As a child, the original 70s Superman captured my imagination with Christopher Reeve. The Superman I and II films are still favourites of mine to this day. When the promo and trailers started for this new film, it did capture my attention. To avoid spoilers, I booked to view the film during the first weekend of release.
What did I think? This new incarnation certainly appears to have a more comic book feel and fetching colour scheme. David Corenswet, who plays Superman, is excellent in the role with comic style costume design. As the first instalment of a likely new Superman franchise, the film jumps straight into the thick of the action and actually skips much of the origin story, and a later reveal potentially rewrites some back story related to Superman’s parents (possibly some get out clauses though?!?). The film starts with Superman already known and in a relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). The chemistry is good between the two actors; however, there is not that much screen time when they actually feature together. Also, strangely, Clark Kent doesn’t really feature much. Jimmy, who is played by Skyler Gisondo, is very well cast and has his own little element of the story. Lex Luthor is also played excellently by Nicholas Hoult and brings drama with his determination to bring down Superman.
Casting and presentation of the film are excellent, but it is not without its issues, which are all storyline-related. While some of the plot is clearly based on current world problems, with the invasion of a fictitious country, the story is all over the place and doesn’t make much sense. It appears to go from comic book fantasy to some nonsensical sci-fi elements, including black holes and Lois Lane even flying some odd UFO-type vehicle. It’s a shame that the storyline was not stronger.
Other supporting characters include Super Dog, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, Green Lantern, and even Supergirl. All excellent additions and possibilities that could feature in their own films. Though if you are a super girl fan, the appearance is a very brief cameo.
I had high hopes, and perhaps my expectations were too high. If it’s a new franchise, the the building blocks are in place, and hopefully, storytelling will improve in the future. An enjoyable film let down by its story but is still worth your time.
Ps. There are two post credit scenes and I understand that DC film Supergirl has finished filming for a 2026 release.
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