‘Superman’ Review: DC Is Finally Following The Right Direction With James Gunn’s Latest Entry

The comic book genre is still very popular nowadays, but not as it used to be. Marvel Studios, since 2008, has been able to create an extended universe with many characters and stories that we relate to and love. DC, sadly, was never able to capture what Marvel did with its universe, but it feels like now everything is about to change… Superman is the movie that the world needs right now. From its big heart to amusing characters, this movie approaches themes that are necessary within our society. Despite being a good director himself, Zack Snyder was never able to capture the meaning and soul of Superman in Man of Steel, and as we all know, that movie just didn’t work very well in any way. But years later, we have a retelling of that character, from another director’s perspective, and well… did that work?

The film follows “Superman as he must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.”

To start off, what makes Superman a great film? This is a film that showcases what the character truly is and what he means, it’s a movie about hope, about kindness, about knowing who you are, it’s a story that will have you laughing, crying and smiling throughout it all. David Corenswet is the best embodiment of the character since Christopher Reeve. David feels and acts like Superman, he’s charismatic and a great actor and that’s a fact. He matches the vibe and personality of the character. The entire cast is mostly great with some big standouts being Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, these two might be my favorite ones out of the entire cast. Nicholas delivers a hateful and menacing character, he’s cold and powerful and you feel his presence every time he’s on screen. Easily the best Lex Luthor portrayal we’ve ever seen on the big screen. The whole Justice Gang are hilarious and a great addition to this new universe, I cannot wait to see more of each one of them in their respective movies/shows. Also, please give Mr. Terrific his own TV series, we need that! Krypto is another big highlight, I’m glad he’s getting his own animated show. He’s silly and adorable and has some great scenes especially the ones with Superman himself.

It’s common sense that James Gunn is one of the best comic book movie directors of all time. He made mostly unknown characters like the Guardians of the Galaxy become a worldwide phenomenon. He also made an incredible The Suicide Squad after a disastrous attempt by David Ayer in 2016. And now, he delivers a Superman film, which might be the worst film of his out of the four I mentioned, but yet it’s an amazing and worthy film.

This is the start of a new universe but the movie itself doesn’t try to buildup anything. We have some cameos here and there but it feels more like they just want us to know how expansive this universe already is and the possibilities of more stories about these characters. And even though Superman is great, it also has its flaws. The visuals can be whacky sometimes, some bad CGI here and there that can affect your experience in specific scenes, nothing massive but not great. I also feel like we could’ve seen more of Clark Kent, he’s barely in the film which is fine but I personally love that side of the character and I wish we get more of him in future projects.

Overall, Superman is about kindness, hope and knowing who you are. It’s the movie that the world needs right now and the best adaptation of the character we’ve ever seen. James Gunn delivers a heavily emotional and enjoyable film for the entire family. I want to highlight the ending of this movie, the final shot had me in tears, this is what Superman is and has always been. Loved it!

Superman releases in theaters on July 11.