Anyone who knows me personally knows what a huge Superman fan I am—and always have been. I was born in 1974, a mere three years before the iconic portrayal of Big Blue by Christopher Reeve cemented, for my generation, who the Man of Steel was on the big screen. The tagline, “You’ll believe a man can fly,” brought movie magic front and center—the likes of which hadn’t been seen up to that point.
Today, of course, with CGI and artificial intelligence, you can make Grandma fly around the moon blindfolded in her muumuu using a free app on your phone. Kids today are spoiled by technology. We Gen X-ers, on the other hand, were spoiled with actual greatness.
I finally had the chance to see James Gunn’s Superman in theaters. The buzz leading up to the film was that it had a much lighter tone than Zack Snyder’s darker take starring Henry Cavill. As a longtime fan of the character—and of how he's evolved across TV and film—it’s always fascinating to see how Superman is adapted for modern audiences, often reflecting the current cultural climate. Gunn’s Superman fits that ever-evolving formula.
Replacing Cavill is David Corenswet, a somewhat lesser-known actor who, like Reeve, is a Juilliard alum. At first glance, I’ll admit I didn’t think Corenswet had the physicality Cavill brought to the role. On the surface, Cavill looked almost exactly like what you'd imagine Superman would (or should) look like. My only wish? That he had been a better, more well-rounded actor. I know that’s harsh, but it is what it is.
I get it—actors are sometimes hamstrung by the scripts they’re given. But great actors can elevate even the dullest material. While Cavill had the look of the Man of Steel, his performance never quite soared. Whether that was fully his fault or Snyder’s, I’ll leave for others to debate.
I never understood Snyder’s decision to strip away the classic duality between Clark Kent and Superman—the deliberate contrast we saw so well in Reeve’s portrayal. Clark’s bumbling, goofy demeanor was always meant to mask the confident Kryptonian within. I appreciated that Gunn brought that back with Corenswet’s performance. It humanizes the character in a way Cavill’s version never quite did—or was allowed to. Gunn even dials Superman’s powers down a notch to make him more relatable. In fact, Superman gets his ass handed to him more than once in this movie—but like Rocky Balboa, he just keeps getting back up.
The ultimate goodness that is Superman is juxtaposed by the diabolically evil Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult. Hoult gives us the best version of Lex since Michael Rosenbaum’s performance on Smallville. He wasn’t as campy as Hackman or as sullen as Spacey—and I won’t even talk about Jesse Eisenberg’s Ritalin-infused Luthor. Hoult nailed it. One scene, where he plays Russian Roulette using a prisoner, shows just how dark Gunn is willing to get.
Gunn also puts his signature touch on the film, incorporating popular music into the score and sprinkling modern vernacular throughout the dialogue. It was fun—albeit a little corny—to hear Superman drop a few “darns” here and there. But then again, Superman has always been the best kind of corny. Speaking of music: thank you, James Gunn, for at least using some of the iconic John Williams theme. Is it really a Superman film without hearing that at some point? Bravo.
This isn’t the neck-snapping Superman of Snyder’s grim universe. Gunn’s Superman enjoys doing good deeds. He’s not weighed down by self-doubt or existential angst—though maybe he should be a bit more discerning when it comes to dealing with nation-states on the brink of war. Either way, there’s joy in seeing this version of the character, where Cavill’s Superman always seemed reluctant and joyless, despite his godlike power. Does that mean Gunn won’t take his version of Superman down a darker road at some point? Who knows—but at least he didn’t start off like that.
I did have one issue with the story, and it involves Superman’s biological parents, Jor-El and Lara. I won’t spoil it here—but when you see the film, keep that subplot in mind and see if it hits you the way it hit me.
In the end, there’s room for all versions of Superman, and depending on your personal taste, you’ll either love this one—or you won’t. But it’s hard to deny that Gunn’s take is the closest we’ve ever come to bringing the comic book Superman fully to life on the big screen. If a comic could leap off the page, it would look a lot like this.
James Gunn didn’t just reboot Superman—he reminded us why we believed in him in the first place.
All in all, The Sector gives Superman a solid 8 out of 10.
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