(film review) - Superman

Firstly, I was not sure what to expect from this movie because, whilst I have not seen all of James Gunn's movies, the ones I have seen, I have enjoyed. The Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy in the MCU is up there with one of the best trilogies in the MCU and some of the best trilogies in life. The second one was a little more slapstick, but the 3rd closed out the trilogy, and it was excellent. What James has done in the DC universe, old and new, The Suicide Squad was actually really good (better than the first one that came out, Suicide Squad), and the spin-off TV show he did called Peacemaker was surprisingly good also. The theme song was really catchy and infectious, and although the show was set up in the DCEU with The Flash played by Ezra Miller, Aquaman played by Jason Momoa, this new DC universe, now coined the DCU has started with Creature Commandos as a cartoon animation and the first film to come out from Warner Bros. new DC universe is, Superman. With a new universe, with different characters and actors, some of us fans have wondered, what would be the difference between the old universe, which was spearheaded by Zack Snyder and this new one, which is now run by James Gunn? Well, if we are able to take a few notes from this movie and where we think the universe is going, for a start, it will be less dark, bleak and moody. Or at least, Superman will not be brooding and dark, something many film fans complained about initially, all those years ago. This movie is bright, joyful, funny and...hopeful? But is it any good? I'll explain.

Clark Kent (David Corenswet) has now shown Superman to the world, and he has been Superman for 3 years on an Earth that has had metahumans for 300 years, but with all the things he can do, Superman is the new kid on the block the world loves, but Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) does not. Clark works at the Daily Planet, he is in a relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and although Lex Luthor does not like Metahumans, and likely the Justice Gang, he despises Superman the most, so much that he has decided to put a plan in place to finally kill the man of steel by any means necessary.

This movie is not perfect at all, and although the story is good, we needed a bit more justification and fleshing out in places so we could understand the motives behind some of the actions taking place. With that said, although I have heard the film was likely longer and was cut short because it was too long for a first film in this new DCU, and the pacing does feel a tad choppy in places, this film is a really good time. As I stated earlier, this movie is bright, joyful, funny, and in some places, very dark. The city of Metropolis seems as though it is a great place to work and live, plus you have a few metahumans and Superman to protect you should anything happen. The skyscrapers are tall, the people seem nice, it just looks like a great and lively place, which lends to the tone of the movie, which is the exact opposite of what we saw last.

The three main characters and actors, David as Superman, Nicholas as Lex and Rachel as Lois, are all really good. I feel we need to see a bit more Clark Kent because he is only around for a small amount of the movie, which is fine, because we really want to see Superman mostly (which is not a bad thing), but there was not much duality seen on screen, but he does carry across everything Superman stands for with ease. Truth, Justice and the American way...or just being a good person/human. The moment in the film that supports that is the interview scene in the trailer with Lois, plus there are other moments highlighted in the movie, even a part that made me roll my eyes.

The supporting cast of Nathan as Guy, Isabela as Hawkgirl and Edi as Mr. Terrific were just as good as the main cast and whenever Mr. Terrific showed up, Edi stole the show. Nathan is just as great as Guy Gardiner, and from what I understand of the character, he portrayed the character just like in the comics. Isabela did not have much to do in comparison to the other two and had the least amount to say, but the scenes she had were ok, especially a moment she had with a certain someone in the movie, and she made an executive decision that was hilarious. That was a moment where I burst out laughing. Anthony as Metamorpho was good, brought in some of the heart, and I liked what they did with him. The rest of the characters, like Jimmy, Eve, and Perry, are all ok. Jimmy was more of the standout as he had a role along with character Eve, but Wendall, as Perry should have had more to do, but I am guessing it was either cut and left on the cutting room floor, or he was not given much. It just seems like a waste of an actor. Ma and Pa Kent were also great, and I loved the way they were portrayed in comparison to how they have been played in the past, plus it was nice to have both parents in this movie for a change. Krypto the dog is really good, and I feel he worked for me. He was set up, it was explained, and he was consistent.

The special effects and the music, as usual, were great. It is James Gunn and he has a unique spin on things such as music, visuals and humour. The humour felt a touch off in places, ot many, but for the most part, it worked as it was very funny where it needed to be. It wasn't people necessarily being funny or jokes, more situational or a character's behaviour, more than anything. There were some really great laugh-out-loud moments for me. The flying was a concern going in from the trailers, but in context, it worked very well, which seems to be the ongoing thing here as well. There was a lot of uproar about the dog, about the flying, about this and about that, but when you watch the movie, everything is explained in context. The one thing I felt the movie was lacking, and it is likely because I recently rewatched Guardians of the Galaxy vol. 3, and his entire trilogy, James used great music in the films that I have seen, and this film feels a little stripped down, and the music mostly comes from the score itself.

