PLOT: A plot by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) causes the people of Earth to question whether Superman (David Corenswet) is truly their protector, sending the hero into an existential crisis over his place on his adopted planet.
REVIEW: I’ll give James Gunn this much: his take on Superman is unlike anything we’ve ever seen on film. It couldn’t be more different from the Snyderverse films, which attempted to reinvent the character for a more cynical age, or the lower-key Richard Donner films (and by extension, Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns). In this version, Gunn has brought to life a sprawling canvas featuring armies of metahumans (some of whom we meet in the movie), pocket universes, and giant kaiju. It throws in everything but the kitchen sink. That turns out to be a mixed blessing.
The best thing that can be said about Gunn’s Superman is that it’s tightly edited, never dull, and not slavishly devoted to origin stories or interconnected world-building the way many MCU movies are. But it’s also overloaded with massive, repetitive CGI-heavy action sequences. And it’s missing one vital ingredient for a Superman movie: the man behind the cape. Clark Kent is barely present, and the romantic relationship with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is treated as an afterthought.
Indeed, the two share little to no chemistry. Superman comes across like a lovesick puppy with a crush on Lois, while she seems far too world-weary to ever fall for someone like him. The mix is off. When they’re together, you never feel like they’re in love—something that’s essential to the Superman mythos.
I hesitate to blame Brosnahan, who could likely have delivered more emotionally if the material had given her anything to work with, but her screen time is limited. Instead, the film focuses almost exclusively on Superman facing one invincible threat after another. David Corenswet certainly looks the part, but he doesn’t bring the humanity to the role that Christopher Reeve did—or even Brandon Routh, Tom Welling, or Henry Cavill, for that matter. He’s essentially there to power through action scenes, and while he might grow into the role in future installments, he doesn’t yet possess the star quality you’d expect from someone playing the Man of Steel. It doesn’t help that the plentiful CGI is sometimes unconvincing and cartoonish. It’s as bad as the subpar CGI we’ve seen in many recent Marvel movies, and is particularly an issue during the flying sequences, which looked more convincing in the Snyder films.
Gunn also packs the film with cringeworthy humor that mostly falls flat. A recurring gag centers around Lex’s girlfriend, Tesmacher (Sara Sampaio), being a wannabe influencer with a crush on Jimmy Olsen—played here by Skyler Gisondo as a less-boyish, womanizing version of the character. The cast is so crowded that Clark’s Daily Planet colleagues barely register, though Wendell Pierce makes the most of his limited screen time as Perry White.
Much of the runtime is devoted to the Justice Gang. Edi Gathegi has the most prominent role as Mr. Terrific and steals scenes, while Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl is mostly relegated to the action scenes. One character who surprisingly fares well is Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner/Green Lantern—with him less obnoxious than he appeared in the trailers, and he gets a few good moments.
So, what really works? Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor comes the closest. While it would have been easy to play him as a generic evil tech bro, Hoult imbues Lex with a certain fragility and seething anger that feels fresh. While he doesn’t have the charisma of Michael Rosenbaum—still the gold standard for on-screen Lex—his rage toward Superman’s physical power, and his obsessive need to dominate him, are well conveyed. Many may dislike this take, but Hoult commits fully. Anthony Carrigan also shows some genuine pathos as Metamorpho, a character forced into servitude, and Frank Grillo does a solid job setting up Rick Flagg’s future in the new DCU.
Other elements will likely be hit or miss with audiences. Krypto is featured prominently throughout—arguably getting more screen time than many of the characters you’d think would matter more. At times, Krypto seems to have more to do than Lois, but then again the packed audience I saw this with squealed with delight anytime he was on-screen, so what do I know? Gunn’s trademark rock needle drops feel like leftovers from Guardians of the Galaxy, but not as effective here. Meanwhile, a side plot involving Kal-El’s parents feels downright bizarre, though it’s clearly meant to set up future installments.
It will be interesting to see how audiences respond to Gunn’s Superman. I’ll give him credit: he takes a big swing and delivers a radically different take on the character. But for me, the movie gets bogged down in spectacle and completely lacks the warmth, humanity, and emotional depth that Superman needs in order to resonate with modern viewers the way he once did for past generations.
