Superman

Shocker: Superman (David Corenswet) loses his first fight!

Superman’s super-canine sidekick, Krypto, drags his broken body back to the Fortress of Solitude, where an army of robots tend to his injuries.

Meanwhile, on some foreign continent, a war is brewing between the Russian-esque Boravians and Middle East-style Jarhanpurians.

In Metropolis, the recuperated Superman battles a Godzilla-sized, fire-breathing alien that’s wreaking havoc on the city’s citizens and skyscrapers. The Man of Steel is assisted by the Justice Gang, comprised of Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and the Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion).

Atop a skyscraper in a different part of the city, supervillain Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), plays overzealous puppeteer to dozens of computer experts, who work in tandem to devise a way to destroy Superman.

Later, over at the Daily Planet newspaper, Clark Kent (Superman in his ordinary citizen guise) and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) bicker over the ethics of journalism. When Lois returns home at the end of the workday, she finds Clark cooking dinner in her flat. We learn, as they make out, that they’ve been dating for a few months.

Huh?

Yep. You’ve guessed it…this isn’t your father’s “Superman” movie (much to its detriment).

The latest film—simply named “Superman”—based on the eponymous, indestructible Kryptonian created by comic book legends Jerry Siegel (writer) and Joe Shuster (artist), is an absolute abomination.

Aside from the meaningless “Godzilla-esque” sequence, ill-advised love story between Clark/Superman and Lois (a sure-fire way to kill any story is to have the main love interests finally get together—reference TV’s “Moonlighting”), stereotypical country folk portrayal of Ma (Neva Howell) and Pa Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince), high-flying/low-IQ dog Krypto, incongruous sci-fi trappings (Lex’s high-tech setup that operates the movie’s mystery villain Ultraman, robots in Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, Mr. Terrific’s ball-like spaceship, a black hole, a pocket universe and an antiproton ribbon), goofy Justice Gang that constantly upstages Superman, panoply of generic villain sidekicks, low-stakes action sequences, thinly-veiled political commentary, aimless plot, utter dearth of star power, and instantly forgettable soundtrack by David Fleming and John Murphy (that only features a few minor refrains of John William’s masterful OG main title), one of the movie’s most controversial aspects is Superman’s morally reprehensible parents, Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara (Angela Sarafyan).

The key story element missing from this movie, that always worked in previous iterations of the Kryptonian myth, is Superman’s origin story. Here, we jump into the action with no context and no real reason to sympathize with Superman—especially since he’s portrayed as a loser right off the bat, and does little to change that opinion during the rest of the movie.

Why did director/writer James Gunn eschew Superman’s powerful backstory? Maybe he didn’t want to waste the screen time, or maybe he felt the origin tale is passe, or maybe he felt others had already done a better job than he could. Whatever the reason, this movie starts out in a hole, with respect to audience empathy for the title character, that it never quite climbs out of. A massive narrative misfire by Gunn.

Nitpicks, you ask? The movie’s packed with ‘em. For starters, the Man of Steel now bleeds? And needs to pop his elbow back in place? Totally daft and inconsistent with what’s been established in earlier movies (I know nothing about the comic books).

And when is Superman going to install a better security system in his Fortress? Seems like Lex waltzes into the crystalline palace in every other movie. Maybe he found the hide-a-key behind the third crystal pillar on the right?

Then there’s the well-worn contrivance of Metropolis being ravaged by some outside force. Here, an expanding rift cuts a swath through city streets. But the good guys figure out how to reverse the effect (with computers?) and the city is made whole once again. Huh? No structural damage to any of the buildings? No possibility of the loose soil creating sinkholes under the streets?

But even more egregious than all these tenuous story elements or oversights is that the characters are just plain lazy. Superman doesn’t even lift a finger to help the Justice Gang in their efforts to defeat a dimensional imp because he wants to spend a romantic evening with Lois. Lois listens to Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover) gab on while watching the gigantic alien demolish a section of the city on TV. What? The real Lois would grab her tape recorder and head into the fray faster than you can yell, “It’s a bird!” Then there’s Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), who refuses to spend time with his ex-girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio), even though she’s willing to give him an exclusive scoop on Lex’s many illegal activities.

