SPOILER WARNING! The following contains slight spoilers for Superman! Do not proceed if you wish to avoid spoilers!
MAJOR POINTS
- Lex Luthor created Ultraman specifically to kill Superman
- Luthor manipulated the press to influence public opinion on Superman
- Luthor also worked with a foreign nation to start a war with one of their bordering countries
- Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific are supporting roles, and it’s implied they will form The Justice League with Supes
- Krypto is Supergirl’s dog, not Superman’s
The film begins in media res. The five-minute sneak peek from a few months back is the movie’s opening scene. We quickly learn that Clark has been Superman for about three years and that he suffered severe injuries battling Ultraman, one of Lex Luthor’s genetically enhanced metahumans, who were made specifically to kill him.
Ultraman dons armor that makes him look like a cross between Marvel’s Juggernaut and a Sontaran from Doctor Who. He is the Darth Vader to Lex’s Emperor. Luthor’s other creation, The Engineer, is a relatively modern character whose body is pure nanotechnology. The evil trio infiltrate the Fortress of Solitude, where they find a corrupted message from Jor-El and Lara. They restructure the message to make it sound like Superman was sent to rule Earth, not protect it, which turns the humans against him.
The rest of the movie sees Supes try to clear his name with the help of the self-proclaimed Justice Gang of Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi). There is interaction between Jimmy Oleson (Skyler Gisondo) and Miss Tessmacher (Sara Sampio), who have a romantic history in this universe. We also get the obligatory Sean Gunn cameo. This time, as Maxwell Lord, who in the comics is another corrupt businessman similar to Luthor, who funds the Justice Gang. There are other cameos from other DC characters, but saying more would probably spoil too much.
MAJOR QUESTIONS
- Will Luthor go to prison for his crimes?
- And if so, will he break out? Or find some other way to get released?
- Could Lex be in cahoots, or potentially competing against, other fellow megalomaniacs?
- If Luthor doctored the message from Jor-El, then what did the lost part of the message say?
OVERALL GRADE: A
Superman is back! There is no other way I can put it. I have said for some time that I will be flabbergasted if this movie doesn’t make a billion (yes, with a ‘b’) dollars.
The cast is perfect in just about every way. Nicholas Hoult probably won’t get any nominations for his portrayal of Lex, but he embodies every hateful aspect of Lex’s character. He’s greedy, manipulative, narcissistic, and has no care for anybody’s wishes except his own. You want nothing less than to see Supes punch his head off, even though you know that will never happen.
Likewise, Corenswet hits all the points of Clark and Superman. He is completely selfless, compassionate, and is protective of others, including the literal monsters put before him. He’s able to be Supes without making you think of any previous actors, and that’s one of the best compliments I think an actor can get.
Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois lives up to expectations as a woman who takes her job very seriously. So much so that she is willing to publicly ask Superman hard-hitting, objective questions even though she may agree with what he’s doing.
Gunn has stated that all series, movies, and specials will be set within a single, coherent timeline. I do think we’ll get stories that take place in the prior three years, perhaps in animated form. We could even get one that leads directly into this movie, much like how Rogue One led directly into the original Star Wars/A New Hope. I also think we will learn that Lex has collaborated with other villains, including some from other worlds, in his war against Superman.
The only disappointments I had were minor, and more from personal tastes than anything. I speculated that Brainiac would reveal himself as a secret supervillain in cahoots with Lex. After all, what better way to beat a hated alien adversary than enlisting the help of another responsible for destroying said adversary’s home planet? I think that is still a perfect setup for any future sequels or crossover films, such as the inevitable next Justice League movie.
Make no mistake, there WILL be a lot of discussion in the years to come about this movie and this new DCU “Gunniverse’ and that’s a good thing, because there’s nothing we geeks like more than nitpicking details of stories we love.