3 years ago James Gunn was announced the creative head of the newly formed DC studios. The event caused a stir in the industry. Gunn outlined a vision for the studio in which the voice of artists comes first. Shortly thereafter, he unveiled a list of the studio’s very genre-diverse upcoming productions that will be part of the newly created universe.
Then we also learned that Gunn himself is working on a script for a Superman movie that will kick off this universe and introduce the character to a new generation of viewers.
„… I love, I get scared…”
I am a person who grew up on DC comics. Superman has always been and still is my beloved pop culture character and stories with him have always roused my imagination the most. It is also from this perspective, as a fan, that I look at the film and write this review.
James Gunn throws us into a fully fantastic, established world of DC. People have been aware of superheroes for 300 years, and seeing interdimensional beings or aliens is an everyday occurrence. The universe created by the filmmaker amazes by how it draws from the pages of comic books. Everything here is uniquely designed and captivates the viewer’s imagination. This picture is a love letter to the silver age of comics soaked in Superman’s legacy. The DC universe from Gunn’s perspective is monumental, amazing, wild and thriving with artistic courage. In the very first minutes we are blown away by the sight of an Arctic castle rising from under the ice – The Fortress of Solitude – only to see for the first time, moments later, in the rays of the rising sun, the city of tomorrow – Metropolis – full of Art Deco-inspired skyscrapers. In this film you won’t find boring landscapes or full-of-dust scenerios that we associate with most modern blockbusters. This film is a living comic book. Each successive location is unique, brilliantly planned and shimmering in vibrant pallets offering a breathtaking visual spectacle.
Entering the world of this film can be compared to seeing Peter Jackson’s Middle Earth transferred to the silver screen or seeing George Lucas’ Star Wars universe for the first time.
Immersive experience is also helped by the heroes. I will talk about the main characters later in this review, but for now, speaking of the world presented, I will focus on the supporting cast. The film is packed with figures from the DC pantheon. Some are given only a few minutes. Despite this, each of them is extremely memorable. Gunn has an uncanny talent, like his idol Spielberg, for introducing us to extremely lifelike characters in a few lines of script. All it takes is one line of dialogue and a brief situational scene to know everything we need to know about the heroes. Perhaps the most deserving of praise are Edi Gathergi as Mr. Terrific and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner. The former charms with his intelligence, composure and cool charisma every second he is on screen. The second buys our sympathy from the start by being a charming, cocky a-hole with a heart of gold. The one who will probably steal the most hearts, however, is Krypto – Superman’s unruly dog based on James Gunn’s real-life dog Ozu.
„… I screw up all the time…”
This film is additionally special to me because I also approach James Gunn from a fan’s perspective. The boom of his career coincided with my adolescence and in some ways I grew up with it. His works were filled with a love of pulp, rock’n’roll sounds and a punk vibe through which I have always felt an intense connection to his work. In addition, the director is a huge comic book fan, which is why he fulfills himself in cinema adapting this branch of pop culture. He draws enormous inspiration from the adventurous nature of Steven Spielberg’s films and the depiction of the beauty of deformed and harmed creatures from Cronenberg’s filmography. As a result, his directing is unable to bore. Gunn is not afraid of weirdness and craziness, and is extremely creative and experimental.
And a kind of crowning achievement of this is “Superman”. It accumulates the experience and all the crazy crazy ideas of James Gunn’s directing workshop. This production has a unique and unprecedented visual language. Here you will find many aggressive cuts, fast zooms or sudden camera movements. All this is designed to show the story as smoothly as possible and to fill it with emotions. This is accompanied by a fast narrative pace that may not suit everyone but pleased me as much as possible, being a kind of an homage to the character’s pulp roots.
Every shot of this film has an idea for itself. It’s full of non-obvious, beautifully lit frames highlighting the breathtaking production design by Beth Mickle. The camera and lighting serve the film’s unique color aesthetic. Everything from the locations and interiors to the costumes and details are kept in shades of blue, gold and red. This is another component that makes this film simply pleasing to the eye being like a living comic book. Another fantastic element is the costumes and character designs, which are kept in saturated colors. Responsible for them is three-time Oscar nominee Judianne Makovsky. She draws straight from the pages of comic books and the crown jewel of her work is the Superman suit inspired by Frank Quiteley’s drawings.
The DOP of this project is Henry Braham, James Gunn’s regular creative partner. His shots are very subjective, aiming at every moment to show and emphasize the perspective of the main character. To achieve this, the director and cinematographer play with different types of lenses and experiment with focus, perspective or the shaking shots. The most representative element of Braham’s visual style is the moving camera, and here this skill shines more than ever. When necessary, in scenes of dialogue, the frame jumps with quick shifts between characters to emphasize the chaos of discussion or the intensity of the narrative figures’ emotions. This works well with James Gunn’s vivid direction. The characters in every scene are doing something. They change position, walk around, go about their daily activities or work. This makes the film in constant motion, always stimulating our eyes. However, this way of filming is most impressive in action scenes. When Superman rescues civilians or stands up to fight, every movement of the camera emphasizes the strength and speed of the hero. Together with extremely creative choreography, this gives us some of the most unique and inventive fight scenes in the history of cinema. Never before have the powers, strength and speed of superheroes on the silver screen been so intense and tangible. This, along with John Murphy’s and David Fleming’s wonderful John Williams-inspired music, guarantees a mix that moves and and does not let you take your eyes off.
