REVIEW. SUPERMAN: Can "Truth, Justice, and the American Way" Fly in a MAGA-Challenged World?

Superman, Mel Pasos (1962), De Young Museum (permanent collection)

Let's face it. When Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster created America's first comic book superhero in the late 1930s, they could not have foreseen their project becoming a multi-media, multi-billion dollar franchse (not that they weren't interested in financial success). The two Cleveland, OH classmates (both alums of Glenville High School in the city's Metropolitan School District), shared a keen interest in science fiction, with Siegel publishing an early short story, "The Reign of Superman," (1933) that would eventually become the prototype for their iconic creation, with one important twist: Siegel's first fictional character with superhuman powers used them for financial gain and amusement. Clark Kent/Superman emerged as a crime-fighting hero, putting his powers of superhuman strength and bullet-proof skin to use by doing good, in itself, a kind of transition from schmuck to mensch. A variation on Nietzche's Übermensch, perhaps?

First seen in comic book form in 1938 amidst the rise of Naziism in Germany, Superman was staunchly anti-fascist and the first superhero to confront Josef Stalin and Adolf Hitler.* Superman was laser-focused on things like "truth and justice," and dedicated to something even more nebulous called "The American Way." But while that expression of courage may have flown high in Depression-Era America, we're living in a different age now, and one has to wonder if a 21st-Century Superman even makes sense.

In a MAGA-fueled environment, can something as amorphous as "The American Way" be spun to accommodate the most rabid supporters and the staunchest critics of POTUS47? The world's current politicial divisiveness, dominated by convoluted philosophical views, seems like a less-than-welcoming environment for the big-hearted alien from the planet Krypton transplanted to midwestern America and raised by - are you ready? - honest, down-to-earth Kansas farmers.

Even the July 12 front page of the New York Times, asked the question, "Can [Superman] transcend our polarized politics?" Far-right leaning pundits have already rejected writer-director James Gunn's assessment of the Superman story: "Superman is the story of America...an immigrant that came from other places and populated the country, but for me it is mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost." (A1). Under present circumstances, Kal-El (aka Superman, for the uninitiated) would be considered an undocumented alien facing deportation.

A recent caption about the film that appeared on Fox news, read "Superwoke," and was buoyed by a comment from former POTUS45 Senior Counselor Kellyanne Conway, who insisted that "we [Americans] don't go to the movie theater to be lectured to and to have somebody throw their ideology onto us." Interesting image - how exactly do filmmakekrs "throw their ideology" onto the audience? Is it like a ball we can catch? Guess all those leftist Hollywood types need to make sure their messages are aligned with the current political climate. Anyone who understands the history of film can chart trends and patterns in American political thought with popular films of the day, though I doubt any Fox News contributors have even read the U.S. Constitution, let alone comprehend cultural patterns in the art of cinema.

But I digress. The history of Superman - from comic book superhero to TV action series to blockbuster movie - is a story almost as big as the hero himself, filled with everything from successful media transitions to ground-breaking cinematic special effects and, finally, the establishment of Christopher Reeve in 1978 as the gold standard for any actor attempting to play the bifurcated everyman, Clark Kent.

There's much more here than just a new movie, another installment about America's most popular superhero, so let's see what, if anything, James Gunn, best known as writer-director of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise and The Suicide Squad (2014, and not to be confused with 2016's Suicide Squad; articles make a difference!), has done to make this latest Superman worth your time and hard-earned money.

As some of my blog readers know, I'm not a huge fan of the Marvel Comics Universe. The only two Marvel superhero movies I've seen in their entirety are the first Iron Man (2008) and Black Panther (2018), the first because of Robert Downey, Jr. played a more sardonic version of the titular character, and the second because Ryan Coogler was the the director. So one Marvel superhero per decade seems to be about enough for me. I also saw Tim Burton's two Batman films (1989 and 1992) as well as Christopher Nolan's trilogy in the early 2000's and, of course, the four Superman films Christopher Reeve made between 1978 and 1987 (though the last two were increasingly difficult to watch - must have been because I was in graduate school by then and looking for movies with more subtly and deeper meaning).

