I confess I’ve never been much of a Superman fan.
Compared to other superheroes, the Man of Steel always seemed boring to me.
Yes, the story of a god growing up amongst men and fighting for the oppressed is inherently interesting, but I never felt a sense of jeopardy when it came to the super strong Christlike martyr who seemed so impervious to most threats that there was no real drama.
Granted, there’s always Kryptonite, but when Supes eventually shakes off the glowing green irritant before breaking through the time barrier by flying around the world so fast he reverses the direction of time’s arrow and thereby undoes the tragedy that just occurred – like in the 1978 movie – then the stakes are at an all-time low.
Then came Zack Snyder’s ambitious but botched attempt to replicate the grounded nature of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. That dour take on Superman didn’t help much, and I can’t say I was giddy about yet another cinematic reboot.
However, and much to my surprise, James Gunn’s Last Son of Krypton feels far from invincible, giving Superman enough emotional stakes to pierce my cold heart.
More than that, this flawed but exuberant blockbuster may be the first time I’ve properly enjoyed a Superman film.
The film opens with a bruised and bloodied Big Blue (a perfectly cast David Corenswet) crash landing in the Arctic near the Fortress of Solitude. As the opening credits inform us, Superman has just lost a fight for the first time, courtesy of scheming billionaire bastard Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and his very own floating robot dubbed ‘The Hammer of Boravia’.
That name refers to a geopolitical SNAFU that Supes is embroiled in. Having prevented fascistic Boravia from invading its neighbouring country, Jarhanpur, despite Boravia being a US ally, everyone’s favourite superhero is at the heart of a PR disaster – also orchestrated by Luthor.
Cue: Krypto, the caped, plucky but obstinate supercanine, helping out his bleeding master and getting him back on his feet.
Such a good boy.
On top of the bad press, Superman / Clark Kent is three months into a dicey relationship with intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and the revelation of a previously corrupted recorded message from his parents makes him question his place on Earth.
No time to mope too much though, as Luther’s greed and envy has driven him to extreme lengths to discredit the immigrant alien he refers to as “it”.
By ditching not only the doom and gloom of the Snyderverse but also the tiresome need for an umpteenth backstory, Gunn starts in medias res to better embrace the spirit of the seemingly bygone era of campy comic books.
And it works. This fast-paced adventure looks and feels like a comic book transposed onto the big screen, with all the unapologetic strangeness, colourful palette and intentional corniness that befits a “naive but well-intentioned" boyscout who will take the time to save a squirrel in peril.
The ‘silliness’ of Gunn’s approach feels bold in these current times – and the director knows what he’s doing. He clearly understands that superhero fatigue has settled in; his reset doubles down on the fun factor without shying away from some real-world mirroring. This may not be anything new for Superman films, but the inclusion of xenophobia laced with cancel culture (aided by social media bots / monkeys) and the contentious Middle Eastern geopolitical dispute with obvious – but not overplayed - topical parallels to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the Israel-Palestine conflict is a bold touch.
You can almost hear nose-bleedingly annoying comments about Superman going “woke” - the pithy last defence of those who never tire of shouting at clouds. But that’s what Superman has always been: an alien humanitarian who fights for justice and for whom “kindness is punk rock.”
A cheesy line, granted, but one which nonetheless lands - especially with the film’s final needle drop of a deep cut Iggy Pop collab which works wonders.
As great as Superman is, there are undeniable issues – chiefly an overstuffed script that tries to cram in a bit too much in one go. As well as one too many black holes during the contractually-obliged CGI onslaught.
That said, Gunn proves once again that he can gleefully tick boxes while indulging in a large cast – like he did in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies – and still make the plot make sense.
The other “metahumans” in the Justice Gang get their time to shine, with Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) standing out. It’s a shame that Hawkgirl (The Last Of Us’ breakout star Isabela Merced) is shortchanged, but the motley crew remains a charming addition to this new DC Universe.
Ultimately, it’s so much fun to watch that anyone willing to get with the program won’t care enough to riot. As for those who get too hung up on its negatives, it’ll be a hardened viewer who doesn’t fall for Corenswet’s disarmingly earnest portrayal and that spiralling slaying soundtracked to Noah and the Whale’s 'Five Years Time'.
Superman may not be a perfect movie, but it’s a terrifically endearing crowdpleaser – one which dwarfs this year’s other blockbusters like Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, F1® The Movie and Jurassic World Rebirth.
More than that, it’s a deliriously entertaining start for the newly minted DC Studios under Gunn and Peter Safran’s management and above all, a breath of fresh air that left me with a big, dumb grin on my face.
It made me believe a man (and a dog) can fly.
Best of all, it made me care about the flying man. And his dog. Who, again, is such a good boy.
Superman is out in cinemas now.
