowly but surely finds his footing as the co-chairperson and chief executive officer of DC Studios. Adapting elements of All-Star Superman is at least a good starting point, from Superman taking in the sun to retain his strength; the Superman Robots (voiced by Grace Chan, Michael Rooker, and Pom Klementieff) resembling their appearance in the source material; and Superman’s poisoned condition and his later use of heat vision and freeze breath.
Gunn is a decently cherished screenwriter, having given moviegoers two live-action Scooby-Doo movies in the early-2000s. Still, he can be imperfect in places. For one thing, Luthor’s Russian Roulette-murder of falafel cart vendor Malik “Mali” Ali (Dinesh Thyagarajan) inside of a pocket universe during the second act isn’t earned. There is no build-up or set-up except for the fact that Mali is merely an average citizen on the streets. Sacrificing him to unsuccessfully pry information out of the superhero doesn’t make logical sense. Moreover, Luthor’s portal into the pocket universe, creating a tear in reality during the latter half of the film, is one in many falling dominoes of Superman‘s gripping narrative beats. The time between its initial tear at night and the grown tear the morning after is odd to me.
The Thematics of Superman
Conversely, the film’s beats are facilitated by easy-going rhetoric. The conflict of the Boravian military versus the Jarhanpurian citizens is a potent metaphor for Israel’s ongoing inhumane genocide and animosity toward the Irish, the Iranians, the Palestinians, and others. Gunn’s arrangement of events showcases a nonlinear storytelling structure from Superman’s fall to his reinvigoration. There aren’t even flashbacks present, discounting the montage of home video footage from Clark Kent’s childhood. The filmmaker’s style, then, points to a humanitarian conversation of whether Superman should be seen as human or alien. This is another rhetorical discovery, given the Conservative, right-wing mindset of Trump-supporting Americans and others.
Lane’s line in the opening half-hour, “Knowledge is worth many sacrifices”, is a fine argument. It might be a subtle thesis statement, considering the film’s narrative battle between Superman and Luthor. Gunn also poses the argument of what it means to truly be “punk rock” in a world controlled by bourgeoisie and authoritarian powers. Following the climax, Superman’s speech on his humanity is okay writing, but it’s also delivered so well. Additionally, the film is very 1940s-to-’70s-coded. Details such “the Justice Gang” and references to “hypno-glasses” and a “flying saucer” sound as if they come from the funny books, the previous term meaning comic books.
Funnily enough, Luthor’s scheme to pin Superman as an extraterrestrial invader—so that he (Luthor) and Boravia can invade the country of Jarhanpur—parallels the character’s sinister plot in Richard Donner, Mario Puzo, David and Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton’s Superman, in which that film’s Luthor plans to trigger earthquakes in California to take over areas of land in that state.
Superman‘s Role in the DC Universe
Now that a second season of HBO Max’s Peacemaker is coming to fruition, it’s clear what the throughline is for Chapter One of the DC Universe’s release slate. Gunn’s Creature Commandos ends with Advanced Research Group Uniting Super-Humans (A.R.G.U.S.) forming a second iteration of Task Force M. The series’ character, A.R.G.U.S. director Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo), carries over to make a small appearance in Superman. Gunn’s live-action film, then, not only features Flag but A.R.G.U.S. representative Flo Crawley (Tinashe Kajese Bolden) as well as a cameo from Christopher Smith (John Cena), also known as the wannabe superhero, Peacemaker, via a news interview regarding Superman’s legitimacy.
DCU’s Chapter One, titled “Gods and Monsters”, suggests a promising thesis concept of what to expect from Warner Bros. Entertainment’s new cinematic universe. On the “Gods” end of things, the production studio currently has Superman in its cards. The current film is followed by a Supergirl film, an adaptation of The Authority, a Green Lantern-centric series titled Lanterns, and series based on Themyscira and Booster Gold. On the “Monsters” end, DC Studios has films centered on Clayface and Swamp Thing in the works.
