More than a decade after his last big-screen appearance, Superman returns in a bold, vulnerable new form shaped by director James Gunn. This film reimagines the iconic superhero as fallible, human, and morally grounded.
More than 10 years after his last big-screen appearance, the red-caped superhero returns to theaters this week in a new film simply titled Superman, in which he appears vulnerable in a world where he's no longer universally admired.
To take on the role, a low-key actor more used to supporting roles was cast: David Corenswet, 32. He“looks like Superman”and has“the same voice,”according to director James Gunn’s notes. Gunn, known for Guardians of the Galaxy, also co-chairs DC Studios, which oversees film adaptations of DC Comics' properties.
For this tenth film (in theaters Wednesday in France and Friday in the U.S.) dedicated to the very first superhero in comic book history, created in 1933, Gunn chose to highlight Superman’s almost naive kindness and deliberately limited his usual array of powers.
“I made Superman less powerful. He doesn’t travel through time. He doesn’t punch planets. He’s very strong and can lift a skyscraper, but he’s not completely invulnerable,”explained James Gunn, who also wrote the screenplay.
“His”Superman occasionally gets injured, faces social media backlash and harsh TV commentary, and comes across as naive—and sometimes awkward.
For 2 hours and 10 minutes, we still get the signature explosions and Superman soaring fists-first through Metropolis skyscrapers. But this time, he’s joined by other iconic figures, including investigative reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), his dog Krypto, and fellow metahumans Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawkgirl.
Torn between his Kryptonian origins and his deep connection to humanity, this Superman strives to protect mankind—even as criticism mounts when he intervenes in a foreign conflict without U.S. government approval.
Sensing this vulnerability, tech mogul Lex Luthor (Nick Hoult, Juror No. 2, The Great) sees an opportunity to eliminate him, convinced that this alien presence is a threat to Earth.
A dictator waging war on a defenseless people for the riches of their land, shady arms deals, political dissidents imprisoned in interdimensional jails—and a strong focus on media and misinformation: it’s hard not to read the film’s political undertones.
“Superman is the story of America,”Gunn told The Times in early July. But,“to me, it’s mainly a story that says human kindness is a value we’ve lost,”he also noted.
With AFP
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