I initially missed the first 10 to 15 minutes of the movie, so I went back to watch it again, and the film felt more complete on the second viewing. It felt more like a whole movie (because I did not miss the beginning), but most of what you see in the trailer is in the first 10-15 minutes, and those minutes give context. There was an explanation in the movie of something, and I thought I missed it, but it turned out you never saw it anyway.
All in all, this movie is the polar opposite of Zack Snyder's DCEU universe, or at least from a Superman perspective for now, and this does not feel like an interpretation or James Gunn's take on Superman (although it is), but this very much feels like Superman from the comics and cartoons. It is very comic-booky. The characterisation and portrayal feel more authentic to who Superman is at his core and not the departure Zack did, although it was beloved. If there is anything I would have wanted from this movie, is more time. More time to work on the story a bit more, the side characters and although we did not get an origin for Superman, some more time with Clark would have been great because the dialogue in this movie is great when we have those small characater moments, so it would have been nice to have some more of that because the action is the action, and it's great, but the intimate bits, the quieter moments, and even some more dialogue choices to explain some things would have went a long way. I got emotional on the second watch, maybe due to some real-life things, but the film is good, has some issues, but it is good, real good. Nothing spectacular, phenomenal or great, it's just a good solid movie and a great intro into this new universe. There are two post-credit scenes, and one pre-credit scene was interesting, going forward.

(trailer review) - Superman

 

There are going to be people who are going to dislike this trailer.  Whether they are Snyder fanatics or people who dislike James Gunn because they dislike the MCU, or because they dislike his films, but cannot construct a coherent and sensible sentence to say why or how. Do not get me wrong, not every director's sensibilities and the way they direct a film is for everyone, and I understand that, but I often think that these are the same people who would complain about Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker, until that film came out and he killed it. I would not be surprised if there was an uproar from people when they saw the first trailer of Man of Steel, because people will always have something to say. Not my Superman! Superman would not do that! So on and so forth. It happens EVERY SINGLE TIME! So with all that said, this trailer looks GREAT!

First of all, we get a bit more context as to what is happening or just a bit more frames added to some of the scenes we have already seen, ie. the stadium fight where Superman seems to suplex the person he is fighting, the Kiju fight where Superman is flying through and around the flames it is breathing out, we even get a line from Mr. Terrific, but at the beginning of the trailer, we have the main villain of Superman, Lex Luther talking about how Superman is the most powerful being on the planet and how he is going to destroy him, kill the reporter he always does interviews with, kill the parent who raised him, Lex just wants him gone and it looks like he is stopping at nothing to do it. Judging from the very first trailer, we had Superman wheezing and battered on the floor. With the context of this trailer, I can only imagine Superman will overcome all of this, and James Gunn will show us what makes Superman Superman. Even Guy Gardner says to him, "Make a move, big blue". This looks like it is going to be a really well-thought-out, acted, directed and fun movie showing us who Superman really is and why he is who he is, and I do not think you can really be mad at that, but I am sure someone will.

(trailer review) - Superman

 

This trailer might actually break the internet, why? Because Superman is such a beloved character. He has been around for nearly 90 years, and although we have had many different incarnations of the character in TV and film, the logo and the character are recognised globally, so logic will dictate that this trailer will not work for everyone, but as long as the movie is really good, right? Subjective, but here we are. I mean, to not have faith in James Gunn at this point is absolutely absurd, but we will see. Personally, I feel that although he can lean a little too hard on the jokes at times, The Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy is top-notch. The Suicide Squad is also great and from what I am hearing about Creature Commandos, not to mention how great Peacemaker was. We shall see.

It would seem to me as though through this trailer, we are presented with someone who can do good, will do good, has all these abilities, but because he is who he is, and does what he does, there are people who want to take him down, whether it is because he is not of any help to one particularly party/grouping or another. I say that because the clips show an angry mob throwing cans at his head, Lex Luther calling Superman an 'IT', how the government feels when he steps in to stop a war and not necessarily picking a side. Lois Lane is interviewing him, asking the hard questions, and he is presenting his case that he is not a weapon (he didn't quite say that), nor is he an ambassador for America and Metropolis, he is for the people, and he chooses to save people if he thinks they are going to die. It will be the very people he protects who have some sort of issue with him, and this trailer did not stop showing us how Superman is fighting lots of different adversaries. I am not sure if these clips are part of a montage, but from a Kaiju, the something in a domed helmet, Ultraman?, those things/people at the Fortress of Solitude, Robots, everybody! And in two trailers, you see him laying on the floor defeated, and in this one, you do see him get clapped to the floor where a civilian helps him up, which was really sweet. Seeing more of Guy Gardiner, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl is great. Luther looks diabolical. I wonder how this will go over with some fans, as in this trailer, you constantly see Superman getting knocked about. Some people will not like that. Something I noticed, though, that David Corenswet looks a little bit like Brandan Fraizer in the 90s in that "Hey buddy, look up here" moment in the trailer. Also, he looks very tall! I am totally sold anyway, and I will not hesitate to see this one Day One.