In our era of total superhero saturation, Superman is almost too simplistic of a character. As the prototype against which all other superheroes were built, his near-invincibility and Boy-Scout persona makes him a little boring.
In his previous iteration, as played by Henry Cavill, Superman was portrayed as dark and brooding in an attempt to spice the character up.
But when writer/director James Gunn (who rose to fame as the creative force behind “The Guardians of the Galaxy”) stepped in to shepherd the DC Comics cinematic universe, he made the bold choice of taking Superman all the way back to his Silver Age, mid-20th century peak where the Man of Steel was unapologetically kind and decent.
The new movie “Superman” arrives at a time when being kind and decent actually feels kind of subversive, as online toxicity is pumped into our veins 24/7. In 2025, being good is punk rock.
“Superman” feels like a blast of fresh air for the entire superhero genre as Gunn cuts against the grain of the past 20 years of movies that took comic book characters and worked to place them in the real world. Gunn instead takes us into a comic book and doesn’t flinch at the silliness we find there.
People are casually imprisoned in a pocket universe, the Fortress of Solitude is populated by Superman Robots, and Superman’s flying dog Krypto (complete with cape!) is front and center. A flying dog! Just another day in Metropolis
In a lot of ways, watching “Superman” is like picking up a random issue of a comic book and diving right in. Superman (played with earnest charm by David Cornswet) has been doing his thing for a few years as the movie begins. All of the familiar beats are here, Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent is an intrepid reporter hiding in plain sight at the Daily Planet. His relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is just getting going and his nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has only just started making trouble for him.
“Superman” is almost a direct repudiation of the Zach Snyder Superman movies where our hero threw bad guys through skyscraper after skyscraper without batting an eye at potential human casualties.
Gunn’s Superman is so concerned with loss of life at one point he rushes in to save a squirrel from getting stepped on by a giant monster.
The positives vibes are everywhere, as even Superman’s fellow superheroes, like the hilariously deadpan Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and moderately jerky Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), find themselves inspired by Superman’s relentless decency.
Sure, this movie has flaws. It’s overstuffed with characters and plot details and sometimes struggles to find a consistent tone. But it’s a lot of fun and if you’ve ever cheered on a superhero of any kind, the joy this movie brings is inescapable.
Gunn has succeeded at making Superman great again. Bad guys beware.
“Superman” is rated PG-13 for violence, action and language.
