At this stage, having seen DC twice attempt to roll out a slow-burn universe that attempts to ground itself in realism, I'm definitely ready for a change. James Gunn's Superman (2025) is certainly a change; I knew from his Guardians of the Galaxy films that he had a unique take on super hero properties, but is he really the kind of creative person to help build up an entire interconnected universe of films? That answer is, thankfully, 'yes.' And can he front a super hero story around an old-school stolid property like Superman, the very character who started the genre? There the answer is, 'no,' which is why the film is peppered with people like Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Metamorpho and Guy Gardner.
At this point, I think - as Grant Morrison did with All-Star Superman - that the story of Superman is well-trod and well-known so there's no need to repeat his origin story - which is Gunn's take. The harder part is to get his character correct; it's hard for me to pin down how well Gunn did in that aspect since Clark Kent is barely in the film (maybe that's because films usually spend more time on Clark than Superman) but he's absolutely the Superman of the comics, especially by the standard of All-Star Superman - that he's powerful enough to handle most problems but doesn't always know the best path for applying his power. And, of course, he cares deeply for people. David Corenswet has the right mix of earnestness and toughness.
As a launching point for DC's latest attempt at a shared universe of films, I like the idea of coming in with the universe already well-inhabited and with a rich history of existing super heroes and villains, to say nothing of the tropes particular to Superman (his folks are still alive; he has his Fortress of Solitude, Krypto and Supergirl; and, in a very rare development, the Daily Planet not only has Lois Lane and Perry White but also Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, Steve Lombard and Ron Troupe, characters who are usually slighted by the films).
The film's version of Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is a bit over-the-top - great for this film, but already possessing so many resources and such power that it's hard to see where he could go in any future films - it might actually be better to not revisit the character in this franchise. It's not the best interpretation of Luthor (Clancy Brown remains the standard) but again, it's recognizable as a version from the comics (All-Star Superman once more) and he has all the hubris of the best versions of Luthor; plus, he's loathsome, which creators sometimes forget is an important part in writing a villain.
I remain skeptical about the guest-starring heroes - they're fun and tell you something about how this time, the world is over-populated with heroes rather than totalling maybe a half-dozen guys. They distract from Superman, but they filled in some of the most enjoyable parts of the film. I am enough of a Mr. Terrific fanboy that I actually got excited when he donned a comics-accurate version of his leather jacket. And Nathan Fillion could probably make reading the telephone book entertaining, to say nothing of giving him one of comicdom's biggest jerks (Guy Gardner) to play around with.
I don't know if I'm interested in more stories set in this universe but I do know I like what I saw in this film and not against seeing more.
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