Well well well. I thought it was going to be definitive for me that Henry Cavill was the epitome of the Man of Steel. He literally looks like he's made out of steel. But here comes James Gunn and David Corenswet locking on target with the heat vision at their bold take on Superman!!
Let me get the frustration out of the way first. While it has nothing to do with the movie itself, but more in how they sell them. I saw it in the X Screen format that spreads the image all across your peripheral vision, and honestly it was mid and unnecessary.
From the opening scene I knew that this take on The Man of Tomorrow was going to be nothing like its predecessor because this film starts with our superhero terribly compromised. It also introduces one of the most entertaining sidekicks I've seen in a superhero movie in a minute named Krypto. In true James Gunn fashion Krypto is modelled off of his own rescue pup named Ozu and then built with 3D models and motion capture.
This film takes on an incredibly large challenge in balancing the message of inclusivity, acceptance, love, immigration, and oppression without being preachy or, (the worst word to describe anything ever!) woke.
In today's North American political climate I have to applaud James Gunn for not only making a deliberate attempt at making a political statement but doing it knowing he was going to potentially alienate a specific audience.
Now for my favorite part of the movie! Nicholas Hoult who gave an absolute master class as to what it takes to play Lex Luthor. The maniacal ego, the obsessive passion, the visceral disgust and contempt for Superman he captured the essence of the arch nemesis brilliantly. He's normally a solid addition to every movie he's in but daaamn, he really shined in every scene.
Talk about a high pressure situation, coming off of one of the most recognizable Superman prototypes David Corenswet was given a task that was harder then dodging a speeding bullet. The beauty is that he nailed the target by bringing you the human in the meta-human.
His portrayal of Clark Kent wasn't messy, or clumsy. He was mild, understated but still presented strength. This is where David shined, bringing humanity to the character. There was a great spread of emotion throughout, including actual chemistry with Lois Lane, and at no point did it sacrifice the strength of Kal-El.
The oft ill conceived love interest in these superhero movies for me rarely hit. The chemistry seems forced and the attraction is over shadowed by the superhero in the relationship. The women are such substantial and strong characters on their own accord it makes the love almost mandatory as opposed to real.
This love story was quite the change. Rachel Brosnahan got to step into the famed shoes of the beloved Lois Lane and may be the most complete one to date. She actually seemed like she was in a relationship with both Superman and Clark Kent while being independently strong and capable. At no point does she become a crutch.
OK, we have to talk about the suit. There's always arguments about the suit. First, it's a suit. Not a digital CGI overlay its an actual hand stitched suit with trunks. Judianna Makovsky hand stitched the outfit with etchings and lines resembling alien glyphs, a little shoulder and chest padding and it looked pretty slick. Smart details like the classic S on his chest being scuffed by previous escapades is excellent.
There is thorough understanding of how important comic book lore is to dedicated fans and you will not be short on satisfaction. From all across the DC universe there are cameos galore, and since I don't do spoilers you're going to have to go and watch it.
As for the characters that are shown in the trailers, the Justice Gang is featured throughout the film. This early version of a superhero team includes Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), who I found barely tolerable; Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), who was decent with what she was given; and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who really anchored the team and gave them some much-needed weight. A couple of late additions round out the squad, but I won’t spoil those for you.
I could've done without the Justice Gang all together. It didn't move the needle for me. The disparity in the value of the hero lore between these characters seemed misplaced. If it wasn't for the humanizing of Superman throughout the movie, this relationship would not be buyable at all.
On the flip side Lex Luthor had a really bad ass crew. Ultraman who moonlights as the Hammer of Boravia encased in a mech suit, and The Engineer. Maria Gabriela de Faria gets to be the nanotech infested body that can manifest herself into whatever she can possibly imagine leading to some incredible battle scenes.
This is an action movie through and through. Taking inspiration from Top Gun: Maverick the aerial sequences were filmed with state of the art drones filming Superman on sound stages. The dizzying speed and power of The Last Son of Krypton was on full display, whether he was fighting monsters, or Lex's evil acolytes, we get to witness all of the might of DC's strongest.
In between dimension ripping, and reality altering, there is some great storytelling throughout. Taking on some really heavy subject matter James Gunn wrote a movie that gave viewers a broad view of the ongoings of this current zeitgeist. From an oppressive regime bullying the indigenous population of a country that they're invading. To the marginalizing of the title character being bullied by a population for being an immigrant. I hope this inspires other filmmakers to take on challenges that face the world.
Palestine needs a Superman.
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