When James Gunn left Marvel studios in 2023 after making Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, a lot of fans were skeptical about how he would fare as one of the CEOs of DC studios. As should be expected from his track record though, he thrived and immediately released one of the best superhero movies of the decade so far.
Superman is the first movie out of DC Studios (different from DC Films), and it follows the titular Kryptonian (David Corenswet) protecting the world and his own reputation from the sinister Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). Joining his side are reporter and Superman’s girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Daily Planet writer Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), and the tragically-named Justice Gang (Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, and Nathan Fillion!).
James Gunn’s mix of comedy and emotion along with his signature needle drops are kicked up to their maximum effectiveness, especially in the second act. After an unfortunately slow and overly dramatic beginning, Gunn starts injecting some of his iconic wit into the script, and it works surprisingly well and doesn’t contrast with the tone of the first act at all. The middle and end are filled with incredibly thrilling action and perfectly placed comic bits, and they more than make up for the lackluster opening.
The performances are all extremely entertaining, with Nicholas Hoult being a very clear standout of the group. His acting draws very clear parallels to certain tech giants, but even without the real world implications he delivers a thrillingly evil character that actually has motivations and realistic plans, unlike a lot of recent supervillains who seem evil to be evil. In addition, the cinematography is so much more vibrant and colorful than a lot of modern movies, as if James Gunn and the editors knew how many people were asking for eye-popping colors instead of just gray streets with highly desaturated rainbows.
Hopefully, Superman kicks off a new era of superhero movies that are both thrilling and emotional. With The Batman II and Supergirl on the horizon for DC Studios, and the box office success hopefully spurring studios like Marvel to take after Gunn’s example, fans are cautiously optimistic for the future of the superhero genre. If judged on its own, though, Superman is conclusive proof that the Gunn doesn’t jam.