Yet, it’s unusual timing to jump from the bleak, depressing conclusion of Creature Commandos Season 1 to the lighthearted positivity of Superman. I don’t hate this film in the slightest, but it isn’t my favorite in the catalog of DC Films as well as Gunn projects. Luthor’s apprehension in the film’s final scenes comes with orders that he be sent to Belle Reve, teasing a possible inclusion of him in the second season of the series. However, I wouldn’t immediately count on it since supervillains, especially those with monetary advantages, tend to break away from confinement.
A Pretty Sweet Production
Superman‘s cinematic elements are just as brilliant as Element Man himself. There are pockets of visual effects here and there that have received some criticism. Otherwise, I’m quite fond of VFX supervisor Stephane Ceretti, VFX producer Susan Pickett, et al’s efforts at reanimating a comic book IP into a blockbuster to perhaps match the likes of Gunn’s Guardians trilogy and The Suicide Squad. The sequences involving LordTech’s “Justice Gang”—from Guy Gardner’s (Nathan Fillion) Green Lantern conjurings, e.g., a mouth guard, mittens, and an eye-poker; to Mister Terrific’s (Edi Gathegi) T-spheres functioning in multiple ways such as detonators or a force field; to Hawkgirl’s (Isabela Merced) fight and flight responses—are awesome.
Director of photography Henry Braham frames some splendid shots in the film, such as the cellphone lighting on Luthor’s girlfriend Eve Teschmacher’s (Sara Sampaio) face as she video calls another character for help with saving Metropolis. More so, the fact that production designer Beth Mickle and team do a lovely job at bringing Superman’s world to life. Shooting the film in Cleveland, Ohio, is a nice decision. The city’s “pumpkin colors and a range of greens, yellows and golds and browns” are radiant. These juxtapose with the darker aspects that Superman Returns and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice put on.
The Best Parts of the Adventure
Editors William Hoy, Craig Alpert, Jason Ballantine, and Greg D’Auria’s assemblage of cuts and transitions is laudable work. The constant cuts or fades to black are good to seemingly signify the end of one chapter of the narrative and the beginning of the next. More importantly, the fade to white as the sun’s rays once again shine on Superman is a clever move on Gunn and the production crew’s parts.
Stunt coordinators Wayne Dalglish and Adam Hart and fight coordinator Micah Karns command some radical action sequences. Luthor and company’s invasion of the Fortress consists of Ultraman—later revealed to be a Kal-El clone (also Corenswet)—and Angela “The Engineer” Spica (María Gabriela de Faría) to attack the Superman Robots. The latter supporting antagonist’s nanite figure—along with her 3D printed leather suit, courtesy of costume designer Judianna Makovsky—is undoubtedly badass. The impression I get from reading the film’s official production notes is that her body is similar to the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day; de Faría does a cartwheel or fills Superman’s lungs with nanites, and it just blows my mind.
Honoring John Williams
Music composers David Fleming and John Murphy’s soundtrack works wonders, but only because the original Superman theme by John Williams exists. They manage to enhance the composition for modern audiences with acoustic and electric guitars. It works well even in scenes where Superman first crash-lands onto the earth; when he first travels to fight off the foreign villain known as the “Hammer of Boravia”, or Ultraman; when he defends the city from a kaiju; or when he saves a driver from being crushed on a freeway by a fallen building.
The adventurous music, as the Fortress of Solitude initially sprouts out of the Antarctic, is a sensation. This is followed by the sinister score of the Ultraman flying back to a LuthorCorp camp to enter portals and returning to Luthor’s side. Superman and Lane’s moment at the end, wherein they hover toward the ceiling of an indoor shopping mall, has a memorable melody. There is no music supervisor credited where Dave Jordan’s name tends to be found. However, I can tell that the curation of song selections where chosen wisely to fit the film’s tone.
“5 Years Time” by Noah and the Whale complements a thrilling action sequence between Mister Terrific and LuthorCorp goons. Combined with sound designer David Acord et al’s sound effects, Ceretti, the visuals, the camp set piece, and Braham’s third-person movement around Lois Lane, it’s an incredible sequence. “Punkrocker” by Teddybears and Iggy Pop wraps the film off on an optimistic, touching note.