„… but that is beeing human…”
But what has always been most important in Gunn’s films are the emotional elements. This film has a huge, as vivid as its colors heart. It manifests itself, as always in the director’s work, through the characters and their relationships. Through difficulties and mutual disagreements or differences James Gunn tells a story about us, about humanity. The artist has a remarkable gift for pouring everyday difficulties with which we can identify into fantastic themes.
The central figure here is, of course, Superman/Clark Kent. He is young and naive, makes mistakes, often falls victim to his own ego or hot-headedness. At the same time, he has a youthful idealism and empathy, sincerity of intent and a desire to do good instilled at his upbringing. He is also charmingly sympathetic and often, in an extremely human way, awkward. We meet him as a person in whose life everything begins to crumble. We see him try, despite great hardships, not to give up and put it together. Even as a superhero, we see the protagonist often struggling or even defeated. But when he gathers his strength and has his heroic moments, the precise direction of the iconicity of those moments, along with the music, evokes shivers and satisfaction.
This is also due to David Corenswet, who plays the role. The actor, in addition to the appeal and features that make him look like he’s ripped from a comic book has a natural charm that he projects into the role. The actor has said for years that he is a fan of the comic book original, and you can see this from the beggining.
Likewise, it’s clear that another fan of the character that she plays is Rachel Brosnahan, who portrays Lois Lane. She has mentioned in interviews that she was inspired to become an actress by the first cinematic actress playing the reporter – Margot Kidder. Rachel, exactly like the original, is curious, smart and resilient. In addition, Gunn has poured a part of himself into her by adding a Punk Rock twist. Her storyline is also extremely human, focusing on her own pursuit of ambition and her fear of her own emotions and doubts about her relationship with Clark Kent.
Opposite the aforementioned two main characters is Superman’s nemesis Lex Luthor. If Superman represents us when we strive to be the best version of ourselves, Luthor is the side of us that has given itself over to negative emotions. He is filled with envy at the fact that Superman is everything the billionaire wants to be. Nicholas Hoult, who plays him, captures the complex nature of the character amazingly. He boils with inner anger, bragging about every victory and exploding at the slightest failure. In every scene with him, we sit on the edge of our seat because he is so utterly magnetizing and nonchalantly charismatic. He will go down in history as one of the best antagonists in comic book cinema and as the villain we love to hate.
But back to the point. This is a film about kindness in a world that tries to undermine it every day. It’s a film about Superman, who, in an age of modern cynicism, faces doubts about his own morality and altruism. By handling this subject Gunn touches, in an unexpectedly blunt and direct way, many contemporary issues. Starting from the more everyday ones, such as the impact and relevance of social media or hate speech on our lives, to the serious political conflict, which is the turning point of the story, deceptively reminiscent of present-day real wars.
In addition, as I mentioned above, it is also a film about our relationships. It’s a film about finding a common language and dealing with differences in a relationship. It’s a film about responsibility and the need to find patience within ourselves when dealing with a situation such as adopting a dog. It’s also a film about parenting and the influence and role of parents in our lives.
And most importantly, it’s a film about ourselves, about dealing with our heritage, about how we use our parents’ guidance and about discovering our identity in the difficulties of everyday life. James Gunn portrays this with remarkable lightness. He shows a protagonist who does not find himself in modern complexities, but who tries, every day, to be better. And it is precisely why it is worth to be better that the director manages to show extremely sensitively.
„… and that’s my greatest strength”
The production refers to the source material with unusual love. The director is not ashamed of his comic book heritage. He is proud of it. He is both sincere and funny. As a result, when necessary he moves us to tears and at other moments he sincerely makes us laugh.
This is a remarkable start for the cinematic DC universe. James Gunn has created a masterpiece of the superhero genre that provides a fantastic visual spectacle, while at the same time stimulating inner reflections and allowing us to feel sincere, deep emotions. He has created a unique work of art that offers us understanding and empathy and that teaches us that changing the world for the better starts not with big but with small actions. When I heard Iggy Pop’s voice singing “Punkrocker” in the last moments of the film my eyes, not for the first time, filled with tears. The director gives a direct message: in an age of a world filled with darkness and cynicism, empathy is the purest form of rebellion, and kindness is the new punk rock. “Superman” is the movie we need, one that in the clearest way opposes evil in the world, celebrates humanity and fills us with hope for a better tomorrow.
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