Verdict: 4.5/5
It’s probably fair to say that most recent DC movies haven’t hit the mark.
In fact, anything after the ‘Dark Knight’ series in the 2000s has been more bad then good.
Thankfully, that all changes with the new ‘Superman’ movie.
Right off the bat, David Corenswet as the titular character shines. You look at him with his all-American smile, black curly hair and jawline and automatically think Superman. Corenswet brings a sweet earnestness to the character that was missing in previous iterations. In this movie we also see the return of the iconic red trunks on Superman’s suit, a cliché but welcome element.
The movie follows Superman after he stops an invasion on the fictional country of Boravia, causing major political ramifications. Bolstering the negative consequences throughout the movie and acting as Superman’s main foe is billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is committed to destroying Superman. Hoult plays Luthor with an innate self entitlement that perfectly translates on screen.
Director and writer James Gunn expertly managed the storyline within the just over two hours of run time. The story never felt rushed and in fact left me feeling satisfied with the ending. I can’t wait to see how Gunn navigates the reboot of the DC Universe. If his other movies turn out anything like this one did, I might be an official Marvel to DC convert.
The best part of the movie was Superman’s superpowered dog, Krypto. I think every owner of a naughty pup related to Superman at some point in this movie as he tried to keep control of Krypto, at least I certainly did. Krypto is absurd, loving and protective and was the first thing I told people about when they asked me how the movie was.
Visually, Superman feels like a comic book brought to life with the vibrant colours, comic accurate super suits and fight sequences. I think this movie really brings back the magic of a superhero movie.
Sure, at times the movie is corny, but it is bright and fun and incredibly sincere, with all these elements working together to leave audiences feeling good after, at least it did for me.
Recently, I have found that superhero movies can get too focused on the dark and gritty elements of storytelling which, don’t get me wrong, certainly have a place in superhero storytelling, but Superman shows that kindness, justice and goodness will always win and maybe that is the real punk rock.
See this movie at Event Cinemas Parramatta.
