DC Studios attempts a reputation reset with light and fun Superman

As if to acknowledge the crisis, and the futility of yet another origin-story reboot, director and new DC honcho James Gunn — the man who managed to make Marvel fun with his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy — dunks us head-first into the middle of the action. Though disguised as a vaguely Eastern European conflict standing in for Russia's war on the Ukraine, the battle is mapped on screen in ways that look far more like the Middle East — with the US, and its tech-magnate villain, goosing an invasion of an oppressed territory that could be any number in the region. There's little rhythm to the film, and not a lot of poetry; the fact that it leans heavily on John Williams's Superman Theme does it few favours, serving only to remind the audience of Reeve's soulful, romantic take on the character.

Author: Luke Goodsell

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