Superman

Rated PG-13 • Theaters

Warner Bros. has a lot riding on the new Superman movie. The studio’s comic book franchise, called the DC Extended Universe, died in 2023 with a series of box-office flops panned by critics and ignored by audiences. Hoping to revitalize their ailing property, Warner Bros. hired James Gunn, director of the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, to oversee a cinematic relaunch of some of the world’s most iconic superheroes. Gunn himself took the helm on the first movie in the reboot, Superman.

The film drops us straight into the action. No laborious origin story here. “Metahumans,” people with super­powers, have roamed the earth for 300 years. It’s been 30 years since Ma and Pa Kent adopted an alien child they named Clark. And it’s been three years since Clark started playing the hero in Metropolis, living a double life as a mild-mannered reporter. He and Lois Lane have already begun their romance that’s tinged with more than a little journalistic rivalry.

Superman had recently stopped a war between two small nations, saving countless lives. But many people, including government leaders, are questioning whether it’s a good thing to let the world’s most powerful metahuman unilaterally interfere in geopolitics. Lex Luthor is more than happy to find a way to rein him in.

With this incarnation of Superman, James Gunn recaptures some of the bright, hopeful tone of the classic Superman comics and movies. No dark, angsty Man of Steel here. David Corenswet plays Superman and Clark Kent as a fresh-faced idealist whose overriding purpose is to protect life. It’s a sincere and entirely likable interpretation of the character. I only wish we would have gotten to see more of his Clark Kent. The actors who play Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, and Lex Luthor feel so right in each of their roles. Especially Nicholas Hoult, whose Lex might be the best version of the character to date.

The overall vibe of the movie is very traditional, respecting the old comics as well as the Christopher Reeves version of the hero. But Gunn also takes some big swings. The biggest might be the inclusion of the superdog Krypto.

When I first heard the superdog was making his live-action cinematic debut, I was skeptical. Part of Gunn’s charm is that he doesn’t shy away from the silliness of the comic book genre, but I was afraid he might push the silliness too far. The mischievous pup, however, gives us some nice comedic moments while also serving as a linchpin for the story.

Another big swing that pays off is the introduction of the so-called Justice Gang, made up of Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and the Green Lantern Guy Gardner. These other heroes help flesh out this world that’s already overrun with metahumans without bloating the film. Guy Gardner is one of my least favorite comic book characters, but Nathan Fillion’s portrayal made me almost like him.

Despite its classic feel, the movie contains some crass moments, which is something of a hallmark for Gunn. But Gunn’s respect for Superman’s earnestness seems to keep the crudities in check.

Despite being created by a couple of Jewish kids in the 1930s, the Superman character has often left itself open to Christian interpretations. And as with some of his other movies, Gunn lets glimpses of his Roman Catholic upbringing peek through his filmmaking in Superman. Superman has godlike powers, but he proudly joins himself to humanity. Moreover, he has his own metaphorical death and resurrection in this movie, and we even get a superhero version of the Harrowing of Hell, the theological idea that Jesus freed captives from Hades between the time of His crucifixion and resurrection.

Lex Luthor, on the other hand, seems patterned on Satan from John Milton’s Paradise Lost. He’s consumed with envy to the point of self-destruction, refusing to bend his knee to anyone. Gunn makes him the brilliant leader of a techno cult, which adds some sly critique of Silicon Valley.

At its heart, this Superman film offers a conservative message to our relativistic society. We’ve been told that it matters who we think we are. We value intentions, inward dispositions, and self-identifications. Pa Kent reminds us, “Your actions make you who you are.” What good are all our talents, abilities, and aspirations if we fail to do good with them?