REVIEW | White saviour or DC cash cow: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’

Every decade has its own set of redefined superhero movies, remakes that retell the tale you probably know.

While Gal Gadot has become something of a beacon for Zack Snyder’s take on the DC Comics set meant to compete with the ebbs and flows of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), their latest offering sees Superman take on new heights with James Gunn. Having found success for the MCU through projects such as Guardians of the Galaxy and the Suicide Squad redux, Gunn has shown to be a critical darling and box office whisperer when it comes to bringing to life the caped comic book crusaders.

While 2002’s Spider-Man trilogy has always been a benchmark, it is preceded by the success of the 1978 Superman, a legacy the movie makers behind the recent Flash movie nearly squandered with AI renditions of its past stars. However, Gunn’s soft reboot heralds a new day for the DC cinematic universe’s northern star, with David Corenswet taking over as its new face.

The new outing swings hard with relatable storytelling and all too familiar spins on well-known characters. Corenswet brings nothing new to the titular hero, aka Clark Kent. This works in the movie’s favour as it isn’t looking to explore coming of age or an origin. It also isn’t looking to spend too much time pretending people do not know who the characters are. Louis (played by Beautiful Creatures and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel leading lady Rachel Broshnan) is coupled up with Superman as they explore the nitty gritty of life in the media.

Rather than focus on the dualities of his duties, their relationship focuses on his childish optimism and her brutal pessimism — something long-time Superman villain Lex Luthor takes advantage of.

While Nicholas Hoult (Nosferatu, Dark Phoenix) plays him similarly to his comic and animated series counterparts, the character is a parody of tech billionaires such as Elon Musk. Using his money and talents, Lex obsesses over defeating Superman as a means of proving “aliens” like him and his ragtag group of metahumans are a thorn in the side of regular people, going so far as to illicit wars in his aim to get governmental approval to off Superman. 

The movie acts as a parable for America’s current state of affairs. From xenophobia to misinformation, Lex is hungry to control whatever narrative allows him to get the go-ahead to destroy Superman and anyone who criticises him.

The fictional countries in conflict mirror the plight faced by Palestinians, with Superman’s intervention facing major critique. This puts a spotlight on conversations on fictional universes that parallel the plights faced by people of colour being led by white actors. By not allowing cinema goers to empathise with diverse casts, arguments suggest it limits their empathy for the plight of real life Bipocs (black, Indian and people of colour) who face conflicts day to day. The Hunger Games has been a favoured example of this with beliefs the lead characters become white saviours rather than heroes.

The movie does not explicitly shy away from the issue but does divert attention to the diverse team of Justice Gang heroes Clark associates with. The ragtag group is led by Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), a grumpy take on the character who leaves enough Easter eggs to imply he is the gay comic counterpart, a funnier approach that overshadows the failed attempt starring Ryan Reynolds.

Through spotlighting the Justice League and his Daily Prophet colleagues, the movie makes decisive decisions to avoid turning Clark into a god for the less fortunate and drives home an important message of unity through humanity. It would seem the maiden voyage of DC’s refurbished cinematic universe will be leading in this direction with their own take on ubuntu, a theme that will certainly be challenged by heroes and villains who have made surprise appearances in the film.

While box office numbers rule the way in which many interact with comic book movies of late, it will be interesting to see how they engage the bold new storytelling of a fallible Superman.