Look! In the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s “Superman”, the pleasure of James Gunn’s delicious crowds that looks like a comic strip of Splash Page feature film. Shamelessly silly, disarming and intentionally cheesy, Gunn’s film is entertaining, fast and, above all, everyone, amusing. Do you remember the pleasure? The last two decades of superhero cinema have been bogged down in a type of grainy realism that can be traced at the Dark Knight trilogy by Christopher Nolan. Nolan’s films adopted what was a unique approach to superhero stories and asked: and if a combatant of costume crime like Batman existed in the real world? Nolan’s concept worked – and worked so well that he apparently influenced all the superhero films that came in his wake.
And hey, there is nothing wrong with dark and grainy stuff. I like dark and grainy stuff! I was a big fan of the recent restart of “The Batman” influenced by the thriller of Matt Reeves. But sometimes, every time I watch a modern comic strip film that takes Also Seriously, I’m starting to become a little imprudent. “Would that kill them to clarify a little?” is dominant thought. “Lighten Up” is exactly what Gunn does with his “Superman”, a film that adopts a wonderfully absurd comic book where apparently everything and everything is possible, the reality is damned.
Nolan Batman’s films have had a lot of trouble explaining all the elements of Batman’s tradition and found it in a sense of realism. Gun’s “Superman”, in contrast, realizes that since we are dealing with a world full of super-power beings bearing capes, the sky is the limit. Absolutely nothing that happens in this film would probably happen in the real world – and I am 100% on board with that, because the film sells. At one point, some bad guys unleash a cute little monster that suddenly turns into a threat to the size of Kaiju. There is no explanation for how It happens, and I didn’t need it. I was pretty happy to watch Superman fight a big monster.
Superman has script problems but it’s so fun to watch that you don’t care
Much has been said about how Gunn’s “Superman” is supposed to be the beginning of a brand new DC films universe, and how Gunn begins again and tries to revive the Superman brand after the dark opinion of Zack Snyder did not go so well. Here is the thing: I don’t care about it. When I sit to watch a film, the last thing that worries me is how it could create a sequel, a prequel or a spin-off. I am interested in the film I am watching today, and nothing more. So I’m not going to spend a lot of time here talk about Easter eggs or how Gunn’s film is a springboard for what comes then, because none of that matters to me. What matters is if I liked the film or not at hand, and I did it, a lot.
This does not mean that Gunn’s script does not suffer from certain problems. There is an overabundance of dialogue on the nose where the characters awkwardly proclaim their intentions and their motivations, and many of these moments flow like a LED ball. In addition, while the tone that Gunn opts here is deliberately funny (sometimes it looks like a comedy in its own right), some of the punches with humor are dull (I look at you, the herd of craires of cheesy comics). But despite these problems, “Superman” hovers, thanks to a distribution of games and a mentality of Gee-Whiz and Aw-Shucks which becomes irresistibly charming. The film also touches the floor on the move and never lets go.
“Superman” is fortunately not another story of origin, and reveals from the jump that in the world of this film, superheroes (or “metahumans” as it has been called) have existed for a very long time. But in the past three years, a new hero has appeared – Superman, apparently the most powerful metahuman of all time. The world as a whole knows that Superman is an extraterrestrial of the Krypton destroyed planet, and for the most part, the reaction of the public to this great Blue Boyscout is positive. But how long will it last?
David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult are all excellent in their respective roles
As played by David Corenswet, Superman, who disguises himself as a journalist by Planet Daily Nerdy Clark Kent, is a kind and affable kind. Corenswet has a lot of charisma here, and it’s easy to buy it as superheroes. Gunn also makes the wise choice to show us that this superman is not unbeatable. Yes, it is super strong and can do all kinds of incredible stuff, but Superman Also is kicked the ass on several occasions in this film. In fact, our first look at the bloody and bruised watch – and calling for the help of Krypto, an adorable super -dog who carries a cape and likes to cause chaos (a CGI creation, Krypto is a real highlight here, mainly because the film lets him wisely agitating like a real dog … who has just had superpowers).