These people aren’t heroes. They’re self-centered twits. Unfortunately, as awful as the characters are, the actors portraying them are equally abysmal. I normally don’t disparage actors, but the only cast members who turned in halfway decent performances are Brosnahan and Fillion. As the star of the show, Corenswet is singularly horrendous, and doesn’t deserve to wear the cape and tights. Hoult is pathologically melodramatic. The other cast members walk through their scenes like cardboard cutouts. Whoever played the mustachioed tech nerd on Lex’s team should go back to waiting tables.

The cringe-worthy acting makes enduring this rudimentary story even more unbearable. Granted, all of these “Superman” movies contain cartoony elements, but this film lowers the bar to a ridiculous level. Put simply, this isn’t a serious film. Or to flip the coin, it’s utterly silly.

And what’s even more silly than the movie itself, is the pre-release comments made by Gunn. Clearly intended as a dig against ICE agents, who are currently rounding up criminal non-citizens in our country, Gunn referred to Superman as an “immigrant.” The comment caused a firestorm in the media and, when given the opportunity to revise or retract his remark, Gunn doubled down, claiming the moral high ground.

This is a massive unforced error. Why would you intentionally alienate (pun intended) half your audience with a controversial statement before the movie even opens? It wasn’t that long ago that studios produced movies that appealed to the broadest demographic possible, to make as much money as possible. Today, in the age of Dylan Mulvaney, ideology and advocacy are more important than money—perhaps because such in-your-face social experiments are being underwritten by moguls of the Soros ilk. Is this why Gunn didn’t flinch in the face of conservative backlash over his statements…because he’ll make his millions no matter what?

Another problem with Gunn’s comment is that it’s based on a massive misnomer. According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, an “immigrant” is “a person who comes to a country to take up permanent residence.” No part of that definition applies to Superman. He isn’t a person from Earth (human). He didn’t come to Earth—or America—by his own volition. Also, Superman takes up permanent residence on Earth because he has nowhere else to go.

Which brings us to a much more apropos word to describe Superman’s plight…orphan. Again, Merriam-Webster defines “orphan” as, “a child deprived by death of one or usually both parents.” In Superman’s case, he lost his parents and planet in one tragic event. So, why does Gunn use the less accurate “immigrant” rather than the more accurate “orphan?” Because “orphan” doesn’t fit his liberal agenda as well as “immigrant.”

As for Gunn’s directing, it’s nothing earth-shattering. The shots of Superman flying through the air are much more kinetic than those in earlier movies. The wind whips through his hair and the camera moves around to reveal different aspects of his chiseled physique. The slo-mo shot of Superman protecting the little girl from flying projectiles is well done, but certainly isn’t a pioneering visual. Another slo-mo shot, when Superman punches a villain and his teeth fly toward the camera, looks like something you’d see in a video game. Superman cutting down an army of enemies with his Heat Vision is a gratuitous, jeopardy-free yawn-fest. Way too easy.

So, what’s this movie about?

According to the summary on IMDB, “Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.” (Note: “human way” not the traditional “American way.”)

Okay, so what’s the movie about?

This reveals the film’s inherent identity crisis. The story is a jumbled mass of heroes, villains, plot strands and action sequences that ultimately have nothing to say about anything. What’s painfully obvious here is Gunn’s insatiable desire to mold one of the greatest heroes in pop culture into his own image.

How ironic that the movie’s Kryptonite is Gunn’s massive ego.

