A weird ‘Superman’ is better than a boring one

James Gunn’s Superman brings fresh energy to the iconic hero, skipping the origin story and adding quirky elements like Krypto the Superdog and Metamorpho. With humor, action, and unexpected characters, it’s a bold, pulsing departure from Snyder’s darker vision

Writer-director James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ was always going to be a strange chemistry of filmmaker and material.

Let’s face it, unless Christopher Reeve is in the suit, the rock-jawed Man of Steel can be a bit of a bore. Much of the fun and frustration of Gunn’s movie is seeing how he stretches and strains to make Superman, you know, interesting.

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In the latest revamp for the archetypal superhero, Gunn does a lot to give Superman (David Corenswet) a lift. He scraps the origin story. He gives Superman a dog. And he ropes in not just expected regulars like Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) but some less conventional choices – none more so than that colorful jumble of elements, Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan).

Not everything works in ‘Superman.’ For those who like their Superman classically drawn, Gunn’s film will probably seem too irreverent and messy. But for anyone who found Zack Snyder’s previous administration painfully ponderous, this ‘Superman,’ at least, has a pulse.

We begin not on Krypton or Kansas but in Antarctica, near the Fortress of Solitude. Three centuries ago, metahumans first appeared on Earth. Three minutes ago, Superman lost a battle for the first time. Lying bloodied in the snow, he whistles and his faithful super dog, Krypto, comes running.

Superman is in the midst of a battle by proxy with Luthor. From atop his Luthor Corp. skyscraper headquarters, Luther gives instructions to a team sitting before computer screens while, on a headset, barking out coded battle directions to drone-assisted henchmen.

Back in Metropolis, Clark Kent returns to the Daily Planet. There’s Wendell Pierce as the editor-in-chief, Perry White, and Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen. But the character of real interest here is, of course, Lois.

The fate of the world, naturally, again turns iffy. Luthor traps Superman in a pocket universe and the eccentric members of the Justice Gang – Nathan Fillion’s Green Lantern, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl – are called upon to lend a hand. They come begrudgingly.