- SUPERMAN
- Starring: David Cornsweat, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult
- Directed by: James Gunn
- Rated: PG 13
- Running time: 2 hrs 9 mins
- Warner Bros
Our Score: 3.5 out of 5
47-years ago, several of my high school friends and I gathered at the Hillsboro Theatre in Tampa to catch the first show of “Superman: The Movie.” We loved it. As fate would have it, not only are we all still great friends, but I was back home in Tampa when the latest adventures of the Man of Steel hit the big screen. We went. We liked it.
As told by director/co-writer James Gunn, some things are different in the DC comic universe that I grew up reading about and watching. We now find Clark Kent (Cornsweat) and Lois Lane (Brosnahan) in a committed relationship. Of course, this means Lois knows his secret identity, which was always a bad thing in the past. However, the chemistry between the two is such as you don’t mind that this fact is one of the many that are now apparently cannon for the character. We are introduced to Krypto, the Superdog. And a pretty amazing Fortress of Solitude. Everything for comic book lovers to fawn over and discuss. One blink and you’ll miss it line, which I won’t divulge, took me by surprise though I was assured after the movie by two of my true comic books reading chums that the fact in question was pointed out in a late 1970s edition of the comic. OK, back to the film.
As usual, Superman is put upon by the evil machinations of one Lex Luthor (Hoult), who is quite good here. For some reason, from Gene Hackman to Jesse Eisenberg, Lex Luthor has been played to laughs with his schemes. In my opinion, only Kevin Spacey in “Superman Returns” really nailed the Lex Luthor I remembered from my youth. Hoult is right up there with Spacey, giving Luthor the menace he truly exudes.
The rest of the main cast is strong. Cornsweat has big boots to fill. To me, the late Christopher Reeve will always be Superman, but I’ve had no issue with how the character was portrayed in later films by Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill. Cornsweat is very reminiscent of the character the way he was portrayed in film serials by Kirk Allyn. If I have one issue with the casting it’s that apparently James Gunn has never been to Kansas. In the past, Superman’s adoptive father, Jonathan, has been a strong, simple man who offered advice when needed, be he played by Glenn Ford or Kevin Costner. Here, as portrayed by Pruitt Taylor Vince, Pa Kent is a yokel in coveralls.
Still, the special effects are outstanding and there are enough Easter eggs – one character is named Otis Berg – to make longtime fans happy.
On a scale of zero to five, I give “Superman” ★★★1/2