Superman SPOILER Review Thread (NO TAGS NECESSARY)

[Tra-El]

Ooh I hadn’t thought of that; good call.

That's freaking brilliant. Give me an Escape From Bizarro World NOW.

 

[Frodo]

I give the film a B+.

The film definitely has it's issues in terms of story , but for once, it's the characterizations that are the film's strong suit , with Corensweat making one of the best debuts as a Superman, in quite some time.

He very much reminds me of a young Brenden Fraser, with his natural charm and likability being a refreshing change of pace from the dull, stoic , and dower, Superman characterizations in Superman Returns, and The Snyder era .

At the same time , I feel like Gunn's film is the type of Superman film the character, and the general audience , needs after 20 years of more serious, and polarizing adaptations .

While the film definitely has STAS vibes, I actually think it feels much more like My Adventures With Superman , which I enjoy .

The film is a cartoon , and leans into it .

One's mileage may vary on that , but I will say it's a fun , family friendly ride that is truly made for the next generation of fans .

Here's crossing our fingers that Gunn will finally bring Brainiac to the screen for the film's sequel.

 

[BobJM]

I really doubt there will be that nuance in the future.

This movie clearly shows Jor-El and Lara with an evil and selfish attitude. If you are interpreting differently, it's likely only because you don't like the Kryptonian side being portrayed in such a negative light.

If future movies want to show Jor-El and Lara in a better light, they would need to retcon this in some way.

I don’t see them walking back the reveal in a sequel either, but I didn’t see Jor-El and Lara as evil here. Just focused on their son and giving him the best possible chance to be more. Their version of “more” is a ruler; maybe more in line with an imperialistic Krypton society.

But it just hammers home the importance of the Kent’s and how they raised Clark to be.

 

[Tra-El]

I really doubt there will be that nuance in the future.

This movie clearly shows Jor-El and Lara with an evil and selfish attitude. If you are interpreting differently, it's likely only because you don't like the Kryptonian side being portrayed in such a negative light.

If future movies want to show Jor-El and Lara in a better light, they would need to retcon this in some way.

The Jor-EL and Lara angle/twist was a surprising one. Ballsy even. It's a thread I didn't expect Gunn to entertain. For that reason, it brings an entirely new definition and depth to Kryptonian culture and mythology.

Deep down, I think James really wanted to nail his Superman down to being more Earthly, a good man of this world, and one who loves to love. This also tied into the structure and theme of David's moment as Superman in the end where being human is his greatest strength. Gunn drew a line there, which could play thick within' Kryptonian acknowledgment, especially if we can finally get to a green creature from Colu in this lifetime (along with the release of Supergirl next summer).

 

[BobJM]

Here's crossing our fingers that Gunn will finally bring Brainiac to the screen for the film's sequel.

Totally agree with the MAWS comparison, and think Gunn could look to Brainiac’s portrayal in season 2 for sequel inspiration.

Though I’d really like to see Lex put together a Superman revenge squad with Parasite, Metallo, Toyman, and Livewire (just off the top of the head). More fantastical comic book characters please!

 

[TheGDBatman]

The Jor-EL and Lara angle/twist was a surprising one. Ballsy even. It's a thread I didn't expect Gunn to entertain. For that reason, it brings an entirely new definition and depth to Kryptonian culture and mythology.

Deep down, I think James really wanted to nail his Superman down to being more Earthly, a good man of this world, and one who loves to love. This also tied into the structure and theme of David's moment as Superman in the end where being human is his greatest strength. Gunn drew a line there, which could play thick within' Kryptonian acknowledgment, especially if we can finally get to a green creature from Colu in this lifetime (along with the release of Supergirl next summer).

I think you nailed it on the head. Instead of being a man torn between two worlds, he's instead a man from another world who has chosen this one as his home. I really like that angle, even if the twist on the mythology isn't to everyone's liking. It places him firmly on Earth's side and for the people, and really ties into the idea of him embracing and understanding his humanity.

 

[Frodo]

The Jor-EL and Lara angle/twist was a surprising one. Ballsy even. It's a thread I didn't expect Gunn to entertain. For that reason, it brings an entirely new definition and depth to Kryptonian culture and mythology.

Deep down, I think James really wanted to nail his Superman down to being more Earthly, a good man of this world, and one who loves to love. This also tied into the structure and theme of David's moment as Superman in the end where being human is his greatest strength. Gunn drew a line there, which could play thick within' Kryptonian acknowledgment, especially if we can finally get to a green creature from Colu in this lifetime (along with the release of Supergirl next summer).

I liked the twist .

Smallville and My Adventures With Superman, also played with the idea of Jor El being a less than benevolent figure , and whether or not he wanted Clark to rule Earth , but ultimately, those adaptations wouldn't go there, the way Gunn did .

By the same token, I liked that The Batman Showed a much darker and more complex side to Thomas and Martha, as opposed to being paragons of virtue .

 

[hopefuldreamer]

It's also just really nice to have his decision to be Superman rooted in his humanity, and not something he's doing because he's told its his destiny.

