Superman is back – and he is not alone. He has for company other superheroes, dazzling visual effects and the superdog Krypto.
Based on writer-director James Gunn’s own pooch Ozu, Krypto is indubitably one of the star attractions of the entertaining new Superman movie. Gunn extends to Krypto the same affection showered on the other characters, resulting in several delightful scenes.
Gunn’s reboot of the storied comic-book caped crusader daringly dispenses with an origin story. When we meet Superman (David Corenswet), he is already masquerading as the journalist Clark Kent at the Daily Planet newspaper.
His colleague and girlfriend Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) knows about his dual identity. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is in the advanced stages of a plot to defeat Superman, which involves the kind of political skulduggery and anti-immigrant rhetoric that situates the fantasy adventure in a recognisable reality.
Gunn pads the wafer-thin plot with buddy comedy elements found in the Marvel universe, including Gunn’s own Guardians of the Galaxy films. In his battle against Luthor and his deadly shape-shifting engineer Angela (Maria Gabriela de Faria), Superman relies on Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan) – and Krypto.
The movie is a showcase for Gunn’s talent for fusing spectacle with cornball sentiment. Gunn’s visual sense is cartoonish as well as magical.
Human characters mesh seamlessly into computer-generated backdrops, especially in the moments when Superman shimmies through the air. Buildings collapse one after the other like cycles on a stand. Superman’s icy lair and Lex Luthor’s aerial prison are among the more stunning sets.
It all zips by with roughly the same speed with which Superman travels from one place to the next. The adopted family as a powerful source of comfort and strength, and tolerance towards foreigners are among the movie’s big ideas. The dialogue is ordinary but the visual effects are extraordinary, especially on an IMAX screen.
David Corenswet isn’t just age-appropriate to play Superman. Corenswet also nails Gunn’s vision of the flying wonder as vulnerable, not-too-bright and goofy. Superman’s brawny brain isn’t taxed very much in a film that’s light-hearted and cheerfully attention-deficit.
The superhero flies high once again – with a little help from friends. Thankfully, the posse includes the adorable Krypto.