At any rate, I'm probably not the best superhero film expert, as I find most overdone action films tedious and dull. Once the usually simplistic plot is revealed, I have little patience for extended CGI sequences that mostly delay the anticipated conclusion. So why did I bother with this latest incarnation of the Man of Steel? Two reasons: Parts of the movie were filmed in Cleveland (I grew up thirty miles west of downtown), and I was intrigued by the casting of David Corenswet in the title role. The last actor to play Superman on screen, Henry Cavill, came across a kind of brooding and sullen, and I was curious about how director Gunn would envision the first superhero movie made by the newly created DC Studios (of which Gunn and British filmmaker Peter Safran are co-CEO's), especially when I read that, like Christopher Reeve, Corenswet is an alum of Julliard.

I won't give away plot details - it's a simple enough premise: thirty years after his parents, Jor-El (a sly cameo from Bradley Cooper) and Lara Lor-Van (Angela Sarafyan) sent him to earth to escape Krypton's destruction, Superman/Clark Kent is enmeshed in a political crisis trying to stop a war between Boravia and Jarhanpur. Three weeks earlier, Superman had stopped Boravia, a US ally, from invading Jarhanpur, but now he is being portrayed (mostly through altered AI social media posts), as a "threat," an evil metahuman with ulterior motives that have everything to do with personal political domination and little to do with truth, justice, or American values. Will Superman be able to regain his positive reputation and restore order to a troubled world?

All of this misperception is being orchestrated by evil billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who promises to destroy Superman, if necessary, in order to save the United States. Sound familiar? You can see the political messages beginning, though Gunn is deft at keeping them balanced and the plot interesting. Superman's human persona - Clark Kent - has already been involved in the Boranvian crisis as a reporter, getting exclusive interviews with Superman himself (wink, wink). He's already embarked on a relationship with his Daily Planet colleague, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), who is not only aware of his dual identity, but probes him about how his superhero status affects his personal (re: human) relationships.

It it here in their one-one-one conversations that Superman enters the 21st century. Brosnahan's Lois is no wallflower, no unsuspecting damsel in distress. None of the women here are. But Lois, in particular, serves as Clark's conscience, nudging him to articulate the internal conflict between being a superhero and an ace reporter, of having the weight of saving the world on his very broad and capable shoulders. Brosnahan brings out a quiet intelligence in her Lois, making Corenswet's Clark/Superman more human than Kryptonian. When he finally confesses his sometimes paradoxical feelings about being Kent/Kal-El, the moment is genuine, Corenswet's expressiveness underscoring the conflicted layers of being superhuman.

These quiet moments are a necessary respite from the otherwise dazzling, non-stop action that moves the narrative forward. Another poignant, revealing conversations takes place when an injured Superman returns to his Kansas farm to recuperate. Talking with his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince), Clark questions his purpose on earth and the validity of the message left by his biological parents. Jonathan gently tells him that parents give their children all the skills necessary to make fools of themselves. Shades of Philip Larkin's poem, "This Be the Verse:"

They fuck you up, your mum and dad.

They may not mean to, but they do.

And add some extra, just for you.

Guess even Superman isn't immune to parental pressure and guilt, and under Gunn's skillfull, sometimes playful direction, his character continues to develop (re: demonstrate humanity), the film's momentum never lessens, bringing comic book action to life as never before. It's as if Gunn was able to conjure up all the ways readers fill in the blanks between the written and illustrated worlds and brought them to life with visually stunning precision and artistry. Somehow he manages to make otherwise pedestrian action seem fresh, efficiently minimizing unnecessary CGI sequences and maximizing their impact to move the story forward. It's beautifully, thrillingly choreographed, drawing in even the most cynical superhero moviefan (I'm referencing my husband here).

As Superman fans know all too well, the setting for Clark Kent's story is a fictitious city called Metropolis, and Siegel and Schuster's personal background makes Cleveland the logical stand-in for The Daily Planet's location. Gunn & Co. filmed in various Cleveland-area sites last summer, and I was in Cleveland during one of their shoots. It was exciting to see the downtown area re-vitalized to recreate key places within the story. Though some names have been changed to align with Superman's story, Clevelanders should be able to identify a number of familiar sites and spots, including the Terminal Tower, Public Square, Progressive Field, the Detroit-Superior Bridge, Mentor Headlands beach, and one more I'll save for later.