Objectionable Material

OFFENSIVE LANGUAGE/VULGARITIES: There is more here than in any previous “Superman” movie. The curse words include: *ss (3), A**hole, J*ck*ss (1), H*ll (6), D*mn (2), Sh*t (10), B*tch (2), D*ck (1, misspelled in a text message), Scr*w, and Fricking. There are also middle finger gestures. The film also contains irreverent speech, such as: G*dd*m (1), J*s*s Chr*st (1), “Swear to G*d” (2), “Oh, my G*d” (1) and “Oh G*d” (1). There’s also “P*ss off” (1), “Cr*p” (1), “Cr*d” (1), “S*ck” (1) “G*sh” (1), “G*lly” (1), and “What the h*y” (1).

NUDITY AND SEXUAL CONTENT: A man and woman make out in two different scenes. A woman wears low-cut blouses in various scenes. In an odd story beat, a woman wants to cheat on her current boyfriend with her ex-boyfriend. In another scene, we briefly see sex workers milling about on city streets in skimpy outfits. Superman is accused of having a harem of women.

VIOLENCE AND GRAPHIC CONTENT: There are many action sequences in the movie, but most of the fighting falls into the bloodless “sci-fi violence” category. Mr. Terrific uses dozens of high-tech hovering balls to zap an entire army of soldiers into unconsciousness. The scene where Superman dispatches a squad of flying assailants with his Heat Ray is graphic—slice marks appear on the victims—but isn’t bloody. Superman describes a time he tortured a man by pushing his back up against a cactus. In a fit of rage, Superman crashes into Lex’s office, throws him against a desk and breaks some furniture (sound like the Superman you know?). Superman punches the teeth out of a man’s mouth.

One character says he wants to beat another person to death. A villain throws nanite-composed, spinning saw blades at people and robots. The most shocking scene in the movie is when Lex puts a gun to a man’s head and pulls the trigger. We see a spatter of blood and the man collapses to the ground. Though framed at long range, it’s still an extremely graphic visual.

Superman bleeds from his nose in one scene. In a grotesque display, Superman pulls a thick cord of black nanites through his mouth. When Superman is in the throes of Kryptonite poisoning, his veined visage may be distressing to some viewers. While protecting refugees, the Green Lantern erects a wall of large hands that flip the bird at enemy forces. Scenes of the city falling apart around fleeing citizens may be too intense for some in the audience.

Spiritual Aspects

Sadly, the movie is virtually devoid of spiritual significance. However, there are a few ancillary themes that can be plumbed for meaning, such as…

ANGER

Clark/Superman and Lex are angry for much of the movie. They shout their dialog and frequently resort to violence, which makes it hard to decipher which is the hero and which is the villain. After Lex ransacks Superman’s Fortress, a hostile Superman crashes into Lex’s office, violently tosses Lex up against and desk and smashes furniture and computer terminals. Strangely, Superman isn’t riled up over Lex invading his arctic retreat, but because he mistakenly thinks Lex stole his dog. What was this Superman like as a teen?

Aside from such petulant behavior, unbefitting of a hero, the most disturbing aspect of this scene is that it holds up a mirror to our society at present. Seems like everyone is outraged these days. Some may be fired up over a specific cause, but many are just mad because it feels good…their amygdala has been hijacked by fearmongering news outlets that pit one half of the country against the other and frequently use words like “racist” and “Hitler.”

Anger is the easiest emotion to default to when things are going bad. That’s why infants and kids throw temper tantrums when they don’t get their way. But when adults regress to childish behaviors, society starts ripping itself apart at the seams…as we’ve witnessed in our inner cities in recent months.

Those who struggle with hatred, anger or violence should heed what the Bible says on the subject in James 1:19-20, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”

WAR

The Boravian-Jarhanpurian conflict is obviously a fictitious equivalent to the Russia-Ukraine War. Other than its pro-refugee, anti-imperialist stance, the movie has little else to say on the subject; the war subplot is murky and underdeveloped.

The most chilling part of this storyline is that the international conflict is fomented by a rich and powerful person. According to the Bible, the Lord despises individuals who have, “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil…” (Proverbs 6:17-18).

