Movie Scene: Nice take-off from Gunn’s DCU

The official introduction to James Gunn’s DCU flew into cinemas this week with his take on Krypton’s last son in ‘Superman: Legacy.’ After the po-faced drudgery of the Snyderverse, which tried to ‘Nolanise’ Superman, there was a real need to lighten things up. Gunn, whose previous credits include ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘The Suicide Squad,’ seems to be the man to do just that.

When we first meet this iteration, Superman (David Corenswet) has just been battered by a mechanical robot belonging to tech-billionaire man-child Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). Saved by Krypto, his playful, loyal mutt who features heavily throughout the film, he heads to the Fortress of Solitude to recover. Supes had intervened in a war between US ally Boravia and Jarhanpur, the former trying to enslave the latter. Luthor, who profits from the war, manipulates public opinion against Superman and, before you can say “ICE agents,” has him detained as an illegal alien and shipped off to a pocket universe, clearing the way for more of his own shady dealings.

Having followed the production closely, I’ll admit I was worried. As more characters were announced – heroes and villains alike – it felt like the film risked being overstuffed, especially with a runtime just over two hours. While Legacy isn’t perfect, I needn’t have worried. Gunn smartly avoids the origin story, takes sharp swings at the current Commander-in-Chief, Putin, and Musk, and lets his signature irreverence shine through. The film is packed with zippy one-liners, a few swears (though never from America’s Boy Scout), and a lot of laughs – particularly from Krypto, who for my taste was perhaps a bit overused.

Gunn’s direction is assured and lively, with a bright comic-book aesthetic and a solid grasp of action set-pieces. The CGI mostly holds up, though it veers into ‘Minecraft-y’ territory in places. Still, there’s a surprising amount of warmth, especially in Clark’s moments with his Kryptonian birth parents, which add a much-needed emotional anchor.

That said, Gunn’s tone can sometimes lean too far into ‘funny’, and that approach may work best if used more sparingly across the DCU moving forward.

What grounds the film is the central relationship between Clark and Lois (Rachel Brosnahan). Their screwball banter and clashing worldviews – her take-no-prisoners attitude vs his boyish optimism – give the film heart, with both actors excelling. Hoult also impresses as Luthor, managing to add layers to a character that could easily have been cartoonishly one-note.

And those extra characters I worried about? Green Lantern (Gunn favourite Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr Terrific (Edi Gathegi) are used just right, with Gathegi getting the lion’s share of screen time and making it count.

The tagline for 1978’s Superman was “You’ll believe a man can fly.” While this one hasn’t fully taken flight, it’s a more than decent ascendancy.