Warner Bros./DC’s Latest ‘Superman’ Outing Is Imperfect But Entertaining

BY: PHILIP SAYBLACK

​Executives at Warner Bros. and DC got more good news this weekend about their James Gunn-helmed reboot of Superman.  According to a report from The Wrap, the movie led the way for the second consecutive week this weekend, bringing in an estimated $57 million in ticket sales.  That is a 54% drop from its opening weekend, according to The Wrap’s report, but still easily outpaced the reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, which came in second this week. Gunn’s Superman has made a lot of headlines particularly because it has somehow (and happily) upset so many uber conservatives and Maga-ites who have called it “woke.”  This ever since Gunn openly called the movie a story “about an immigrant.”  The thing is that the story of Superman has always been an immigrant’s story, going back ages, so really Gunn is doing nothing new here in stating this.  What Gunnn has done different here is his approach to the opening chapter of his Superman saga.  His approach was a very calculated risk and honestly hurt the movie somewhat even with its positive outcome.  This will be discussed shortly.  On a more definitive positive note, the acting of certain cast members really shines throughout the movie.  This will be discussed a little later.  Rounding out the most important of the movie’s elements is its look in comparison to so many other superhero movies out there today.  It will also be addressed later.  Each item noted is key in its own way to the whole of Superman.  All things considered they make Superman not the best of the Superman movies ever crafted but at least worth watching once.
Warner Bros./DC’s new James Gunn-helmed adaptation of Superman is an intriguing new take on the timeless franchise that honestly comes up somewhat short of expectations.  That is not to say that it is a failure, but its current domestic and global ticket sales do not speak to the presentation.  They just show that there has been a lot of interest in the presentation.  The movie comes up short primarily because of the mixed bag that is the writing approach.  Gunn, who not only directed this outing but also wrote its script, wasted no time setting up the story here, using only a few lines in the opening scene to tell Superman’s back story as he prepares viewers for the action to come.  From there he jumps head first into things with Superman crashing into the snow and ice of the Antarctic following a battle with a big bad.  The remainder of the story’s first half speeds through at near breakneck speed.  It moves so fast that it forces audiences to be fully engaged in the story and then some.  Anyone not completely engaged in the story will miss so much.  Thankfully as the second and third acts progress (at a somewhat more controlled pace), viewers are able to catch up somewhat. 
The story is real simple.  After much research (and Superman being beaten up a bunch), Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen discover that everything Lex Luthor was doing to Superman in the movie’s first act was basically another plan to get rid of Superman.  He had partnered with the evil head of another nation and concocted a plan to get a big part of the nation so that he could become the king (yes, king – this is perhaps where the Maga cultists got mad) and rule his cult.  The word cult is even used in the dialogue.  He made Superman (an immigrant) a scapegoat in his plan so that he could sell arms to that hostile nation, furthering the plan to take over another nation and become king of what was left.  So yes, obviously this is a direct mirror of what is happening today in America and globally.  Let’s set this aside though, for the moment being that we have acknowledged this reality.  What is more important here is that while Gunn has openly said in interviews prior to the movie’s release, he intentionally avoided making this just another origin story, it might have actually been better for him to go this route.  That is because overall, the story here feels like something that should have come along later.  It feels like a random episode of Smallville, from which he clearly lifted influence here.  That is a statement in itself of how audiences have become conditioned a certain way, but it is true.  Because this first entry in Gunn’s DC universe just jumps in so fast and direct, it leaves one feeling somewhat unfulfilled.  This even though Lex is ultimately defeated in the end. That is perhaps the one shining positive of the writing, that good ultimately triumphed over the evil of Lex Luthor and his minions who so blindly did Luthor’s bidding.
