SUPERMAN (2025)

Superman is very dear to me as a character because for a few years in the mid-1960s I was heavily into the comics (as well as Batman, Justice League and The Legion of Super Heroes) - I even used to read the Lois Lane and Jimmy Olsen spin-off comics.

I also treasure the first two Christopher Reeve films.  And I am not a great fan of the James Gunn sensibility as manifested in 'Guardians of the Galaxy' - it seems quite glib and cheap, and I'm not convinced he can direct a dramatically powerful scene.

So despite the generally positive reviews I went to see this latest iteration of the Man of Steel with some trepidation, but I'm pleased to say that, although my view of James Gunn wasn't much altered, some two-and-a-bit hours later I did walk out the cinema with a spring in my step.  

And that was despite the fact that a lot of the comedy beats fell flat for me, and that I wouldn't say the film includes any memorable dramatic or exciting moments.  

And the least said about this version of Green Lantern the better, given how much I loved the Hal Jordan version back in the Silver Age.  

Nor did I think much of the unfunny and unlikely relationship between Jimmy Olsen and Eve.  And I found the first scene at the Daily Planet very confusing. 

I also didn't care for either the pocket universe or the rift as dramatic devices, and in fact the climactic scenes didn't work for me.  I didn't understand how Superman defeated The Engineer, and I felt it was a mistake that Superman isn't the one to save the Boravians.  (Incidentally, did we get an explanation as to why Green Lantern changed his mind about intervening?)

The Russian roulette scene is problematic in all sorts of ways.

But crucially at the centre of the film David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult are all well cast.  Corenswet in particular conveys goodness and naivety and at times ordinariness in a way I found quite charming.

I also appreciated the comparative brevity of the film even if that occasionally meant it felt a bit rushed or overstuffed.  For example I would have appreciated a bit more back story for The Engineer, who was an intriguing character.

Putting Green Lantern to one side (please) I generally liked the new characters, such as Metamorpho.  The two standouts were Krypto and Mr Terrific, they stole every scene they were in.

It was neat that we get a small scene with Ma and Pa Kent, even if they don't get to do much. I don't know how I feel about what we learn about Jor-el and Lara, but it does lead to a nice touch at the end when now it is scenes from Superman's childhood in Smallville that are played to him by his robots.  It emphasises how much Kal-el as an immigrant has assimilated into his new home.

The fact that good journalism plays an important part in Luther's downfall was also pleasing.

But ultimately in a world where at the moment it seems that power and cruelty go hand-in-hand it was uplifting to watch a film that unabashedly celebrates a superhero who cares about everyone. 

So even though this film for me ranks a long way below the first two Reeve films and even below 'Superman Returns',  I'm looking forward to the next instalment in the DCU.