Here’s The REAL TRUTH On The New Superman

Superman directed by James Gunn is one of the more hotly anticipated movies of the summer. So when Gunn was quoted in an interview saying that the movie is a metaphor for immigration and a “political” movie, it caused a media firestorm and a lot of ridiculous character assassinations online about who is and isn’t American or even more annoying who does and doesn’t truly “understand” Superman the character. 

On top of the drama about the movie’s possible political lens, the early screening reviews were so schizophrenic it has been impossible for movie goers to really determine what Superman was going to be. Half the credible reviews said its chaotic and messy and a miss from Gunn. The other half said its a triumph and the best Superman movie there has ever been.

So which is it? Is it the best or worst? And is it a political nightmare? 

The Conservative Critic asks: Is it entertaining? Does it have artistic/intellectual value? Is it liberal propaganda? 

Conservative Critic meter check: Superman

Overall rating: Good and note ‘woke’

Superman is by-and-large a good movie that does plenty of justice to the iconic titular character. Even though it playing old tropes and old jokes on purpose, the take feels fresh. It’s main strength is how fun and action packed it is from start to finish. There is not one wasted moment of screen time, it’s all advance all the time. In addition, the performances are strong across the board and there is a lot of chemistry across the characters setting up the potential for a rich future for the revamped franchise. 

However, there is a real weakness in some of the writing particularly in the storytelling but also in the dialogue. Gunn created a campy world with a lot of sincerity and cheek that works a lot of the time but there are tonal shifts that make the dialogue cringy and emotionally void. The story is a mess from beginning to end but it particularly falls apart at the end. 

The movie definitely does have political themes and some of them lean left but the grand defense of the misunderstood immigrant against evil nationalists was not one of them. Instead there is a not too opaquely veiled reference to the conflict in Israel and a pretty stereotypical albeit not negative depiction of midwestern America. 

Overall Superman is enough fun and enough committed to be a good summer blockbuster and a healthy version of a well explored character and story. 

Is it entertaining? 

Rating: Fun fun fun

The best thing about Superman is how fun and fast paced it is. The movie opens with Superman already in a fight and he’s in one thing to the next through the whole movie up until the very end. There are a lot of characters and while that makes the story more shallow (see below) it gives so much opportunity for antic and jokes and unique fighting styles and skills. Mr. Terrific shines as Superman’s main ally and this version of Green Lantern is funny and sharp and well used. Krypto the dog is a charming comedic relief that keeps the whole movie feeling ridiculous in the best way (I do wish they’d used a real dog for part of the movie). It’s colorful both literally and metaphorically. It is an absolute blast to watch and for some, this portion of the review should be enough to judge the whole film. Because what are superhero movies for really except to be a really good time? 

Does it have artistic/intellectual value? 

Rating: It has some problems

Starting with the positives, the performances are all very strong. David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent is great. He perfectly creates a Superman that fits within Gunn’s vision. He’s sincere to the point of naivete but it never comes off contrived (except where it’s the fault of the script). Rachel Brosnahan embodies Lois Lane. She does a great job. She is the girl Friday archetype that Lois has always been and should always be. She plays Lois as competent, challenging, loyal, vulnerable and charismatic. Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific very nearly steals the show with his perfect performance as a very serious super genius with a penchant for saving the world. Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern is funny and sharp and uses every minute of his screen time to elevate the movie. Finally, Nicholaus Holt as Lex Luther is perfect. He’s evil and petulant but also suave and competent and someone who could believable have amassed and kept a major fortune.

However, the story is a big ole mess. There are way too many plot lines happening at one time. Through most of the movie viewers can cope by sort of forgetting about them as the movie hops from issue to issue. But from the climax to conclusion the whole thing falls apart entirely. There is a particular reveal at the end which feels so unnecessary and forced that I laughed out loud in the theater despite it being one of the rare serious moments of the movie. Gunn really needed to pair down what all was happening and needed to be resolved in the length of the movie.

Because there is so much going on, there is no genuine emotional resonance. The story uses cheap tools to evoke an emotional reaction to something it hasn’t built up at all re: people get upset when dogs, babies, and kids are in danger. It’s the emotional version of a jump scare. But there are core characters and moments we are meant to feel something for or about but the film has spent no time giving any kind of background or building any feelings one way or another to make the stakes have any meaning. 

While the dialogue is meant to be more in the format of a comic book and more silly and campy, there are times when there is a tonal shift but the dialogue is still really bad. There is a moment in particular where Lois and Clark both refer to themselves as “punk rock” and the embarrassment is enough to make viewers want to crawl out of their own skin and die on their behalf. Absolutely brutal. Additionally the characters explain why they feel certain ways or who they are and why or what’s going on a lot of the time which is a huge pet peeve of this critic. If a character is a “cool girl” or a “noble man” they don’t have to tell us their actions on screen will allow us to come to that conclusion. 

Overally, the story is so messy and the dialogue so clunky that the strong performances are only able to balance it out because of how fun and punchy the whole thing is. 

Is it liberal propaganda? 

Rating: Not how they said but some

While the story does draw parallels to the story of an immigrant because Superman (Kal El) came to earth from space, it’s a pretty niche immigrant story when its a blue eyed man who drops into midwestern America as a baby, totally integrates into American culture and is ripped and has super powers. So regardless of their intention, there is no real immigration parallel especially in the context of modern mass migration. 

However, one of the main plotlines involves two neighboring nations at conflict. One is depicted as wealthy and being led by a short man with a large nose and messy white hair. Alone, this could be anywhere or anything. But the other nation is depicted as poor and rural and distinctly muslim. One is depicted as the evil aggressor who is lying about their intention to liberate the other (this isn’t a spoiler they’re described that way from the jump) and the other is poor perfect and innocent. While its not overt and no one has claimed this to be true, to me its quite clear that Gunn was drawing parallels to his version of reality in the conflict between Israel and Palestine. 

Additionally, when the audience is introduced to Clark’s adoptive earthly parents, they are depicted as backwoods rubes. It wouldn’t be so much of a problem if they were just simple people who live rurally and have old things, but they make them idiots. In the beginning, Clark’s mom doesn’t know how to use a cell phone. Later his dad forgets Lois’s name and guesses a completely implausible name just to make him seem stupid. The depiction is a bit insulting to midwestern, rural people who might be simple but are not actually idiots. That being said, Gunn does depict them as the morally superior parents over Clark’s birth parents and most of the other characters. 

Conclusion 

Superman is a lot of fun and for that reason totally worth seeing in the theater. It has a messy story and some political themes but it is not the woke nightmare people were afraid of.