Superman’s secret identity is not so secret. Some people know who he really is, including his girlfriend / colleague, the fearless journalist for Sugar Lane Lane, played with the perfect quantity of spark of Rachel Brosnahan. Corenswet and Brosnahan have a crackling chemistry together, and a scene in which Lois Interview Superman is one of the most memorable moments in the film thanks to the way the actors bounce back. During this interview, Laws stresses that not everyone likes Superman. On the one hand, the man of steel recently interfered in an international geopolitical incident and was involved in an imminent war between two (fictitious) nations. In the mind of Superman, he was justified in his actions, but as laws did not underline it unjustly, nobody named or elected Superman the guardian of the whole world – he simply took this coat alone. And it is not going well with some people.
He Really Do not suit you at Lex Luthor, a billionaire who is certainly obsessed with Superman. Lex has spent a fortune trying to find a way to defeat Supes, simply because he hates the idea that this beautiful and charming extraterrestrial appeared one day and conquered the masses. He is a full -fledged hate, a squymy worm and who flows who is ready to sacrifice innocent lives if that means stop Superman. Nicholas Hoult plays Lex, and Hoult is incredibly good for playing such slimeball. We love To hate this guy, and we look forward to seeing him get his co -pump.
The M. Terrific of Edi Gathegi is indeed great
Gunn’s script crosses all these details faster than a speed ball, to the point where I suppose that certain viewers could be disturbed by the little configuration. But I found this rather refreshing approach – Gunn seems to realize that everyone knows the basic details on Superman and its background and that regurgitating a lot of exhibitions again would be to waste precious time which could show us cool and colorful action parts loaded with humor.
“Superman” surrounds sues with a bunch of colorful and funny support players. In addition to laws and Lex, there is Jimmy Olsen of Skyler Gisondo, who is funny the object of the desire of all women in the city of Metropolis. Then there is The Justice Gang, a trio of superheroes with business sponsorship which sometimes helps Superman and maintains a mainly friendly relationship with Krypton’s latest son.
The group of gangs of justice presents a very fun Nathan Fillion as a selfish Guy Gardner Aka Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, who is not above his hands dirty and literally bad guys while steals towards them, and the technological genius Super Petit M. Terrific, played by Edi Gathegi. Of the three, it is Mr. Trerific who obtains the most time, and Gathegi is a stage thief who bursts his character – I wanted even more of him. His free -free approach to all the current Manigances in the film is a real hoe.
Superman is not afraid to become an idiot and it is the superpower of the film
“Superman” never seems to slow down, rushing into his story with Super-Speed. Superman is loved, then, thanks to the machinations of Luthor, he suddenly hated. But we know that this is just a matter of time before winning people on their side – no one will accuse Gunn’s script to be original or even as intelligent. But it is not necessary, because there is such a light, funny and soft nature at stake here that I found almost impossible to resist. If there is a global message to Gunn’s film, it is that kindness is the new punk rock, and even if I am sure that countless people will roll eyes on a notion of Cornball, I bought it – at least watching the film. This superman is imperfect in many ways, but it constantly strives to do the right thing for others, and it is a trait that more people should suck in a world where everyone seems to suffer from the main character syndrome.
We have been flooded with a superhero movie dam for decades now and they all start to mix. They follow a standard formula mainly because studio leaders think that is what people want, and they have box office receipts to support this. Gun’s “Superman” is not even about walking on a new field, but it seems fresh and invigorating because the filmmaker has decided to reject the sneaky and detached irony which is integrated into so many other superheroes films and embracing things that some people could consider as “cringing teeth”.
Yes, “Superman” is an often cheesy film because Superman is a cheesy character, an extraterrestrial from the Kansas farm who saves squirrels in danger and listening to boxing pop music. There is nothing dark or dark here, just a real feeling of entertaining stupidity that has left a big stupid smile on my face. In our current media landscape, such an approach seems surprisingly daring.
/ Film assessment: 8 out of 10
“Superman” opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
