Like a lot of kids from the 90s, I grew up loving Christopher Reeve's Superman. As I grew older, Superman seemed like a dated concept, while newer and "cooler" superheroes caught (and kept) my attention. While there were comics that made me like Superman again, it was Man of Steel, and the Snyderverse that helped re-kindle my love for Superman on the big screen. As someone who followed the behind-the-scenes drama around the DCEU, I was quite disappointed by how it got abandoned, and the story left unfinished. So, when James Gunn was handed the keys to the kingdom, I was unsure how the DCU would go, and waited, without pre-judging based on Gunn's existing filmography. After all, Superman wasn't really the kind of character that he usually works with.
The first teaser left me with mixed feelings. The movie looked great, but I was bothered by the use of the John Williams theme, and the Reeve-like costume. I have seen this sentiment a lot online, and from the company press coverage - the desire to "get back" to the good, old Superman, after Snyder's "incorrect" take. My issue was less the disrespect to someone who dared to try something different, and more the lack of creative courage. Superman has evolved so much in the comics over nearly 90 years. It is disappointing to see WB desperately trying to look for ways to churn money from the franchise, instead of finding creatives with a vision, and then trusting their vision. It was not hard to see the grubby finger marks of the money men all over the new Superman movie. I would have loved a new take on the iconic character. It didn't have to big and hopeful. It didn't have to be self-serious and epic. It just had to be authentic.
I watched the movie on IMAX and I enjoyed it. It whelmed me because I had a fair idea of what to expect from the movie. I liked parts of it, while other parts of it made me go 'Meh!'. While I liked the plot, and the performances, neither were good enough to help me get over the minor quibbles I had.
The characters/performances I liked the most were Mister Terrific and Metamorpho. They were perfect for James Gunn, who does a really good job when it comes to non-mainstream characters. Since I have only ever encountered these 2 in JLA comics, watching them in live action was quite the treat. I was particularly surprised by Anthony Carrigan, having seen him mostly in sinister roles. Apart from these two, I think Nathan Fillion did a fine job as Guy. He was as douchey as I expected, and the final fight against the military was quite satisfying. I liked that they had aspects to the plot that were more "real-world" and not just big CGI fights - like the world reacting to Superman, and the war. However, neither had much nuance. The war was portrayed almost cartoonishly, and the whole monkeys-on-a-keyboard was quite a jarring gag.
I liked Corenswet as Superman, but I did not love him. Corenswet captured the charm of Superman but doesn't come across as very authoritative. This is problematic since that seems to be the ask for the direction the DCU seems to be taking. He clearly isn't as overpowered as he is in other iterations, getting beaten up a fair bit in the movie. I feel this is going to be balanced out, by him being the one all other heroes look up to. While I like that as a potential lead-up to Justice League, I am not sure Corenswet sells that well enough. For me, he hasn't measured up to the big three cinematic Supermen - Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill and Brandon Routh.
Hoult was good enough as Lex, but the constant bratty behaviour was off-putting. I've always felt that most hyper-intelligent characters are rarely written well. We have a Lex who has built pocket universes, and teleporters, but has not figured out Superman's secret identity. This is despite the fact that, as Lois points out, only Clark Kent seems to be getting constant and exclusive interviews with Superman. I don't even want to delve into the ridiculousness of using visual feedback to provide verbal instructions to Ultraman. There are so many failure points in that strategy, that even Superman figured it out in the end. On a side note, it always disappointed me that Superman's intelligence is downplayed in most adaptations.
The rest of the cast, Lois included, were serviceable. Unlike some of the online opinions I've read, I was not blown away by Brosnahan's performance, but I did like it. Perry White was barely there. I found Jimmy Olsen's subplot entertaining. The Kents were alright, though sometimes they almost felt like caricatures. I've seen comments online lauding the conversation between Pa Kent and Clark, but that scene didn't land for me.
Coming to what I disliked about the movie, I was floored by the decision to make Superman's Kryptonian parents evil(-ish). I mean, it was done in the comics briefly but for most of Superman's 90 years of publication history, the El's guidance is as instrumental to Superman, as the Kents are. This was something I felt the Snyderverse handled really well. Apart from this, I was disappointed by how shallow and by-the-numbers the movie felt. There was no epic scene that made me go 'Wow!'. There was no deep catharsis from Superman's (and the Justice Gang's) victory. Having Krypto interrupt Lex's rebuttal was an odd choice.
Ultimately, it felt like James Gunn tried hard to please the Reeve afficionados and the Snyder fans, and by not comitting to either extreme, made a movie that was tonally all over the place. While I liked Corenswet as Superman, I wish the movie was made by someone else, unhampered by executive decisions.