It’s entirely possible that your only exposure to Superman is from the movies. You’ve almost certainly seen the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve, and you may have seen the 2006 Superman Returns, as well as the 2013 Man of Steel. If so, you know the basics. Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple.*

The full story of the last son of Krypton is much, much stranger than that, and he can’t be truly understood without understanding the comics. They were an absolute fire hose of bizarre adventures, and some of the least weird ones were early adventures during the late 1930s, where Superman was a socialist crusader who battled slumlords and corrupt tycoons. It got weirder. Over time, the following elements were introduced:

• The giant ape Titano, who could fire kryptonite blasts from his eyes.
• Superman briefly possessed the power of super-ventriloquism.
• Superman fell in love with a mermaid.
• The interdimensional chaos imp Mr. Mxyzptlk shows up every three months to annoy Superman, and can only be sent back to his home dimension by tricking him into saying his name backwards.
• Superman was brainwashed and nearly appeared in a sex tape.
• A depowered Superman journeys through a post-apocalyptic landscape and does battle with two clones of Hitler.

What the hell was happening at DC Comics? Did someone slip LSD into the water supply?** When there’s talk about “grounded” film adaptations of comic book characters, this is the kind of stuff filmmakers sprint away from. The assumption is that audiences won’t accept that degree of rocket-powered insanity. We’re going to find out if the opposite is true, because as I write this, the newest iteration of the character, Superman, is in theaters. It’s wild as hell.

We’re introduced to a world where metahumans have existed for centuries. For the past three years, Superman (David Corenswet) has protected the people of Metropolis*** from all manner of threats. In his civilian guise of Clark Kent, he works as a reporter for the Daily Planet and somewhat unethically interviews himself for articles. When we learn what he’s currently up to, we see that he’s lost his first fight. Hard.

Three weeks earlier, the nation of Boravia attempted to invade the nation of Jarhanpur. I say “attempted,” because Superman took it upon himself to stop the invasion. In retaliation, the armored warrior The Hammer of Boravia comes to Metropolis and whips Superman’s ass all the way to the Arctic.

Lucky for Superman, he’s close to both his Fortress of Solitude and his unruly superpowered dog, Krypto. He heals up thanks to a solar recharge provided by his robots, returns to Metropolis, and plans his next move. Part of that involves Clark going back to work, where there are complications. He’s dating co-worker Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who’s the sharpest reporter in the city and who’s increasingly unsure about her relationship with this strange visitor from another planet. 

Things become more complicated for Superman. Lois points out that intervening in a foreign war is not great. His friends in the Justice Gang (They’re still workshopping the name), the Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), the winged warrior Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and the third-smartest person on Earth Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), all think Superman is a hopelessly naive hero in a morally gray time. There’s also the small matter of billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who harbors an irrational hatred for the Last Son of Krypton, a hatred that could engulf the entire world.

I don’t envy director James Gunn. You have to admit that the man can deal with pressure, considering he learned how to make movies on time and under budget at microbudget studio Troma, and made one of the strongest trilogies at Marvel Studios with Guardians of the Galaxy. This is different. There’s an awful lot riding on Superman. It’s the fourth attempt at a franchise, the third reboot, and the second attempt at a shared universe to rival Marvel Studios. On top of all that, Gunn can’t make a movie that’s a mythic, Gotterdammerung epic like the works of one Zack Snyder, nor can he make a slavish re-retelling of Superman: The Movie by way of Richard Donner or Bryan Singer. Gunn absolutely, positively, cannot screw up.

Good thing he didn’t! It’s important you know that James Gunn has made possibly the comic bookiest comic book movie in the history of the genre. Gunn’s film feels like you’ve been handed issue #237 of the Superman comic book and are expected to keep up. From a directorial standpoint, Gunn’s film is colorful, bright, loud, and moves very fast. At times, a little too fast. I applaud the fact that we have a summer movie that clocks in at a responsible two hours and nine minutes. Having said that, this sucker is overstuffed. It’s hard not to be as Gunn is trying to get a real sense of the depth of the comics across to audiences. There’s also a lot that’s presented with little to no explanation. If you’re a normal person like I’m not, and you have no idea what a Green Lantern does or a pocket universe is, you’re out of luck. The film relies fairly heavily on context clues, which I also don’t think is much of a problem. As a friend reminded me, the Marvel Cinematic Universe got normies comfortable with these concepts so that Superman could go hard.

