Is ‘Superman’ Worth the Hype? Here’s My Honest Review

I FINALLY made a trip to the movies to go see the new Superman film.

On July 9th, DC dropped the newest iteration of the iconic superhero 'Superman.' This film stars David Corenswet as the Man of Steel as he takes on Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor and deals with conflicts "at home and abroad."

It's been a few years since we've seen Superman on the big screen, so fans have been curious about what this new version would mean for the DC franchise.

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Directed by James Gunn who is behind other successful franchises like 'Guardians of the Galaxy,' his iteration is currently at 83% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Is the movie worth the hype though?

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Is 'Superman' Worth the Hype? Here's My Honest Review

What Worked

Before diving too deep into this, I have got to say that this movie worked on so many different levels.

Casting

There are so many great and established actors who definitely look like they could pull of the iconic red cape, but David Corenswet was MADE to play this part. He is able to establish definitive character traits for both Clark Kent and Superman.

Clark is a bit more clumsy, his voice a little less authoritative, and his clothing is just the perfect amount of slouchy. Superman obviously is the polar opposite of this secret identiy.

The 32-year-old is able to capture an incredibly human side of the Kyptonian that we haven't seen in too many movies before.

And can we talk about Lois Lane for a second?

Rachel Brosnahan plays a more punk-rock, independent, and sharp tongued version of the character. We see that she isn't perfect and has a bit of a past of her own.

I don't want to spoil the movie but these two have great chemistry together.

Different Tone

Over the past few decades, it's been pretty easy to differentiate a Marvel movie from a DC one. Marvel has a history of being a bit more lighthearted, humorous, and just brighter overall.

DC typically has a darker and more serious tone.

Gunn clearly shook things up a bit when he took on the role of director.

There is more heart, hope, and humor in this Superman film than many of its predecessors. It's not a movie about this terrifying and all-powerful alien, this is a story of a guy who just wants to make the world a better place.

Not Being Another Origins Story Movie

Over the years, we've seen many superhero movies fall into the trap of retelling the same origin story over and over again. We saw a bit of that with Spiderman, Batman, and even some Superman movies.

We know these stories, they aren't that interesting to us anymore. And if we want to learn more about their origins we can go back and re-watch those movies.

This movie drops us right into the action. Superman has been saving the planet for a few years now. People know and love him already. Getting past this exposition allows us to go on a deeper journey and see a different side to this story.

What Didn't Work

While I believe this is an almost perfect superhero movie, there was one big issue that I had.

3rd Act Pacing

The pacing for the majority of the film was well done, once we got to the third act things started to slow down.

There were moments that were dragged out and plot points that were unnecessarily thrown in there to complicate the story.

I don't want to spoil anything, but there was a fight scene that went on a little bit TOO long between Superman and a familiar foe.

Overall: Superman Might Be One of the Best Movies of the Year (So Far)

Even with the slight pacing issues, I really enjoyed the latest entry into the Superman universe. With the endearing performance of David Corenswet and some stellar secondary characters (Mr. Terrific and Krypto the super dog specifically) this might be one of the best iterations of the Man of Steel we've seen yet.

What did you think of the movie? Chime in on the station app and share your thoughts.

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