The Crew Behind Superman
Superman is created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.
Henry Braham (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Andy Muschietti and Christina Hodson’s The Flash) serves as the director of photography.
Jessica Miglio serves as the stills photographer.
William Hoy (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Se7en, Dawn of the Dead, Fantastic Four, 300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, War for the Planet of the Apes, The Batman), Craig Alpert (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Pineapple Express, Deadpool 2, The Suicide Squad, Blue Beetle), and Jason Ballantine (The Flash, Ballerina) serve as the editors.
Greg D’Auria (Mimic, Scream 2, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Darkness Falls, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Fast & Furious, Fast Five, Fast & Furious 6, Star Trek Beyond, Peacemaker, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) is the additional editor.
Stephane Ceretti (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Batman Begins, X-Men: First Class, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Eternals, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the visual effects supervisor. Susan Pickett serves as the VFX producer.
Music
David Fleming (Americana, Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, HBO’s The Last of Us) and John Murphy (the 28 Days Later film franchise, Sunshine, Kick-Ass, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serve as the music composers.
The original Superman theme is composed by John Williams (the Star Wars film franchise, Superman, the Indiana Jones film franchise, Home Alone, the Harry Potter film franchise).
Forest Christenson (Aquaman, David Weil’s Hunters Season 2, Donald Glover and Francesca Sloane’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith, HBO’s The Last of Us), Jake Boring, Andrew Kawcynski (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Man of Steel, Terminator Genisys, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Dunkirk, Aquaman, Top Gun: Maverick, Dune: Part Two), and Halli Cauthery (Captain America: Civil War, Kong: Skull Island, Strange World, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget) score additional music.
Paul Rabjohns serves as the supervising music editor.
Oliver Hug (Four Brothers, Trick ‘r Treat, The Final Destination, John Wick: Chapter 4, Blue Beetle, Deadpool & Wolverine) and Daniel Pinder (Hellboy, The Dark Knight, X-Men: First Class, Puss in Boots, Big Hero 6, Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, The Man in the High Castle, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Bullet Train, Strange World) serve as the music editors.
Sound
David Acord (The Incredibles, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, The Master, Star Trek Into Darkness, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Phantom Thread, The Mandalorian, Loki Season 1, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, X-Men ’97, Andor) and Katy Wood serve as the supervising sound editors. Acord also serves as the sound designer.
J.R. Grubbs (Jurassic Park, Monster House, Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, The Mandalorian, Glass Onion, Andor Season 1, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Twisters, Deadpool & Wolverine) and Kimberly Patrick (Black Widow) serve as the sound effects editors.
Casting and Stunt/Fight Coordination
John Papsidera (Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, Final Destination, Final Destination 2, Memento, Scary Movie 3, Final Destination 3, The Dark Knight trilogy, Drag Me to Hell, Zombieland, Inception, Power Rangers, Tenet, Project Power, Army of the Dead, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Oppenheimer, Fallout, Twisters) serves as the casting director.
Kim Winther (David Weil’s Hunters Season 1, Tenet, The Suicide Squad, Peacemaker, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Westworld, Oppenheimer, Twisters) serves as the casting associate.
Maddalena Zuppetta (The Flight Attendant Season 1, Army of the Dead, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Westworld Season 4) serves as the casting assistant.
Chase Paris (Captain America: Civil War, The Accountant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Fox’s The Gifted, Brightburn, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, Loki Season 1, The Suicide Squad, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Werewolf by Night, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Donald Glover’s Atlanta, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Doom Patrol, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Blue Beetle, Agatha All Along, Thunderbolts*) and Tara Feldstein Bennett (Captain America: Civil War, The Accountant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Logan Lucky, Avengers: Infinity War, Fox’s The Gifted, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, Loki Season 1, The Suicide Squad, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Werewolf by Night, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Donald Glover’s Atlanta, Doom Patrol, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Blue Beetle, Agatha All Along, Thunderbolts*) are the Atlanta casting directors. Tasha Ward is the Atlanta casting associate.