It started out feeling lime a softer version of that... but the twist and Pa Kents line about how he interpreted the half message, make it clear that it's not.

 

[GreenKToo]

Kara may know about Krypton ideology (although that depends on her age when she arrived to Earth), but Kara doesn't have to know Jor-El or Kara's plan of Kal-El conquering Earth. It's possible Kara believed the same as Clark due to the damaged message.

In Kara's regular origin, Zor-El (Kara's father) send her to Earth without Jor-El being involved at all (at most, Zor-El was inspired by his brother idea). Considering Jor-El and Lara don't mention Kara at all, it's pretty likely they mantain this aspect.

I can already tell we are going to get a supergirl and lobo trying to out drink each other scene.

 

[Tra-El]

I liked the twist .

Smallville and My Adventures With Superman, also played with the idea of Jor El being a less than benevolent figure , and whether or not he wanted Clark to rule Earth , but ultimately, those adaptations wouldn't go there, the way Gunn did .

By the same token, I liked that The Batman Showed a much darker and more complex side to Thomas and Martha, as opposed to being paragons of virtue .

As a fan, I tend to look for anomalies of portrayal, especially with my favorite character that is 87 years old and a pop culture icon where every side of this story has been told, yet, these creators that are entirely different from every end of the spectrum, continue to give us something fresh enough where the stories can be bent a bit. That's what Gunn did here (along with his predecessors) so twists as such I'm always a big advocate of, especially if it works and has purpose.

 

[Tra-El]

I can already tell we are going to get a supergirl and lobo trying to out drink each other scene.

Post credit scene written all over it lol.

 

[-Arya-]

8/10

Overstuffed plot but the mashup of geo politics and outrageous sci-fi worked. Lex is perfectly narcissistic and evil. Superman is finally empathetic and inspiring again. He wanted to save the Kaiju, he saves a squirrel, he redirects enemies away from civilians, he saves civilians, he cares about the well being of the oppressed. When he says to Lois that Krypto is lonely and scared and needs to help him, I smiled. This is Superman.

 

[GreenKToo]

Jason just can't stay away from the dragon girls.

 

[dhandler01]

As I said the other day I don't think we are fine with that message.

I gotta say I really, really liked this version of the Kents. I liked how they weren't moral paragons constantly espousing folksy wisdom. Rather, they are just simple, decent people and loving parents. As someone who only has one miracle child after a long battle with infertility, I identified a ton with Pa and his "Mush" persona.

I think in modern adaptations, that is what should define why the Kents are such great parents, not any sort of Midwestern salt of the era trope (which is sadly increasingly inaccurate). There was this energy with this version of the Kents, especially after Clark was injured and in the flashback recordings, that really spoke to a couple who really wanted to be parents but were denied that opportunity and their desire to make the most of that when they got the surprise miracle of Clark.

You could feel it in the preciousness with which they treated him. I could really see that preciousness informing how Clark sees and treats other people and why he treats life generally as so valuable and precious.

Agreed! When Pa turns to Lois and asks if his boy is going to be ok...I dont have kids but I teared up.

They are just normal people, as they should be. They love their son and they love their home and that is all they need. They know what kind of man Clark is and that is all they ever need to know.

And anyone who has aging parents have gotten that phone call from them that Clark gets!

BTW the guy who played Lombard is awesome!

 

[dhandler01]

Saw Superman last night! I'm getting better at letting things settle, sink in and not have a tender knee jerk reaction because in all honesty, the first viewing, for me, is just absorbing as much as the material and experience as possible (knowing I'll be missing some things in between).

That said, my jaw hurts from grinning and smiling pretty much the entire film. I have this warm sensation to see Superman again to hone in and slow things down because Gunn really goes for it as a whole. From the fast pace, to the extremely long dialogue, to the ambitious camera angles and creative choices throughout, this thing plays out like a pure romp of Superman goodness.

I will post more after my second and third viewings, only to make sure my thoughts are lining up with my own before committing to full blown conversations.

But since it is a Superman film, I will say this about the leading man now: I was sold within the very first few minutes and latched on to David's performance as Superman almost immediately. His delivery and ability to take what he is given with a STRONG co-lead in Rachel was incredibly satisfying and he looked absolutely quintessential in many shots from this colorful and witty take. Overall, my crew loved it (there are a good handful of negatives, but negatives that don't negate the viewing pleasure) but I will respond as we go judging from multiple viewings! I am already eager to get back to the theater. Hope you all enjoyed!

Look up

My friend...the second viewing is better! I'm so happy we finally have a Superman film to celebrate!

 

[misjuevos]

I thought it was funny that Superman outsourced being a hero in that madeup country. Superman never even shows up, in his own movie he leaves the people calling out for him to someone else. I just don't think Gunn gets it. Superman stops the mega threat, but he also saves the cat in tree. But don't forget Gunn actually did do that earlier in the movie. Superman saves a dog while stopping a giant reptile. But as far as people go, Gunn's Superman has priorities and doesn't do the thing Superman does. Which is get there in the nick of time. That is the trope that Superman embodies. He always shows up right when you need him most. But not Gunn's Superman.

