Superman was one of my most anticipated movies of the year. After the trailer debuted, I drafted a post in my head that I never bothered to type out here. Now I'm wishing I had it for posterity.
The gist of it was that I have a few complaints with James Gunn. I find him a bit cringe at times. I think his humor occasionally borders on juvenile when he's trying to be subversive or push boundaries. I found that to be the case in Guy Gardner's final action scene. I think he also occasionally bastardizes the characters he's adapting for the screen (looking at you, Drax, Star-Lord, and others). I wouldn't mind so much if their personalities weren't altered in comic continuity as a result.
That said, Gunn has genuine screenwriting chops. He consistently finds real heart in comic book characters, even those as anonymous as Star-Lord, Mantis (sorry, Beamish), or Peacemaker. Hell, he made me care about a fish lady in Creature Commandos. I had confidence that he'd deliver on Superman, a character with more pathos and history than any of the others at his disposal.
My confidence paid off. I loved this movie. It's easily my favorite superhero movie since The Batman. I say it all the time: Superman isn't a power fantasy, he's an altruism fantasy. This was my Superman. He's oafish, optimistic, and a symbol of truth and justice. He'll do everything in his power to save everyone.
I watched Richard Donner's Superman for the first time a few years ago. I expected to love it, but as someone with no ties to it, I found it clumsy and underbaked (I know, I'm sorry!). I haven't seen Superman Returns since I was a wee lad, but IIRC, while it has some good sequences, it's overly long and poorly constructed. My views on Zack Snyder's DC projects are probably better left unsaid. Suffice to say, I think his Batman and Superman are the antithesis of those characters. Gunn's Superman was the bright-eyed take I needed right now.
My relationship with Superman has evolved over the years. As an edgy teen, I found him boring. As I got older, I came to realize that he's aspirational. You may not relate to him like you do Spider-Man, but you can—and probably should—try to emulate him.
With the exception of Batman, I'm not a DC guy. Batman is usually the only DC book I pull. I like Superman and Wonder Woman, but I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of their history, rogues' galleries, or supporting characters. Coming off 30-whatever Marvel movies, it's a weird place to be in. I don't know about Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres or Hawkgirl's personality. I'm much more casual with DC. Morrison's All-Star Superman is my reference point. That's my Superman. Gunn captured its spirit perfectly. That's all I could ask.
On the drive back home with my wife, we talked about getting in bed with another franchise project. We're both wary after being continually let down by the MCU (I've liked four of the 14 released since Endgame). If Gunn's at the helm making projects like Superman, I'll be there. I might be the guy in the audience asking, "Who's that?" when Thanos shows up in the post-credits scene, but I'll be there.
The gist of it was that I have a few complaints with James Gunn. I find him a bit cringe at times. I think his humor occasionally borders on juvenile when he's trying to be subversive or push boundaries. I found that to be the case in Guy Gardner's final action scene. I think he also occasionally bastardizes the characters he's adapting for the screen (looking at you, Drax, Star-Lord, and others). I wouldn't mind so much if their personalities weren't altered in comic continuity as a result.
That said, Gunn has genuine screenwriting chops. He consistently finds real heart in comic book characters, even those as anonymous as Star-Lord, Mantis (sorry, Beamish), or Peacemaker. Hell, he made me care about a fish lady in Creature Commandos. I had confidence that he'd deliver on Superman, a character with more pathos and history than any of the others at his disposal.
My confidence paid off. I loved this movie. It's easily my favorite superhero movie since The Batman. I say it all the time: Superman isn't a power fantasy, he's an altruism fantasy. This was my Superman. He's oafish, optimistic, and a symbol of truth and justice. He'll do everything in his power to save everyone.
I watched Richard Donner's Superman for the first time a few years ago. I expected to love it, but as someone with no ties to it, I found it clumsy and underbaked (I know, I'm sorry!). I haven't seen Superman Returns since I was a wee lad, but IIRC, while it has some good sequences, it's overly long and poorly constructed. My views on Zack Snyder's DC projects are probably better left unsaid. Suffice to say, I think his Batman and Superman are the antithesis of those characters. Gunn's Superman was the bright-eyed take I needed right now.
My relationship with Superman has evolved over the years. As an edgy teen, I found him boring. As I got older, I came to realize that he's aspirational. You may not relate to him like you do Spider-Man, but you can—and probably should—try to emulate him.
With the exception of Batman, I'm not a DC guy. Batman is usually the only DC book I pull. I like Superman and Wonder Woman, but I don't have encyclopedic knowledge of their history, rogues' galleries, or supporting characters. Coming off 30-whatever Marvel movies, it's a weird place to be in. I don't know about Mr. Terrific's T-Spheres or Hawkgirl's personality. I'm much more casual with DC. Morrison's All-Star Superman is my reference point. That's my Superman. Gunn captured its spirit perfectly. That's all I could ask.
On the drive back home with my wife, we talked about getting in bed with another franchise project. We're both wary after being continually let down by the MCU (I've liked four of the 14 released since Endgame). If Gunn's at the helm making projects like Superman, I'll be there. I might be the guy in the audience asking, "Who's that?" when Thanos shows up in the post-credits scene, but I'll be there.