Mary-Margaret O’Neill serves as the extras casting director.
Wayne Dalglish (Army of the Dead, Peacemaker, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Love Death & Robots) and Adam Hart serve as the stunt coordinators.
Micah Karns (Terminator: Dark Fate, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the fight coordinator.
Aesthetics
Beth Mickle (It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Drive, Only God Forgives, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the production designer.
David Scott (Terminator Genisys, Captain America: Civil War, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Avengers: Infinity War, Malignant, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the supervising art director.
Samantha Avila (Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Westworld, Our Flag Means Death Season 1, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Alex McCarroll (The Suicide Squad), and Domenic Silvestri (The Suicide Squad) serve as the art directors. Paula Cuevas and Daniela Medeiros serve as the assistant art directors.
Chris Arnold, Tim Croshaw, Nick Cross (Terminator Genisys, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Black Panther, Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, Loki Season 1, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3), Kristen Jenkins (Fox’s The Gifted, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3), Chris Sanford (Silicon Valley Season 4, War for the Planet of the Apes, The Cloverfield Paradox, Our Flag Means Death, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Ed Symon (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, The Suicide Squad, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 1, Avatar: The Way of Water, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), Kevin Vickery (Damon Lindelof’s Watchmen, Loki Season 1, The Suicide Squad, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3), and Bria Kinter are the set designers.
Rosemary Brandenberg (Hocus Pocus, Cast Away, The Ring, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, The Hateful Eight, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the set decorator.
Costumers
Judianna Makovsky (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) serves as the costume designer.
Peter Swords King serves as the hair designer.
Magnolia Lowe and Lindsay McAllister are the key hairstylists. Zoey Belton, Leay Cangelosi, Jason E. Frazier, Linda Traxler, and René Warnes are the hairstylists.
Alexei Dmitriew (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Skeleton Crew) serves as the makeup department head.
LuAndra Whitehurst (Knives Out, Leigh Janiak’s Fear Street trilogy, Hawkeye, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Twisters) serves as the key makeup artist.
Matt Sprunger serves as the key prosthetic makeup artist. Kevin Kirkpatrick, Nicole Sortillon Amos, and Amanda Sprunger serve as the makeup artists.
The Cast of Superman
David Corenswet (We Own This City, Ti West’s Pearl, Twisters) portrays the eponymous protagonist, Kal-El/ Clark Kent/ Superman.
Rachel Brosnahan (Beautiful Creatures, Ari Aster’s Munchausen and Basically, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) portrays Lois Lane, Kent’s colleague and a reporter at the Daily Planet.
Nicholas Hoult (Skins, X-Men: First Class, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Menu, Nosferatu) portrays Lex Luthor, the chief executive officer of LuthorCorp.
Edi Gathegi (The Twilight Saga, X-Men: First Class, The Harder They Fall) portrays Michael Holt/ Mister Terrific.
Anthony Carrigan (The CW’s The Flash Season 1, Gotham, Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s Barry, Death of a Unicorn) portrays Rex Mason/ Metamorpho.
Nathan Fillion plays Guy Gardner, a Green Lantern.
Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Alien: Romulus, HBO’s The Last of Us) portrays Kendra Saunders/ Hawkgirl.
Skyler Gisondo plays Jimmy Olsen, a photographer at the Daily Planet.
Supporting Characters
Sara Sampaio portrays Eve Teschmacher, Luthor’s assistant and girlfriend.
Wendell Pierce (Thunderbolts*) portrays Perry White, the Daily Planet‘s editor-in-chief.
Beck Bennett (Dean, Solar Opposites, DuckTales, Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K., Nimona, Saturday Night Live) portrays the Daily Planet reporter, Steve Lombard. Mikaela Hoover (Super, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Belko Experiment, The Suicide Squad, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) portrays Cat Grant, a columnist at the Daily Planet.
