Superman review: James Gunn's Man of Steel is a little too busy

DC needed a hero to save the day after the collapse of the Snyderverse and its various offshoots. So in flew James Gunn, who provided a rare bright spot in the previous iteration of DC movies in The Suicide Squad and its TV spinoff Peacemaker. To launch this new era of DC Studios movies, Gunn went with the obvious choice, Superman.

Superman, starring David Corenswet, marks the third iteration of the Man of Steel in the last 20 years (following Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns in 2006, and Henry Cavil’s tenure as the character from 2013 to 2022). Gunn makes sure to put his stamp on the proceedings, creating a world that is about as different from Zack Snyder’s take as can be. While it has echoes of Christopher Reeve’s iconic portrayal, Gunn and company include a number of aspects that add interesting and timely themes to the story, while nailing a number of key casting choices.

Specifically, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Brosnahan is stellar as Lois; with all due respect to Margot Kidder, Amy Adams and Kate Bosworth, this may be my favorite interpretation of the character. As for Hoult, he’s fantastically ruthless and maniacal as Luthor.

Yet, as strong as those elements are, they struggle to outweigh a string of characters, plotlines and action sequences that, while many will likely find entertaining, are ultimately superfluous and make the movie too busy for its own good. And unfortunately Corenswet is a bit inconsistent as Superman; great as a reflective Superman, but struggles to bring the majestic aura of the hero when called to action.

The Superman plot does not actively tell the origin story of how a baby Supes was sent to Earth, raised as Clark Kent, discovered his powers and began his double life as a Daily Planet reporter and savior of Metropolis (that old chestnut). That info is still quickly touched on if anyone needs a quick refresher, but kudos to Gunn for having the confidence to dive right in on these characters’ relationships, which allow for some interesting aspects.

Most notably that of Superman and Lois. The fact that these two have known each other for years already and have a history leads to a sharp and excellent scene where Lois interviews Superman on a decision he makes early on in the movie. Honestly, this is one of my favorite scenes in a movie this year, as Brosnahan’s Lois pulls no punches in her questions on just how much authority Superman should have and Corenswet attempts to defend his moral high ground. It's the type of scene we've never really seen in a Superman movie.

Unfortunately, we only really get one more scene between the two of them the rest of the way and the ideas they touch on don’t get the focus they deserve. And the movie suffers for it.

Instead Gunn swings for the fences by infusing the movie with a plethora of characters and situations that showcase his clear love of comics. Among the inclusions are Krypto (Superman’s dog), the Justice Gang (Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl and Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific), Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho and a pocket universe. All have their moments, but there are stretches where they either offer little of actual value or are too big of a piece that it actually lessens Superman’s impacts (Metamorpho may be the lone exception).

Combine that with the movie’s two climatic events and there’s a lot going on that would have been a herculean task for anyone to bring together. Gunn’s ambition is admirable, and things never get too far off the rails, but it’s fair to wonder if the movie wouldn’t have been better served by simplifying things a little.

Superman offers more than its fair share of moments for audiences to be enthralled with, so it won’t be a surprise if movie fans leave on a high. But while Gunn clearly had a blast playing in this sandbox, a greater exploration of the ideas to help define this new iteration of Superman got a little overshadowed. Whether that is enough to deter your enjoyment of the movie will vary; for me it keeps Superman from soaring to its highest heights.

Superman plays exclusively in movie theaters worldwide starting July 11.