Should You See Superman?

Get thee to a theater as fast as you can

I hate long drawn out beginnings so let’s get this out of the way: Superman is a triumph. A joy. A wonder. It is two hours of smiling and laughing (and yep, two instances where I cried but that’s me and y’all know by now). I love this film. In fact, Superman is so good that I’ll go on a limb and say it’s pushing Sinners for best film of the year and I thought that film was top three this century. We’ll be releasing a pod on this in more detail next week but for now I wanted to leave you with some spoiler-free thoughts if you’re sitting on the fence about seeing the film.

For me, the big takeaway is that this is a film about joy. And hope. And wonder. I’ve read some reviews that didn’t like the film but I cannot help but think they have been jaded by the darkness of the Zach Snyder films or even all the Batman canon. Superman is of the light. He literally draws his power from the sun. This movie is colorful in more ways than one. Visually, it offers a palette so different than the films previously mentioned that it’s almost hard to explain. You can actually see this movie. It’s bright. You’re never squinting at the screen. But more than that, this Superman movie is fun. Yes, there’s the threat of total disaster necessary for superhero films, but this movie says it’s ok to laugh.

In fact, this is the closest to reading a comic book onscreen we’ve ever seen.

Director James Gunn clearly wants to situate us as the children we once were reading comic books and imagining a world that could be. We are encourged to smile and this movie does that solid for two hours.

It also delivers on the existential crisis that Superman faces each day: who am I and what is my role here? Unsurprisngly, the question over Superman’s family looms large in the film and both times I cried were about Superman’s relationship with his adopted father, Jonathan Kent. It works.

DAVID CORENSWET IS SUPERMAN.

I really like Henry Cavill and hate that DC never properly developed the franchise around him. So I was not ready to accept Corenswet as Superman. But good lord does this man deliver. He’s so likable and, well, human in this role. At only 32, I’m looking forward to seeing him grow into it over time. But make no mistake, David Corenswet is the Superman of our time. There’s a natural desire to want to rank all of the portrayals of the Man of Steel and I’m sure we’ll do that later, but for now, I think Corenswet’s performance is rivaled only by that of Christopher Reeve, who I think is the best cast superhero of all time. Corenswet is that good.

RACHEL BROSNAHAN IS LOIS LANE.

I’ve never thought we had a particularly good Lois Lane onscreen. Margot Kidder never did it for me, and Kate Bosworth was miscast. I like Amy Adams but also felt her chemistry with Cavill was more sisterly than romantic. It didn’t work. There are so many good things about this film but you can argue that Brosnahan might be the best of them all. One of the things you leave wanting more of is time with Superman/Clark Kent and Lois Lane. Their chemistry is undeniable.

Swoon.

The cast is superb throughout the lineup. Nicholas Hoult is a terrific Lex Luthor- a guy I don’t think has been captured onscreen all that well either. He’s young and ruthless and hates Superman. Let’s see how that develops. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is a terrific asshole that you like because he’s our asshole. Edi Gagethi’s Mr. Terrific was a character I didn’t even know about until this film was announced and man, he’s really good. Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl didn’t have a lot to do this film, but you get the sense we’ll see her elsewhere.

There are lots of cameos, some worked really well, one I don’t think did at all (one of my small critiques of the film). But they are fun. And stay through the end credits.

The Plot

I can’t say much here without giving things away, but one of Superman’s central tenets has always been about the fact that he, an alien (read: immigrant), embodies the best of what it means to be an American. Look for those arguments here.

Final word

Look, I loved this movie. It is bright and colorful and warm and funny and joyous. Bring your kids. My boy loved it, too. Go and turn your phone off for two hours and escape. And let me know in the comments what you thought or if there’s anything you’d like us to cover on the pod.

Jason

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