INITIAL THOUGHTS
For being more of a Batman than Superman fan, it was so refreshing to see a tonal shift for Superman that felt like you were watching a comic book on screen. Bursting with color, fun angles through the sky and during fight sequences, and true hero traits portrayed by Superman that establishes THE SUPERHERO in the modern world of film and pop culture. Corenswet is the perfect Superman and James Gunn reset the DCU universe beautifully. Rachel is the classic Lois Lane, and there are so many directions they can go now with an established Superman. Krypto, Mr Terrific, and Lex Luthor were the MVPs though. Didn’t expect to be able to flip a switch and see the very next Superman after Cavill be such a perfect embodiment of the comic book character but by God they did it. This is a comic book movie for comic book fans. There are such exciting things to come with the DCU, and this was the first step that left a quake of possibilities for the universe.
ACTS OF HOPE AND EMPATHY CONNECT US ALL
Superman is portrayed as more human than ever in my opinion here. He has a trust in humanity, his upbringing is apparent here as he cares about every single life on Earth and protecting them. Many times during his fights and recollections of defending Earth he cites how there were no casualties. Which is most important to him in protecting the people of Earth as he sees himself as one of them, even though he knows he is gifted beyond belief. Truly believing in using his powers to protect the Earth not take it, like the message that was sent by his parents eventually says.
Corenswet feels more like comic book Superman than Cavill did and it is tough for me to say that. I love Cavill and thought he was the perfect looking Superman, but the embodiment of getting back to the roots of what Superman stands for and is, Corenswet is that. This is the version of Superman that comic book fans deserve. General audiences I think will like this version and it will take some more impactful films and showings from Superman for general audiences to fall in love with him. Not to say some don’t already, but it takes goodwill, trust and the building of a legacy as the cornerstone of the Justice league over this new reset of the DCU for Superman to be as popular in pop culture as the Avengers were for Marvel. I can’t close this section without mentioning the countless acts that show how empathetic Superman is in this film. He saves a squirrel, saves a little girl, is actually impacted by the death of the Halal vendor, cares to help Metamorpho, and gives two extremely wholesome speeches to both Lois and then to Lex Luthor that explains just how imperfect he is and how that makes him more human than he is thought out to be. It was an amazing exclamation point to all we were invested in with Superman and the hero we come to love even more by the end of this film.
LEX LUTHER, KRYPTO, AND MR TERRIFIC STEAL THE SHOW
In order for a film to be as successful and well reserved as this Superman film was, Superman and Lois need great dancing partners, and they got them. Nicholas Hoult was the highest paid actor in this film and rightfully so. He is the most established and has shown to be able to be a pivotal character and presence in every film he has been on. His Lex Luthor takes the Superman rivalry so personal and you can feel hit hate for Superman radiating from the screen. It is so refreshing to have a villain being evil just because he is evil, and for personal gain of course sprinkled in. His acting chops have him skyrocketing up the board of coveted actors in Hollywood and this is another stacked performance to add to that resume of Juror #2, Furiousa, The Menu, Nosferatu, and many more. His Lex Luthor is an insane step up from past iterations and you BELIEVE he is the highest threat to Superman here, which is how it should be. His orchestrating of fight sequences and dialogue woven throughout scenes and interactions adds a layer to the villain that does not make this movie feel one sided to Superman. To the point that when he is overcome at the end it feels like it took all Superman had to do so.
Mr Terrific is going to be the character I believe whose stock is going to rise the most in this film. People are going to find it super fun and culty to be obsessed with Mr Terrific and using nerdy traits to transcend what is cool and powerful. I could see a lot of people choosing to be him as their costume on Halloween and honestly I’m here for it. He leads us through the middle portion that I thought was beginning to drag some to getting Superman out of the pocket universe. Not easy to carry a Superman film without showing Superman much and I think he bridged that gap quite well. Also showed to be a strong hero alongside Superman and able to help do some additional work to take the load off Superman’s shoulder in his fight against a mega-tech mastermind in Luthor.
Now for the real MVP of the supporting cast. KRYPTO. He was an easy win for the DCU because everyone loves a dog, and instead of making him some amazing heroic dog he is goofy and untrained, but trained enough to be a serviceable sidekick that can shift any fight in Superman’s favor. The fact he gets taken made me so upset but it made the rescue even better. He was crucial in the fight against Ultraman and his continuous defaulting back to just being a goofy pup was a breath of fresh air in a superhero film. Krypto being Supergirl’s dog also is the icing on the cake, because it makes so much sense and that girl having a super dog running around with her added so much fun to her expected movie. The best super pet you could have had in this film!
FINAL THOUGHTS
This start for the new branding of the DCU with Superman here couldn’t have gone better. You found a likable and believable Superman that are making people already shit on Cavill’s portrayal, an actress that couldn’t have played Lois Lane any better, and Lex Luthor being the best actor in the whole film and most comic book accurate portrayal of him I have ever seen. The color bursts and the use of camera angles and transitions during fights really made you feel like you got dropped into the pages of a comic book, which is what we all wanted. You have so many directions to go, so many villains that can be infused in the universe, and so many characters that still remain untapped in the stories that we will get in the growth of Superman and eventual Justice League.
The Cinema Speakeasy Theatre Room 
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