Having seen it 3 times that left me on a strong Superman high, a mix of thoughts:
- One nit I can't get past: the Justice Gang. That they weren't depicted as staunch critics (repeatedly, not just passingly) of Superman defending Jarhanpur was a big miss, bc it would've made the ending hit much harder. It should've been a major plot point. Max Lord should have been a bigger part of it, tightly controlling every heroic act and media appareance the JG do. Their HQ should've been a corporate hub crawling with staff and receptionists and merchandising/media executives, not just a big room with only the 3 mucking about. The corporate superhero team idea is really fun and should've been squeezed for more juice.
- The social media discourse around this film has been extremely satisfying. Punk rock, kindness=cool, G@za, "no one is an alien", Krypto, etc. I've always wanted to see Superman embraced as a cultural thing on an emotional level. That had always felt elusive with the other movies. It's satisfying to see people getting out of this little pop culture thing what you've always felt was there... comfort, inspiration, validation, what have you.
- The Murphy/Fleming score. Look, it doesn't have the merit of MOS, because that created a whole mood and identity from scratch, and Zimmer and Snyder will always have that on this one. That being said, tracks like "Last Son" and "Your actions" have a staying power with me that rivals or even surpasses the best of the MOS tunes. That may change in time, granted. But Corenswet's Superman has a wonderfully hummable theme that I would sorely miss if future directors ever replaced it.
- This movie has been educational for me, bc it enlightens what makes for a "creatively successful" superhero film, the kind that people go back to over and over. It's really not a difficult formula. It comes down to moments. Four or five moments you spend the whole rewatch salivating for, bc you know how hard they'll tug at your strings. Mine: the pre-title flight; the Clark/Lois interview; Pa Kent; the Ultraman/Engineer fight; the "I'm human" speech; the flying kiss. This movie ain't perfect at all, but those flaws feel small when those moments are there. It's a "joke" where the punchline works. And if I were invited to watch it again, darn it, even at this point, I probably would.