That’s not to say that the script is nothing more than a Saturday morning cartoon on Adderall. As the screenwriter, Gunn confidently rides the line between silly and sincere. It’s true that we have a dog in a little red cape flying around, which is far from the goofiest thing in the film. Gunn embraces it all, and treats this ridiculous universe seriously and with a smile. But he digs down into what matters and how these characters think and feel about it all. The best scene in the film is dialogue driven, and it’s a ten minute character piece where Lois interviews Clark as Superman. The writing is layered and sophisticated. We see Clark’s unyielding determination to save every life, Lois’ hardheaded realism, the ethical and political dilemmas faced by a metahuman interfering in international politics, and the hesitation found within a new romance. That’s all in one scene. Fledgling screenwriters can learn a lot from it.

Without exception, the cast absolutely understood the assignment. As Lois, Rachel Brosnahan is razor sharp, sophisticated, and a little hesitant about her budding romance. It’s a smart choice, and Brosnahan plays up the idea that hesitancy is a foreign concept to Lois. The film is nearly stolen by Nathan Fillion as the loudmouthed Guy Gardner. He understands that while Guy is deep down a good person, he’s probably not the right…um…guy to be wielding a cosmic energy weapon. The film is stolen by Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific. He plays a hero who’s always slightly aggravated that it takes everyone else a moment to keep up with him, and Gathegi is wildly entertaining. Along similar lines, Nicholas Hoult understands that there are two secrets to playing Lex Luthor. The first is that Luthor isn’t a cackling chaos agent. He genuinely believes a superpowered alien is a threat, and that he’s the only person competent enough to run the planet. The second is that Luthor is deeply, hilariously petty. Hoult effectively shows us Luthor’s intelligence, charisma, and gnawing insecurity.

That brings us to the Superman of it all with David Corenswet. There isn’t one right way to play the character, and I can appreciate Christopher Reeve’s big Dad energy, just like I can appreciate Henry Cavill playing the character as an earthbound god.**** Corenswet’s Clark is more flawed. He accidentally creates an international incident, he’s a little naive, and he leads with his heart. Other superheroes think he’s a corny goofball. Corenswet’s take feels deeply right to me, though. He makes mistakes, yet he’s committed to doing the right thing, the decent thing. Clark doesn’t care about credit or adoration. If he can save a life, even the life of a squirrel, then he’s doing what he’s supposed to do. 

Maybe I’m suffering from recency bias, but for me, Superman is the best solo Superman movie hands down. It’s got heart for days, craziness for miles, and it left me with a big stupid grin on my face. It’s good to see a movie where an interdimensional imp is created as a background gag. It’s better to see a movie about someone who only wants to make things a little better. That idea, perhaps more than at any other time, feels highly relevant right now. 

*Thanks to Grant Morrison for the most succinct explanation of Superman’s origin in history.

**Unfortunately, no. Part of it was the fact that, for a good chunk of the character’s history, writers and artists were overworked and underpaid. Nobody cared if it made sense, there’s a deadline! It proves that not all comic creators are created equal. 

***A massive city now located in…Delaware! 

****The one issue I’ve always had with Cavill’s portrayal is that his Superman doesn’t seem like someone who particularly enjoys helping others. I think the most effective take on the character is that he’s someone who needs to help, and that helping brings him joy.

Tim Brennan Movie Critic

Tim has been alarmingly enthusiastic about movies ever since childhood. He grew up in Boulder and, foolishly, left Colorado to study Communications in Washington State. Making matters worse, he moved to Connecticut after meeting his too-good-for-him wife. Drawn by the Rockies and a mild climate, he triumphantly returned and settled down back in Boulder County. He's written numerous screenplays, loves hiking, and embarrassed himself in front of Samuel L. Jackson. True story.