Superman - "Metahumans Kill Thing"

Superman should be a simple character, but over time multiple interpretations have left things a bit contentious (existing for nearly ninety years will do that to a character). Whether it’s fans of previous incarnations or people who find the character “woke,” there are plenty of haters out there for a character who is typically considered so good that he’s boring. I find all this hand-wringing over what the character is “supposed” to be pretty fucking stupid.

I simply don’t care that much about Superman. It doesn’t matter to me if his immigrant status is front and center (to be clear, at least in the movies, he’s always been an alien). I don’t care if he’s goofier than the last version. I don’t care if he gets his ass kicked (something else that happens in all the other versions, too, by the way [he even died a couple movies ago!]). I’ve been fine with every cinematic version of him so far, and this current one might be my favorite.

I’m not well-versed enough in the comics to claim to know what a Superman movie should be, but James Gunn’s Superman is certainly the kind of movie I want for this character. I’ve watched nearly every comic book movie released in the last forty years, and this is one of the few that brought me pure joy. I found myself simply smiling throughout most of the film. I can find something to appreciate in all the modern versions of Superman. Donner’s is the traditional approach, Lester’s is there for some silly bullshit, Singer’s has the nostalgia factor (and it’s great to put on when I have trouble sleeping), and Snyder’s is more of a tortured god. I enjoy all of these to some degree, but Gunn’s is the first one that puts me in a good mood.

This isn’t just because of David Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman, though I thought he was great at presenting a powerful but vulnerable version of the character. It’s more to do with the world Gunn created. First off, it’s silly. Superman has a dog. He has goofy robot helpers. Second, and most importantly, this is a world that is so used to superheroes and monsters that no one seems too concerned when an interdimensional monster shows up. Sure, they run away and evacuate at times, but you get the feeling that this stuff is as common as bad weather. 

At the beginning of the film, we’re told that metahumans and monsters first started showing up three hundred years ago. Because of this, Superman’s appearance isn’t as big of a deal as it is in other incarnations. There’s no fear about what his existence will mean to mankind. He’s just another in a long line of super-powered beings, even though he is one of the most powerful. This solves a big problem I have with comic book movies of late: seriousness. It’s increasingly hard to care about the potential end of the world when it happens in every movie, and some hero or team of heroes saves the day every time. So it’s nice to have a movie in which everyone in it is like the audience: they’re used to this shit, so there’s no need to freak out or get too dark and serious about it.

Two of my favorite moments in the film involve giant beasts attacking Metropolis. The first one I enjoyed because of the news headline at the end that simply states: Metahumans Kill Thing. This shit is so common they don’t even bother to try to name these things anymore. Also, that fight shows how strong Superman is because he is holding back in the fight, hoping to find a way to incapacitate the monster and maybe find an “intergalactic zoo” they can relocate it to. He rightfully gets made fun of for this, but it’s nice that he isn’t in a hurry to kill something, even if it’s a monster. 

The second moment happens completely in the background. While a dejected Superman talks with Lois, the Justice Gang (I’m a fan of the name) battles a tentacled monster in the background. This shows that Superman isn’t the sole protector of this world, it provides some beautiful background imagery for a dialogue scene (I was reminded of the weird performance going on in Revenge of the Sith when Palpatine tells Anakin about Darth Plagueis), and it solidifies how normal this sort of thing is in this world. 

We all know Superman’s origin. Most of us know who Green Lantern is. The more obscure stuff like Krypto, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl is easily accepted and understood in this setting. All of this would take up entire films in the past with set-ups in post-credits scenes and whatnot. But we either know all this stuff or can easily pick up on it, so why bother wasting time on it? Instead of getting a mid-credits stinger introducing Mr. Terrific, he’s just here, fully established. So instead of a hint, we can get arguably the film’s best action sequence with him and his awesome T-spheres. 

The economy of the film’s run time is great, but if anything, it’s too efficient. My only complaint is that I wanted more time with nearly every character. A few more newsroom scenes would have been great, but I also appreciate a fast moving film, especially since I took my six-year-old son with me, and the less dialogue the better for him. But if the biggest problem I have with a comic book movie is that it’s too short, then it’s something special.

Clearly, I’m a fan of James Gunn’s Superman. Time will tell if it holds up as one of, if not my favorite film in the series. Right now I’m riding on the high of the good vibes of the film (especially with that “Punkrocker” ending montage), but those will go away eventually, and I’ll see how I feel after a rewatch. I’m confident it will hold up. With most of the other Superman films, I need to be in a particular mood to watch them. With this one, I think it’ll be a movie I watch when I want to be put into a good mood. Maybe that’s not what a Superman movie is “supposed” to do, but it feels pretty good to me.