Christopher McDonald appears as the Daily Planet reporter, Ron Troupe.
Tinashe Kajese Bolden (Peacemaker) reprises her role from Gunn’s The Suicide Squad as A.R.G.U.S. representative Flo Crawley.
James Hiroyuki Liao (Prison Break, Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s Barry, Orphan Black: Echoes) portrays General Mori. Luis R. Hernandez portrays United States Secretary of Defense Albert Tyler.
Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince (Jacob’s Ladder, Natural Born Killers, Heavy, Identity, Constantine, Deadwood, The Walking Dead Season 2, Beautiful Creatures) portray Ma and Pa Kent, respectively.
Fortress of Solitude and Antagonists
María Gabriela de Faría portrays Angela “The Engineer” Spica, an ally of Luthor.
Zlatko Burić (Triangle of Sadness) portrays Vasil Ghurkos, the President of Boravia. Martin Harris plays a Boravian general.
Grace Chan, Michael Rooker (Slither, Jumper, Super, The Walking Dead, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Belko Experiment, Love and Monsters, The Suicide Squad), and Pom Klementieff (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War, Black Mirror, Westworld Season 3, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning, Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning) voice Superman Robots No. 12, 1, and 5, respectively.
Bradley Cooper (The Midnight Meat Train, The Hangover trilogy, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, Avengers: Infinity War, A Star Is Born, Maestro) and Angela Sarafyan (Into the Dark, Reminiscence, Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Westworld) portray Kal-El’s parents, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, respectively.
Tatiana Piper portrays a Boravian tech.
Stephen Blackehart (Super, The Belko Experiment, Brightburn, The Suicide Squad, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy) portrays Sydney Happersen, a LuthorCorp scientist.
Giovannie Cruz is credited as Cheryl Kimble. Bonnie Discepolo portrays Ms. Jessop, a LuthorCorp associate. Terence Rosemore portrays Otis, a LuthorCorp henchman.
Natasha Halevi is credited as Amanda Marie McCoy. Adriana Leonard plays a Comms tech. Paul Kim plays Larry Chin, a LuthorCorp employee.
Jonah and Christian Lees are credited as Dean and Desmond Farr, respectively. Ashleigh Morghan (Nathan Fielder’s The Rehearsal) portrays a LuthorCorp scientist.
Trevor Newlin (Alien: Romulus, Smile 2) portrays Mr. Handsome, a creature made by Luthor.
Torsten Kellar appears as a Boravian commander.
Minor Characters
Dinesh Thyagarajan portrays Malik “Mali” Ali, a falafel cart vendor who defends Superman from Luthor.
Michael Ian Black portrays Cleavis Thornwaite, a reporter at The Sphere News who interviews Luthor about Superman.
Paige Mobley plays Fleurette, an ex-girlfriend of Luthor’s.
Louisa Krause appears as Sapphire Stagg, Rex’s wife.
Sean Gunn (Gilmore Girls, Super, The Belko Experiment, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, The Suicide Squad, Creature Commandos) cameos as Maxwell Lord, the head of LordTech, whose company sponsors the Justice Gang.
John Cena (The Marine, Fred: The Movie, Daddy’s Home, Blockers, Bumblebee, F9: The Fast Saga, The Suicide Squad, Vacation Friends, Peacemaker, Fast X, Barbie, Vacation Friends 2, Argylle) makes an uncredited cameo as Christopher “Peacemaker” Smith.
Milly Alcock (House of the Dragon, Sirens) makes an uncredited cameo as Kara Zor-El, Kal-El’s cousin from Krypton.
Performances and Character Developments
Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman is definitely as a man of the people. His dynamics with everyone—yes, including Krypto the Superdog—are swell. After all, Krypto is a dog, and Kal-El’s affection for him is reflective of Gunn’s love for animals, which is evident in the Guardians films. The actor’s silent role as Ultraman is a bittersweet development. It mirrors the reveal in All-Star Superman Episode/Issue Six, “Funeral in Smallville”, wherein Kent returns to the past to the day of his adopted father’s death. The dark costume is a good tease to extradimensional travel, but DC Comics fans have already had a handful of Crisis and Flashpoint storylines as it goes.
