The Man of Steel is back in his first solo cinematic outing since... well... Man of Steel. And while I enjoyed that film fine in 2013, this new movie offers a little more to the titular character, namely, an adorable dog named Krypto.
Superman is the first entry in DC’s new rebooted universe, and Director James Gunn had a lot to prove. Sure, he’s done great work in the MCU. But now he’s in charge of an entire cinematic universe over at DC. And I’m happy to report that he didn’t get lost in the weeds and sacrifice this movie to the altar of rapidfire worldbuilding that Warner Bros doubtlessly pressured him to hurry along.
Refreshingly, Superman focuses on the basics, the beloved Kryptonian (David Corenswet) taking on evil genius Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). Their chemistry was just as important to get right as Clark Kent’s and Lois Lane’s (Rachel Brosnahan). And Corenswet, Hoult, and Brosnahan all nailed their roles.
Corenswet makes a fantastic Man of Steel. He offers a more hopeful take on the character than we’ve seen in years, and Gunn made sure to humanize him the best way he knew how... by giving him a home in Kansas (with two loving parents) and an adorable monster of a dog.
He can play the Boy Scout, the man who sees good in everyone, and Corenswet can play the frustrated guy burdened by everything from Lex dognapping his buddy to an adopted home turning against him. Throughout this entire film, between fights and romance with Lois, Gunn made sure that this Superman never lost sight of his humanity. He’s not just a tentpole to hold up a cinematic universe. This is a man who loves his Ma and Pa and desperately wants to save as many lives as he can.
Hoult (hampered a little by a script that may have leaned a little too far now and again) gave a solid performance as Lex. I fully believed that he hated Superman and viewed him as a threat. And he even managed to capture a little campiness from Gene Hackman’s take on the character.
While the bald evil genius is running his scheme to kill Krypto’s buddy, Brosnahan is doing what Lois Lane does best: reporting and digging up information to help Clark when he gets in over his head. She encapsulates all the good journalism qualities we’ve come to expect from Lois throughout the years. And her romantic scenes with Corenswet are. . . fine. They get the job done.
Helping build the mythos of this superhero world a little more are Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). They assist Superman as the Justice Gang.
Fillion steals every scene he’s in courtesy of his familiar rogue-like charm. He’s every bit the lovable asshole you’d expect from Guy Gardner. Mister Terrific provides the role of tech genius and holds his own in this rather large cast. The one who suffers the most is Merced, as the script really doesn’t give her much to do.
Millennials like me who grew up watching the 2002 Justice League cartoon will recognize Hawkgirl as a pretty integral part of the Justice League, and that show made her into one of the most interesting characters. But in Superman, she’s a victim of the runtime.
Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), another sizable piece of the Superman mythos, is also a victim of the runtime, being reduced to little more than a recurring lady’s man (no, seriously, that’s his entire role). Olsen, being Clark Kent’s best friend for decades in the comics, would have added another useful layer to the Kryptonian’s humanization in this film. But que sera, sera.
The story feels both original and extremely familiar. (What is it with Luthor and real estate deals?) We get some entertaining fights and solid cinematography that holds up well.
Overall, Gunn’s first foray into this new DCU is promising. He seems to recognize that audiences are tired of franchise-building and multiverses. So he kept things relatively simple. Just Superman trying to save his dog (and Metropolis). In the end, Krypto remains a very, very, very, very, very good boy.
