'Superman' Spoiler-Free Review

Jul 12

James Gunn does it again, except this time it's for DC instead of Marvel. Superman is an exciting entry into the new DCU and one of the best DC films in a long time. It has everything you want in a superhero movie. It’s one of my favorite movies of the year so far.

Superman’s origin story has been done many times, so that at some point, it gets a bit repetitive. This movie strayed away from that, and it worked. Instead of seeing Clark Kent grow into the hero of Superman, we get to see him already as an established hero.

He has made mistakes and will pay for them as the movie goes on. Of course, there is the romance between him and Lois Lane, which some may say progressed too fast, but it is Lois Lane and Clark Kent after all. There is the addition of the Justice Gang, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific, all of whom are great additions to the story. Oh, and you also have the addition of the goodest boy in the galaxy, Krypto the Superdog.

RELATED:

Featured

5 Reasons 'Black Adam' Failed (And 5 Reasons It Was Fine)

Lois and Superman — Image Source: The Wall Street Journal

There have been many actors who have played Superman throughout the years, and people will always have their opinions on who played the character the best. David Corenswet, to me, is one of the best. He plays the character flawlessly and with a ton of heart. He embodies Superman and everything he stands for. Nicholas Hoult played an amazing Lex Luthor. He did a great job making the character evil enough to root against, but he also almost makes you feel bad for him in the end.

The movie is extremely timely, especially in this political climate. Throughout the movie, he is looked at differently because of where he came from. At one point, not only does Lex Luthor try to ruin Superman with a video from his biological parents, but he also calls him an “it” as a way to further dehumanize him. During the climax, Superman makes it clear that even though he may not be from Earth, he is as human as anyone else on this planet. One of my favorite moments was the final scene with Superman, looking back at his life growing up on Earth. Another major plot point was a conflict between two nations. The bigger nation was helped by Lex Luthor, and would do everything in their power to wipe out the smaller one. I won’t go into real-world examples, but if you follow world events, you could probably guess which current conflict the movie was referencing.

I’ll be the first to admit that I am much more of a Marvel fan than a DC fan, but Marvel messed up by letting James Gunn go. Superman had everything. It was funny, heartfelt, and had some great action scenes. The soundtrack was great, but that’s to be expected with a James Gunn film. It’s a great superhero movie, and it seems that the DCU may finally be in good hands with James Gunn. This is a must-see not only for Superman fans but all superhero fans. As always, make sure you try and catch it on the biggest screen possible and support your local cinema.

Rating: 8.5/10

Superman is now playing in theaters everywhere.

READ NEXT:

Featured