Hope—a word that has seemingly encapsulated everything that represents the Man of Steel, Superman. For DC fans, hope is what they’ve been clinging to—the hope that the next DC film will finally deliver on its promise.
Some have. Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, The Batman, Joker, and Man of Steel each offered darker renditions of our beloved DC characters. We saw the struggle to save a city from itself in Nolan’s trilogy, the brilliant and uncomfortable descent into madness in Todd Phillips’ Joker, and Henry Cavill’s brooding, modern take in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. Cavill went on to portray Superman in multiple films, leaving many fans to believe there would never be a better Superman.
Now, James Gunn’s Superman, starring David Corenswet as the Man of Steel and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, looks to deliver a new age of DC storytelling. With Gunn now leading DC Studios, this film marks the first entry in what could be a truly unified DC universe, finally competing against Marvel’s long-established cinematic world.
It’s too early to know for certain if Gunn’s Superman will kickstart that vision, but one thing is clear: the film delivers.
A far cry from the dark, edgy DC films of recent years, Superman mostly embraces a much more positive tone—though it does delve into some darker themes in a few instances. The result is a surprising hit. It constantly entertains with a well-paced plot and comedic moments that leave you chuckling rather than laughing out loud. It breaks free from the tired superhero formula we’ve seen every year for the past two decades and instead leans into something familiar but refreshing—a superhero film that feels like the ones you fell in love with as a kid. The kind that made you believe in good. The kind that made you believe the hero, against all odds, would prevail.
Even the costume signals this film is a departure from the previous Superman iterations, instead, closer to the bright, classic aesthetic of the comics or the Christopher Reeve era. This Superman may not go down as the greatest superhero movie of all time, nor will it earn Oscars like Nolan’s The Dark Knight or Phillips’ Joker, but it doesn’t need to. Some fans may still boycott the film out of loyalty to Cavill, but Gunn’s version of Superman stands on its own. It embraces what a superhero movie should be: a story about hope, optimism, and compassion. Even when the hero himself is flawed, he’s still depicted as a character who sees the beauty in everyone and everything—isn’t that what Superman truly represents? The savior not of humanity but of living things.
This Superman tells something new, while addressing real-world issues in ways that feel integral to the plot—not tacked on or preachy. Corenswet and Brosnahan were made to play their roles. The supporting cast, despite only a few having a major impact on the story, doesn’t steal the show but still manages to find their place in it.
The film isn’t what we’ve come to expect from superhero cinema, but maybe it’s exactly what we’ve unknowingly needed. Yes, at times it’s corny. There’s some cheese. A few barely noticeable, choppy special effects give it an initial cartoonish vibe, something that can easily be explained by some scenes moving quickly to illustrate the speed at which Superman moves. Whatever the reason, it works. The film breaks through superhero fatigue not by being louder or darker, but by being a true and sincere comic book film. All it took was a little hope and a director who understood that it was time for a change.
If this is what we can expect from DC Studios under James Gunn, we’re in good hands.
A great start.
What's Your Reaction?