Brosnahan has come a long way from appearing in short films by Ari Aster. Her award-winning, critically acclaimed tenure on Prime Video’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel developed her craft as talent. This version of Lois Lane, like Amy Adams’s portrayal from 2013 to 2021, is a no-bullshit type of woman. With that said, Brosnahan’s portrayal is more of an independent individual. Her scene with Corenswet over Kent/ Superman’s decision to intervene in international affairs is delivered and performed to perfection. On the one hand, she is a concerned romantic partner. On the other hand, though, she tries not to let politics get in the way of her work and her human temperament.
Justice
Gathegi’s role as Mister Terrific is, well, terrific! The character is the most valuable person on the LordTech-sponsored team due to his sense of empathy. Makovsky gives him the coolest costume ever. The actor also adapts to his environment, which wasn’t the case during his time as Darwin in X-Men: First Class. Compared to Echo Kellum’s portrayal of the character in The CW’s Arrow, Gathegi puts on a no-bullshit attitude. I believe this is why he connects with Lane when the other Justice Gang members do not.
Merced as Hawkgirl is mesmerizing. Makovsky crafts an intriguing practical battle suit for the character despite her minimal screen time. Consequently, there is not much to be said about this iteration, but she is maybe a solid foil to Superman in that she is willing to kill for the good of humanity.
Carrigan is transformative as Metamorpho the Element Man. The character is visually colorful, and the actor channels his personal condition with alopecia into the role. Metamorpho isn’t as harsh a peronality as, say, Victor Zsasz from Fox’s Gotham or NoHo Hank from Alec Berg and Bill Hader’s Barry. Thus, there is a tonal change in how Carrigan approaches this performance.
The Billionaire Baldie and Teschmacher
Hoult’s portrayal of Lex Luthor shows promise. The actor has the delivery and the look for the role. However, I feel that what’s missing about the character is the warsuit he is typically known for donning. I love Luthor’s poetic nature, depicted differently from Jesse Eisenberg’s portrayal in Batman v Superman. Hoult’s Luthor’s fight against Superman using metahuman allies and LuthorCorp employees feels as if playing a fantastical game of chess. The character’s whole schtick is xenophobia toward the Kryptonian. Yet, with ease, Gunn ties this development in with the xenophobia of a nationalist United States. On an odd note, in the production notes, he likens Luthor’s perception of Superman to artists and the arrival of artificial intelligence (AI)…
In juxtaposition, is Sampaio’s role as Eve Teschmacher. She has way more freedom since her origins are not in the comics but rather the 1978 Superman film. The character is stunningly beautiful but comes across as the dense blonde archetype. She’s stylish, thanks to Makovsky, and it’s clear the qualities she shares with Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Daphne Blake from the Scooby-Doo movies.
Final Thoughts on James Gunn’s Superman
Superman is a great movie, but it isn’t rhetorically fulfilling. The ethos resides in the protagonists, but the pathos is met with a little too much positivity, which will take some getting used to. The timing is feasible, but releasing the film after Creature Commandos Season 1 is awkward to me. As for Easter Eggs, Jitters Coffee Shop is namedropped during the kaiju fight scene. While The Flash isn’t on DCU’s slate, I’m curious if the Justice League metahuman or Central City will be introduced sometime soon. Milly Alcock’s Supergirl briefly visits the Fortress to pick up Krypto, teasing her and the dog’s upcoming adventure next July.
Pa Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince) has a great line of wisdom following Clark Kent’s being brought home by Krypto and Lane to recover: “Parents aren’t meant to tell their children who they’re supposed to be” but rather to offer tools. Actions and choices define us as human beings, and I believe Gunn unloaded some of humanity’s best into this comic book film.
4/5 stars
Superman is now playing in theaters!
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
