Comic book films continue to dominate the theatrical Marketplace in these times. We've already had two MCU films this year, Captain America Brave New World and the Thunderbolts / the New Avengers. This week it is the DCEU that gets an opportunity to reassert itself at the box office. The new phase of DCEU films, supervised by James Gunn, kicks off with a reboot of DC's Premier superhero Superman.
This newest version of Superman is different from both the 1978 Richard Donner film and the Zack Snyder films of a decade ago. The Christopher Reeve film was optimistic with a strong sense of humor based on characters, and the relationship between Superman and Lois Lane was at the center of the story. In the Zack Snyder version Superman and Lois finally get together, and it seems to make both of their lives miserable rather than fulfilled. There was almost no levity in these early DCEU stories.
This Superman is a true comic book version. There are heroes and villains from other worlds and dimensions. Lex Luthor continues to be the main antagonist, but he is operating in a world of science Foods the concept of a pocket universe, where you can store all kinds of things, like your enemy is for instance. There is a more typical story in the film, where Luther is going to benefit from a war that he is encouraging. To get to that objective however requires that his character utilize resources that seem far more valuable than any real estate he would acquire from his deal with one of the warring Nations.
Meanwhile, beast from other dimensions show up to threaten Metropolis, and give Superman and the other Heroes of the poorly named Justice gang, something to do when they are not fighting off Luther's plans. One of the Green Lanterns is part of this group, he's played by Nathan Fillion, and it appears to be an iteration that people who love comic books hate. I thought the character was repulsively Charming. Not someone you would want to spend time with, but someone who is perfectly capable of making good decisions and carrying them out. Two other Heroes appear in the Justice gang, Hawkgirl, has next to nothing to do in the film, so it's not quite clear why she has been made a part of the story. The super intelligent Mr. Terrific on the other hand, practically steals the movie with his clever approaches to problem solving, and sarcastically detached attitude.
Lois Lane, he's a big part of the story, in fact becoming an active player in attempting to Fort Luther and rescue Superman. Rachel Brosnahan," The Fabulous Mrs. Maisel", plays Louis as a resourceful reporter, who considers it her obligation to challenge Superman on his decisions, in spite of her relationship with him. Ma and Pa Kent also appear in the film, but unlike previous versions of the story, their presence is not meant to evoke Maudlin sympathy, but rather to illustrate the differences in nurturing parents and the role they play in creating the ethos of a person. So you can feel safe and watching the film, and being aware that there is no eminent death scene Superman's adopted father.
Frankly for me the main attraction in this film is a secondary character with no dialogue, who exists only in CGI, but still had more personality and humor than any of the human actors. Krypto, is Superman's dog, and he has powers very similar to the Man of Steel. Of course he is a dog and so his doggy personality largely dictates how those Powers get used. When Krypto gets the Zoomies, you can expect chaos to ensue. David Corn sweat who plays Superman / Clark Kent displays the perfectly correct attitude when his dog is taken. Is temper tantum is completely Justified, and Luther should know in the long run that he's going to pay for screwing around with someone's beloved pet.
There is a plot twist concerning Superman's Kryptonian parents, it really seems that odds with the mythology of the comic books and previous films. It Doesn't Kill the movie, but it does undermine our willingness to embrace this version of Superman the way we did when Christopher Reeves and Marlon Brando we're on the screen.
This is definitely a comic book movie, featuring cartoonish monsters, and science fiction premises that defy reality. The movie looks very good however, and I had fun for the 2 hours that I was watching it. I guess the easiest way to express my opinion about the movie is to say that I enjoyed it, but I was not enamored by it.