 

[dhandler01]

Who in the cast stood out to you?

Totally agree with your first point though. I really liked this all-in-all but I think there’s improvements Gunn can make in a sequel that would really knock it out of the park.

Not that you asked me but...

Honestly I was most surprised by Guy. Good lord he was spot on. When he says "make a move Big Blue" I could literally see the one punch scene with Batman in my head. I would pay good money for a JLI series.

I liked Jimmy...he was proactive and not just Clark's goofy buddy. A DP series with him as lead could be fun as heck!

Metamorpho was a huge surprise as well. His scream when Lex shoots the dude hit me both times.

Mr. Terrific is one of my favorite comic characters so he didn't surprise me how good he was but man my gf thought he was amazing!

 

[GreenKToo]

Other than Superman and lois, the characters for me in order..

LEX
Mr Terrific
Guy
Metamorpho.
Jimmy
The kents
The engineer
Hawkgirl
Steve
Tessmacher.
Perry.
Kat.

And do you even rank ultraman? No lines, you never see his face until the end? So no. He was Just a side character for superman to fight.
The muscle If you will.

And oh. I loved krypto. He almost stole the film.
I really liked the robots as well.

 

[dhandler01]

I thought it was funny that Superman outsourced being a hero in that madeup country. Superman never even shows up, in his own movie he leaves the people calling out for him to someone else. I just don't think Gunn gets it. Superman stops the mega threat, but he also saves the cat in tree. But don't forget Gunn actually did do that earlier in the movie. Superman saves a dog while stopping a giant reptile. But as far as people go, Gunn's Superman has priorities and doesn't do the thing Superman does. Which is get there in the nick of time. That is the trope that Superman embodies. He always shows up right when you need him most. But not Gunn's Superman.

I'm sorry but that just isn't true. Lex set up a plan where Superman couldn't do both so Superman trusted other metas to stop the war (the lesser problem) while he literally saved The Earth. (The true problem) Mr. Terrific even puts it that way when he calls Clark as Clark is ready to head to Boravia. Mr. Terrific couldnt stop the rift unless they got to Lex and only Superman could do that. Trusting others to have your back while you go save billions is 100% what Superman would do. Its often the very nature of his relationship with the Justice League.

 

[dhandler01]

BTW I loved when Superman was telling Lex how envious he was and Lex is like "I'm not dim of course I know that!". Such a good moment!

And Krypto did steal the movie for me. In a film where lots of characters one up each other in performance Krypto was just awesome!

I swear if Krem harms Krypto...

 

[GreenKToo]

So I reckon we will see lots more of krypto in supergirl since he left with her.
Isn't lobos space Harley kinda sentient/aware?
I could see some funny scenes between it and krypto if that's the case.

 

[DKDetective]

I thought it was funny that Superman outsourced being a hero in that madeup country. Superman never even shows up, in his own movie he leaves the people calling out for him to someone else. I just don't think Gunn gets it. Superman stops the mega threat, but he also saves the cat in tree. But don't forget Gunn actually did do that earlier in the movie. Superman saves a dog while stopping a giant reptile. But as far as people go, Gunn's Superman has priorities and doesn't do the thing Superman does. Which is get there in the nick of time. That is the trope that Superman embodies. He always shows up right when you need him most. But not Gunn's Superman.

The movie has PLENTY of flaws, but this is not one of them AT ALL. Superman cannot be everywhere at once. The movie clearly established that the rift is a threat to the entirety of existence so of course he goes there. And no, sending the Justice Gang is not even remotely "outsourcing". It is being Superman, being a leader and inspiring others to join in and do what is right.

If you recall earlier in the film, the Justice Gang did not even support Superman's intervention in Jarhanpur or other than Terrific were even willing to help Lois find him. The fact that they decided to intervene in Jarhanpur was proof that they came around to his way of thinking and were inspired by his example.

Would I have preferred if Supes has popped in to say Hi when the rift was closed and to thank the Jarhanpurians for their support. Yeah, I think that would have been better, but it is such a tiny nitpick.

 

[Tra-El]

My friend...the second viewing is better! I'm so happy we finally have a Superman film to celebrate!

Can't wait man! Been thinking about this one since I left the theater. Just the matter of picking the best times with the busy schedule!

David has the goods to carry the insignia for the next decade for absolute sure. And I kept thinking in my mind how fun it would be for a super serious DCU; no nonsense Batman (when they name dropped Belle Reve) interacting with this crew, especially a upbeat and quipy/positive Superman, would make for many laugh out loud moments.

 

[Karelia]

Anyone else just been thinking "Well I'm a punkrocker, yes I am..." since watching the movie... or just me? LOL!

 

[flickchick85]

Anyone else just been thinking "Well I'm a punkrocker, yes I am..." since watching the movie... or just me? LOL!

It has been in my head for 3 days straight now.