Knowing that the writing eventually works itself out and salvages itself by the script’s end, there are other positives to note, most notable being the work of certain cast members.  While David Corenswet is the lead, his acting honestly takes a back seat to that of his cast mates.  Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: Days of Future Past, A Warm Body, Mad Max: Fury Road) leads the was as the diabolical Lex Luthor.  Hoult makes it so easy to absolutely hate Luthor here because of his absolute obsession with Superman and his drive to destroy “big blue.”  He even admits in the final act, to Supes, that yes, he is envious and that he has let his envy of Superman completely take over.  In other words, yes, he knows he is nuts and he does not care.  He shows this throughout the course of the movie’s barely more than 2-hour run time.  His willingness to make Superman a scapegoat for his own nefarious means (a la Donald Trump, again) makes him absolutely despicable.  His attitude throughout is abhorrent, perfectly presented by Hoult.  Hoult’s performance is so engrossing that by the final act when all of the news agencies start sharing the story of what Luthor was really up to and Luthor starts crying, one hopes that Luthor would pay the ultimate price for his evil deeds, not just be arrested.
On another note, the members of the “Justice Gang” (hopefully this will change to Justice League in later movies) shine just as much in their own way.  Edi Gathegi (Startup, For All Mankind, Princess of the Row) leads the way as Mr. Terrific.  His confidence and attitude throughout is controlled but there is still a certain edge that he gives Mr. Terrific.  It is a performance type that is comparable to another legend, one Samuel L. Jackson.  Nathan Fillion (Firefly, Castle, Serenity) brings his own great presence as Green Lantern Guy Gardner.  The ego and comic timing that Fillion brings out of Gardner makes for so many laughs, just as Gathegi does in his own deadpan but still sharp deliveries.  The pair collectively makes for so much for audiences to enjoy.
On a lighter note, the casting heads made wonderful choices for Clark’s adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent.  Those two have always been pivotal in Clark’s life.  In the original 178 Superman movie, Jonathan even died in the movie’s first act.  One cannot help but wonder if that played into DC’s late 90s “Death of Superman” story arc, what with Jonathan having a heart attack and seeing Clark in the afterlife.  Getting back on topic, Pruitt Taylor Vince (Identity, Constantine, Angel Heart) and Neva Howell (Greedy People, Run The Race, Ghosts of the Ozarks) show that they know they are supporting cast here but still make the most of their time on screen.  Vince’s brief line about parents’ roles in the lives of their children is such a powerful moment.  It is in direct contrast to his earlier on screen moment alongside Howell in which the couple is talking to Clark on the phone.  In that moment, the duo comes across as this lovely pair of simple country folk.  The two moments say so much about who Clark’s adoptive parents are and the actors are to be commended highly for their work therein.  When their work and that of the others examined here is considered collectively, their work clearly shows how much the cast’s work plays into this movie’s presentation.
Building even more on the presentation is the movie’s look.  The look of this movie rounds out the most important of its elements.  Where director Zach Snyder’s Man of Steel (2013) had a heavy, gritty look (much like all of his DC flicks), this movie has something of a softer look.  There was plenty of bright light and the tones in the scenes were controlled.  Simply put, the overall look of the movie clearly was meant to look like it jumped off the pages of the Superman comics from a bygone era.  That visual appeal is enough to make for at least some appeal.  When that positive aesthetic impact is considered alongside the work of the movie’s main cast (and that the script does salvage itself), the result is a movie that while it is not the best Superman adaptation, is still worth watching at least once.
Superman, the latest tentpole offering from Warner Bros. and DC, is an interesting new take on one of the world’s most beloved superheroes.  It was hyped in a big way leading up to its release last week but sadly comes up somewhat short of expectations thanks to its script.  Interestingly director/writer James Gunn has openly said he is not going to have movies head to screen unless the scripts are 100% done.  The script here may have been done in his eyes but feels incomplete considering how fast its first act moves and from other issues.  In hindsight this script really should have been an origin story, being the first new introduction from this new DC universe.  Luckily the script does salvage itself as it progresses.  The work of the movie’s main cast serves as the real saving grace here.  From the presentation of Lex to those from the “Justice Gang,” the cast’s work goes a long way toward making this movie at least somewhat engaging.  The movie’s look, at least in comparison to its most recent predecessor, Man of Steel, is an improvement from that movie.  It looks like it jumped off the pages of some vintage Superman comics, even being presented in the 21st century.  That element and the work of the movie’s cast do just enough to make Superman worth watching at least once.
Superman is playing in theaters nationwide now.  More information on this and other movies from Warner Brothers is available at:
Website: https://warnerbros.com
Facebook: https://facebook.com/warnerbrosent
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Warnerbros