Is it wrong that I went into this movie totally expecting to hate it? In recent years I’ve been on a “superhero-movie-moderately-dislike train” and a “DC-movie-hate train” since the Dawn of Justice so I was fully expecting this movie to be total dogshit and not even worth a place on my prestigious list of reviewed works. And for once I was absolutely mistaken. Outside of one specific scene, which will be discussed later, I really enjoyed it.
Whatever popular opinion may be, I did like Man of Steel when I watched it back in the day. I can recognize its flaws and such but it was a fun action movie (and I wasn’t nearly as tired of superhero movies back then). So rather than looking for a replacement of a Superman movie, I wanted to see a course correct from the cheep cash grabs that DC movies have been. I wanted to be told a story that captures my heart. I wanted to see realized characters express themselves. All I really want from the super hero movie is an interesting and innovative film formed within the mold of the superhero universes.
Superman (2025) (I wish they could choose a different title but I get it) delivers on this. James Gunn brings us into his new universe with the character of Superman fleshed out by his crisis of identity between being an (actual) alien and growing up as a human. With most of the movie shown through the lens of Clark trying to figure himself out, the movie ends up being a really effective introduction to who Superman is without having to go through the origin story that people are surely tired of seeing. This might be the most character development the character has ever seen in a film and I loved it. More than anything, I really want to see more from this universe and I’m excited to see if Gunn can keep it up.
Oh yeah, the scene I was talking about earlier.
What the fuck was that scene with nano bot lady’s head sprouting up from her ass???? Seriously what the fuck. I verbally reacted in the theatre when I saw that because it was so weird and stupidly unnecessary. Maybe James Gunn has some kind of Tarentino style “head sprouting out of ass” fetish.