Clarion Review: An earnest look at James Gunn’s ‘Superman’

“Superman” is an enthralling start to James Gunn’s reboot of the DC cinematic universe. It is a movie unafraid of comic book campiness and is a breath of fresh air after two decades of increasingly formulaic comic book movies. 

“Superman” stars David Corenswet as the iconic character, as well as Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

“Superman” excels most in its acting, action, and music score. Corenswet is easily the best Superman since Christopher Reeves. He’s charming and witty but still has the humanistic quality that defines the Man of Steel. 

One of the (many) flaws of depictions of Superman in film over the past decade and a half is that Zack Snyder and Joss Whedon wrote him as a messianic “Jesus” figure.

Rachel Brosnahan also does an amazing job depicting Lois Lane. The chemistry between Brosnahan and Corenswet leaves us with easily the best portrayal of Lois Lane and Clark Kent’s relationship. 

Easily, my favorite performance was Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor.  Hoult’s performance as the maniacal genius steals the show in every scene he appears in. 

Luthor in the film just seethes with hatred and envy with every word of dialogue.  His seriousness and pure evil are intensified against the backdrop of this campy comic book world. 

Watching the film, the viewer will want nothing more than to see Lex’s face repeatedly slammed into the ground.

Other performances, such as Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner (the third Green Lantern), Edi Gathegi as Mr Terrific and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho, were all strong additions to the cast. 

The score to the movie was composed by David Fleming and John Murphy and complements the movie to perfection. The classic John Williams “Superman” theme with an electric guitar power-rock twist sent goosebumps down my spine upon first listen. 

The score descends into a soft and serene atmosphere for emotional moments in the film and gradually rises for powerful story beats.

There are still multiple moments in the movie that use licensed music effectively, a staple in Gunn’s direction style. 

The fight scenes in “Superman” are easily the best we’ve seen the Boy Scout in Blue move. Dynamic camera movements that show the power and speed in every single action Superman takes. 

The fights are fluid and entertaining, a far cry from the choppy, breakneck-paced action of the MCU. Superman isn’t the only character with great fight scenes. Mr Terrific gets an extremely fun one-take fight scene, another staple of Gunn’s filmmaking style. 

Although I love this movie, objectively, there are some flaws.  Firstly, there are a few plot elements that are kind of convenient. 

Slight spoiler, but for example, there is a plot point where Jimmy Olsen gets a major advantage over Lex in a kind of dumb way. It’s definitely played for laughs but personally, I think for such a big plot point, it should be in a way that is more explained or impactful

Some of the dialogue also doesn’t land occasionally but the performances are so amazing that they truthfully do not stick out too much. The corny dialogue even adds to the film in my opinion.

“Superman” has had great success in its opening weekend, earning $120 million in its opening weekend.  James Gunn is celebrating the success of the first entry into the DCU. 

Superman is such a shake-up for the superhero movies. Even its flaws help the movie in selling its comic book feel. “Superman” has, for the first time in years, made me excited for the future of comic book movies. 

Carter Cousino, staff writer/intern

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