Despite the many conflicts in the Bible, specifically those found in the Old Testament, God hates war. In fact, one of His many names is, “the God of peace” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

SLANDER

Knowing that he’s no match for Superman physically, Lex uses social media to spread lies about the man from Krypton to damage his reputation. In the digital age, cyberbullying and cancel culture has destroyed many lives. The Bible is clear about such abusive behavior in the 9th Commandment, “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor” (Exodus 20:16).

SLAVERY

The movie uses the term “metahumans” to describe any individual living on Earth that exhibits superpowers (this includes Superman, the Justice Gang and Lex’s superpowered cronies). In the “X-Men” universe, these individuals are referred to as “mutants.” And, just as the mutants are rounded up in one of the “X-Men” movies, so too are the metahumans in this film.

Of course, the liberal subtext here is that deporting undocumented migrants is inhumane. But there’s a huge difference between Superman and the millions of people (including thousands of criminals) who’ve illegally entered the U.S. over the past few years, right?

The metahumans are transported to the pocket universe, where they’re incarcerated in translucent cells reminiscent of those in “Escape Plan.” When Superman finally escapes his cell, with the help of fellow metahuman Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), you’d expect him to do the Messianic thing and set the captives free (Luke 4:18). Instead, this self-serving Superman flees the pocket universe and leaves the other imprisoned metahumans to fend for themselves.

There’s another instance of slavery in the film that’s probably in the director’s blind spot. Superman’s highly advanced autonomous AI robots are slaves, programmed to serve him. Gunn seems to be okay with this kind of slavery.

ENVY

Lex admits that envy is his motivation (greed and his hatred of Superman are also significant pieces of his identity). Unfortunately, according to Galatians 5:21, those who envy and live by the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Bible Reference

There is one quotation from the Bible in the movie. Surprisingly, it’s Lex who says, “O ye of little faith” (Matthew 16:8 KJV).

Final Thoughts

So, is “Superman” the worst film in franchise history? Without a doubt.

As awful as “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” is, this movie still edges it out. And before you bring up “Superman III,” consider that it actually had some semblance of a plot, a diverting return to Smallville, one of the most compelling subplots of any “Superman” movie when the Man of Steel turns evil, and, as an added bonus, many of Richard Pryor’s jokes are funny—unlike the “humorous” lines in this film, which land like lead balloons (I only laughed once).

“Superman III” was a serious attempt at making a lighter, more comedic (counterbalanced with the dark subplot) film. This “Superman” seeks to modernize the franchise, and in its wholesale attempt at appealing to Gen-Zers, the movie is unwittingly reduced to something far worse than silly…it’s utterly meaningless.

Though this certainly isn’t the first vacuous action flick ever made, it’s disappointing that someone of Gunn’s directorial eminence would churn out such a soulless movie; rife with misguided messages that masquerade as truth. But, aside from the above digressions over visual style, performances and production elements, it’s really the film’s disingenuous worldview that’s most repellent. Gunn’s story presumes to lecture us about the many extant crises that face our country and world, when the Hollywood-backed Democratic Party created the crises, i.e., foreign wars and migrant surges due to America’s open border policy.

Gunn has given us the kind of self-absorbed hero our narcissistic society can identify with… and deserves. His version of “Superman” seethes with anger, lacks moral courage, is indecisive when faced with simultaneous crises, is overly concerned with his self-image (he spends time thinking up soundbites he can use in interviews), is selfish (he chooses a romantic evening with Lois over defending the city), and incompetent (he gets beat up by himself).

In fact, this Superman, much like the movie itself, is anything but super.

• Violence: Very Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Heavy
• Profane language: Moderate
• Wokeism: Moderate
• Nudity: Minor
• Drugs/Alcohol: Minor —None, but one character is referred to as a party animal who likes to get drunk
• Sex: Kissing scenes (extended), Prostitutes attempting to seduce a man; Occasinal sex references (mild)
• Occult: None

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

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