This American film attempts to reconcile the alien heritage of Superman with his upbringing and life as reporter, Clark Kent, on Earth.
SUPERMAN LEGACY 2025. Starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and Skyler Gisondo. Directed by James Gunn. Rated PG. 129 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
In the movie, David Corenswet replaces Henry Cavill as the “Man of Steel”. Cavill has long cemented the reputation of Superman movies to date. This film continues to depict Superman as a journalist working in the fictional city of Metropolis, but shows a man struggling to reconcile his heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent.
The film attempts to embody Superman’s commitment to justice that he finds in a human world. It is the first standalone film about Superman that has appeared in the last 12 years, and the film intentionally aims to provide a fresh version of Superman experiencing a troubled world. No longer is Superman invincible – the Superman of this movie offers a portrayal of a vulnerable individual, who is nevertheless still tied to his origins.
David Corenswet steps into the shoes of Henry Cavill very well. Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) exists, as before as Clark Kent’s love; and Skyler Gisondo plays Jimmy Olsen, Clark’s young friend at The Daily Planet. The film’s primary antagonist continues to be Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is obsessed with the desire to kill Superman. The film as a whole uses a younger cast to explore the conflicts experienced by a hero trying to cope with a challenging world.
The film essentially is a reimagining of emotional storytelling and contains visually impressive action sequences. It integrates comedy with drama as it explores the identity struggles of a person who continues to believe in the goodness of people. This is an adaptation of a hero who has been given a modern look – he is now a hero who earnestly hopes for a better world, but is an extra-terrestrial person working out how to deal with his hopes in a human way. He lives in a world compromised by people of power who have lost the will to show compassion, and who no longer stand for the worth of justice and truth. The Planet Earth of this film is full of morally unhinged people who have learnt to replace idealism with pragmatism. This is a film that works to resolves its tensions at a personal level. Viewers know that moral behaviour is more complicated that it once was, that people-in-control frequently behave in very problematic ways, and that proper faith in the future needs to express a value system that has to be resurrected.
The film acknowledges the fault-lines that exist in modern society, and how difficult it is to keep idealism alive and well. It is an attempt to cope with a compromised world, and it uses a well known iconic hero as a conflicted conduit. Its special effects, however, are good and persistent enough to virtually swamp the film’s interesting plot-line.
Reviewed by Peter W Sheehan, Associate of Jesuit Media