Audience members are so deprived of quality these days that the thought of a sub-two-hour superhero film is seen as a blessing, not an industry standard. The bloat of other comic book franchises has had a knock-on effect on others in the same field. Superman has had a relatively straight line from production to release, and the lack of behind-the-scenes mania and safe hands across the cast makes for a solid adaptation of the red-caped phenomenon. He may be as boring as sin, but he is back. A superhero whose weakness is crystals and bald men with the power to wield them as well as those obsessed with astrology, Superman does what no adaptation has done so far. Removes the origins. James Gunn puts his trust in the media literacy of those in the theatre, and he is right to do so. It pays off wonderfully for his light and loose work here.
That is still the appeal of comic book peddler Gunn, whose charm wore thin on the first Guardians of the Galaxy effort, and yet has remained. It works for Superman because it pulls at a very two-dimensional character. David Corenswet is likeable as the journalist by day, superhero by night character, though he appears to have taken a leaf too many from the book of The Office’s Jim Halpert. He presents Superman as some cross between a world-saving hero who shows flashes of Christopher Reeve and a consistently bothered individual with no sense of confidence in his own abilities. It is a blend which keeps the lighter touch of the film alive, and that is what Gunn specialises in. He is principal of this superhero school which keeps churning out the directors taking on these projects, ruining the pace or tenderness of a scene for a throwaway gag, to stop it becoming too heavy.
Superman is made as though your attention span is never fully on the film. The action and pacing are all over the place, but thanks to strong work from Corenswet, Nicholas Hoult, and Rachel Brosnahan, it is worth sticking with. Gunn and the gang keep things simple, relying not on plot depth or characterisations which challenge the book, but on cameos adapted into supporting roles. Nathan Fillion features as Guy Gardner and is ample in the role, his change of heart over the three acts limited to just as many scenes, while Skyler Gisondo portrays the unlikely saviour, the man who saves the day by putting himself in a situation where, conventionally, he would love to be. Superman tries to be subversive, but its constant, Halpert-like winks to the camera, ruin the mood a bit.
Still, there is plenty of fun to be had with the Caped Crusader on this outing, which is more than can be said for other entries into the adaptive canon. Gunn does well to bring out a more colourful display of the Man of Steel, and through careful selections for the cast, comes out with a very solid, albeit forgettable offering. It is not that anything is particularly underwhelming for this version of Superman, just that in navigating around obvious plot points or throwaway gags, he and the cast crash into similar-looking problems. Every character feels a tad one-note, as though once their sole purpose is served, they must serve it again, no matter the damage it does to their presence. Commentaries on the world around us, happenstance or not, are always nice to see when delivered with nuance. Superman throws some obvious punches, but to see a superhero film comment on the world around us is, at the very least, refreshing. It shouldn’t be, but the bar is so low audiences will take what they can get, and love it all the same.
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