If you think Cleveland isn't proud for participating in Superman's production, check out the Terminal Tower building from Friday, July 11, when the movie opened in theaters throughout the city:

I'll admit it was pretty exciting seeing panoramic shots of my hometown at various times of the day, each one emphasizing the extraordinarily ordinary every place called mid-western America. The city of Cleveland was spectacular in its simplicity, becoming its own character in Superman's story.

Most of all, I wasn't sure if David Corenswet could ever quite replace the presence of Christopher Reeve, so dominant as a big screen Superman, and equally commanding as a risk-taking actor, ferocious in his desire to show he was more than a guy in blue tights and a cape. Even Reeve's freak horseback riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down didn't diminish his persona as a human being with a superpower of survival. Last year's documentary, Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story is a loving portrait of the man blessed and cursed with the role of a lifetime, who used that opportunity - along with his own sense of humanity - to continue to share a message of love of compassion for others. How do you replace Reeve, not just physically, but with the quiet emotional intelligence that was really at Superman's core?

Perhaps, the answer lies in not attempting to replace Reeve, but to re-imagine Superman. Corenswet more than meets the challenge of becoming Superman. Beyond possessing the physical stature and chisled good looks necessary to embody the Man of Steel, Corenswet brings a keen intelligence and gentle sweetness to his portrayl of Clark Kent/Superman, bringing a refreshing authenticity to a role that might have otherwise been clichéd or camp.

He's sharp and quick, but not annoyingly so. Corenswet never sounds like a smart ass, his eyes revealing an genuine awareness that this iconic character must always retain restraint when expressing emotion. He reminds us that Superman is less about patriotism and more about humanism and that, ultimately, is what makes James Gunn's re-imagination of an almost century-old story seem relevant and new.

Two final thoughts on Superman 2025: In addition to breathing life into a much retold story, Gunn delicately connects this Superman to the 1978 film, playing snippets of John Williams' classic "Superman" theme throughout the film, wistfully inviting those who remember when, that the message of fighting for what is right in the world remains critical. Presenting Clark Kent/Superman as a modern-day immigrant may offend some who favor massive deportations, but Gunn's remembrance of those who built American (and who embody its values) is timely and appropriate. Its message of retaining our humanity soars as the credits role.

Now, about that final Cleveland location, the one that made me both smile and brush away a tear, which takes place in the Hyatt Regency Arcade, originally a downtown mall on Euclid Avenue, built in 1890 and unique for its design of steel girders and glass windows. "Cleveland's Crystal Palace," as it was once known, was America's inaugural indoor shopping mall and the place where Superman gives Lois Lane a memorable, levitating kiss.

I've stayed at the Hyatt downtown many times since moving away from my native Ohio for various job opportunities and, along with Progressive Field (aka "The Jake" and the Cleveland Museum of Art), consider it one of my two or three "happy places" whenever I return home to Cleveland. The scene shown below, which captures the Arcade's unique beauty, may be one of the top two or three romantic movie moments on my favorite list: like Woody Allen stopping Diane Keaton mid-sentence to plant a first kiss in Annie Hall, or Robert Redford taking Meryl Streep's hand mid-flight gliding over the Serengeti in Out of Africa.

Though I doubt this latest Superman will turn me into a superhero movie junkie, I can say that I was pleasantly surprised at a Satruday afternoon well spent at the theater. Whether or not Siegel and Schuster's fascination with being superhuman was influenced by Nietzche's Übermensch, who valued humanistic values over Christian ones, will likely remain a topic for further research. Still, director James Gunn deserves kudos for taking what could have been an outdated, unpopular theme about corny patrioticism and turned into something worth thinking about for a contemporary audience: amidst current political divisiveness, kindness may be a value worth keeping.

Overall, Superman is a vivid re-interpretation of a twentieth century fictional hero transplated to the present day in ways that are both relevant and frightening. If Lex Luthor, manipulative billionaire and power-monger extraordinaire, doesn't sound familiar and leave a spine-chilling reminder of current political leadership, then perhaps you have been living in an alternate universe.

*******

Superman is now playing in theaters and is best seen on the big screen. It is available in regular movie format, or in DTS (digitally enhanced sound) and, at select theaters, in Real-3D.

*Though Captain America was the first superhero to land a punch on Hitler via a comic strip, Siegel and Schuster had previously published a short, imaginary story about how Superman would end World War II (by grabbing both Stalin and Hitler by the neck), that appeared in the February 27, 1940 issue of Look Magazine, predating Captain America's immortal punch.