image from superman.com

Hello everyone! I watched the new Superman movie over the weekend. It's the latest try to revive the DC Cinematic Universe after the less than successful Justice League a few years ago. The film is directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) and you can see the humor that he brings in the film.

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Summary

The movie starts with Superman beaten up by an unknown masked villain. Apparently, this villain is created by Lexcorp to aid his goal in finding Superman's Fortress of Solitude and discover his secrets. Meanwhile, Superman is also involved in stopping a foreign invasion similar to what's happening in Russia and Ukraine.

Later on, we discover the truth about why Superman was sent to Earth. This is contentious since a lot of fans see this as breaking from canon but to me, it's not so. There are similar themes explored in the Superman stories throughout and this theme is also explored in James Gunn's "Brightburn" and the graphic novel, "Invincible". There was a moment in the film where Lex Luthor did something terrible while the people turned on Superman. Part of me wanted him to go John Wick and turn the movie into something like "Injustice" storyline but no, Superman frustratingly kept to his boyscout image.

The movie also introduce the Justice Gang (unofficial name) composed of Guy Gardner Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific. They play the part of disparate heroes similar to the Guardians of the Galaxy where James Gunn was known for.

image from filmofilia.com

In the final act, Superman escapes his prison and fights the unknown villain who he unmasked. The reveal was a surprise and explains much. Krypto, the dog, did to Luthor what Superman won't do and it was a bit satisfying. Later on, we see Supergirl in the mid-credits scene.

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The Characters

David Corenswet as Superman

As much as I like Henry Cavill, David Corenswet played a younger Superman well. He plays a Superman who is a bit humanlike as we saw him bleeding and defeated in the very first scene.

Nicholas Hault as Lex Luthor

image from slashfilm.com

Probably the best portrayal of Luthor as a criminal genius. Previous iterations of Luthor in movies didn't really get the character. Gene Hackman's was a criminal but not the rich, genius Luthor. Kevin Spacey's was crazy and Jesse Eisenberg's was even crazier.

Krypto the Superdog

I was afraid that Krypto would be too goofy (pun intended) in this movie as Gunn is known to inject humor in his movies. However, Krypto didn't appear much and was only there when needed to.

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My Thoughts

Gunn’s reboot brings a bright and hopeful Superman in contrast to the darkness of Snyder era DCU. It's a callback to Superman 1978 and even has the original Superman theme by John Williams. On the other hand, part of me wanted an "Injustice" version of Superman but this would lead the DCU in another direction. The elements are there to go this route. Superman's parent's reason for sending him to Earth, Luthor's and the Earthlings actions would probably turn any other super being. That said, Superman was well received by critics and fans. This seems a great start for the DCU with Supergirl teased in the mid-credits to follow.

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