David Louis EdelmanSUPERMAN is colorful, overstuffed, and funny. It’s entertaining. But you know what? If this is the much-ballyhooed new direction for DC superhero flicks, then they’re in serious trouble. (1/5)
Because this ain’t groundbreaking. It’s just the same JamesGunn superhero shtick you’ve seen before, very much in the mold of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and THE SUICIDE SQUAD. In fact, it’s exactly like those far better movies with the blood toned down. There’s ass-kicking set to pop music, Superman says “dude” a lot, and there’s an adorable superdog that steals every scene Nathan Fillion isn’t in. (2/5)
This might actually be the most pedestrian film James Gunn has done yet. It’s visually undistinguished — there’s precious little of the trippy psychedelia from GUARDIANS — and the only good orchestral music is cribbed directly from John Williams. The whole thing is almost completely lacking in gravitas. It’s cartoony, and not in the Miyazaki way. More like 1970s SUPERFRIENDS. (3/5)
Still, the casting is terrific. #DavidCorenswet has an infectious optimism about him that puts him very close stylistically to Christopher Reeve. Rachel Brosnahan makes a perfect Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult is quite dastardly as Lex Luthor, and Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern is a hoot. (4/5)
As for the “woke” aspects of the film that has the Right losing what little remains of its mind? Forget it. There’s nothing remotely controversial or even left-wing about the movie at all. (5/5)