Gunn’s overstuffed ‘Superman’ can’t achieve liftoff
There’s a new supercharacter in James Gunn’s “Superman,” and it’s a dog. So is the movie, a stumbling, bumbling overload of everything that adds up to nothing. Some are saying it’s a barrel of monkeys. And they are correct. There are, indeed, monkeys here for Superman’s adorable caped supercanine, Krypto, to chase when the mood strikes. But fun, it’s not. More of a slog, if you ask me.
Expending energy trying to follow Gunn’s convoluted script requires much work with no pay. It has something to do with a protofascist tech bro attempting to incite a lopsided war between powerful Boravia and its weakling neighbor, Jarhanpur. And guess who is the only “metahuman” who can stop it. Yup, the Man of Steel himself, now being portrayed by dimple-faced David Corenswet. He’s definitely got the brawn to fill out the cobalt long johns. And his disarming smile, magnetic eyes and aw-shucks demeanor are close to irresistible.
I’d be lying if I said he wasn’t the best Superman/Clark Kent since Christopher Reeve nearly half a century ago. But that’s not saying much when your rivals are Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh. All Corenswet had to do was show up. And show up, he does. For the most part, it’s a sparkling performance that often transcends a flawed screenplay that’s as frenzied as Krypto.
Like an easily distracted mutt, Gunn can’t focus on anything for more than 90 seconds. You sense he kept adding ideas as they popped into his head, never bothering to tie them together. So, in addition to Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), aka the menacing tech bro, and his nasty goop-slinging metahuman cohort, Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría), we’re treated to cartoonish kaiju-like creature, the obligatory leveling of skyscrapers and something called the “pocket universe” threatening to suck everything into a black hole.
But that’s not the only thing that sucks. So do the blah romantic interplay between Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman, aka Clark Kent, her fellow ace reporter at the Daily Planet. Corenswet and Brosnahan look fabulous, but they fail to ignite a spark, partly because Gunn keeps them apart for much of the movie. They do share an engaging moment early on when Lois, privy to Clark’s true identity, wrangles Superman into granting an exclusive, nothing off the table interview. It doesn’t end well. Turns out Lois has more mettle than a suddenly defensive Man of Steel, smarting in the wake of his first-ever defeat, at the hands of the hulking Hammer of Boravia.
Therein lies the objective I suspect Gunn was aiming for: to present a hypersensitive, no-longer indestructible Superman, as unsure of his powers as he is about assimilating as an earthling. After all, he IS an “alien” from the planet Krypton. Funny that it’s just troubling him now. Perhaps it’s because of the rise of nationalism in Metropolis and across the globe. Being an outlier is no longer cool. Just look at the mean, hateful things the trolls are saying about Superman on social media.
It’s admirable that Gunn seeks to inject a bit of our current reality into this fictional world, where billionaires treat the God-fearing citizenry like pawns put on Earth solely for their manipulation. Comparisons to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos not only seem welcome but are encouraged. And if Gunn had stuck with that scenario, his Superman might have been something special, even up there with “Black Panther” in melding fact with fantasy.
Alas, that’s not what we get. In its stead are lame attempts at snarky “Guardians of the Galaxy”-style humor, action sequences teeming with cheesy special effects and multiple scenes with Lex calling out coordinates in his tower of power, Luthercorp, as if he is participating in a high-stakes game of “Battleship.” Compelling, it most certainly is not.
The only true sign of life in the film is Edi Gathegi’s charismatic portrayal of Mr. Terrific, one of the trio of “Justice Gang” members stopping by to lend Superman an assist. The other two are Nathan Fillion (looking ludicrous) as Green Lantern and Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl. Fillion fires off a decent one-liner or two, but it’s Gathegi you want to spend your time with, especially after he and Brosnahan wind up in Lex’s “pocket universe” in pursuit of Superman.
They generate the kind of chemistry that Corenswet can only dream about. Ditto for Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen and Sara Sampaio’s Eve, Lex’s not-so-loyal henchwoman. Their shameless flirting is a treat, as they join forces with Lois and Perry – “Don’t call me Chief” – White (Wendell Pierce) to help rescue the world.
Why Gunn opted to imbue those folks with more pizzazz than his titular character is a puzzlement. It’s a similar lack of dynamism for Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell as Clark’s adopted parents, John and Martha Kent. Yes, it’s nice that they don’t look as ridiculously chic and put together as Kevin Costner and Diane Lane in “Man of Steel.” But was it necessary to portray the Kansas farmers as naive hayseeds, a stereotype that might offend some folks in red states?
Word is that MAGA and Fox News are already in a tizzy over Gunn weaving liberal themes into his international blockbuster. And truth be told, it can be a tad too on the nose at times, but it’s hard to fault a director for making a plea for kindness and understanding in turbulent times. And when a large segment of Americans feel impelled to turn their backs on something as apple pie as Superman, what does that say about us as a society? Have we become like Krypto, destined to leave behind a mess? The jury is still out on us, but surely, Gunn has dropped a load. And it’s called “Superman.”
Movie review
Superman
Rated: PG-13 for language, action, violence
Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Skyler Gisondo, Isabela Merced, Sara Sampaio, Wendell Pierce and Nathan Fillion
Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Runtime: 129 minutes
Where: In theaters July 11
Grade: C-
