Following yesterday’s reactions, the official reviews for James Gunn’s “Superman” are in and the word is very good. With 124 reviews counted, the film sits at an 85% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 71/100 on Metacritic.
Those are the best numbers for a live-action “Superman” film on RT since the Christopher Reeve era with his first and second films at 86% & 88% – beating “Superman Returns” (72%) and “Man of Steel” (57%). On MC, it’s on par with “Superman Returns” (72) and ahead of “Man of Steel” (55).
There’s a lot of praise for the actors, sense of fun and for the heart of the film with love and appreciation of the source material shining through. Actors are all widely praised, particularly Corenswet.
Main complaints boil down to the movie being overstuffed with a lot of ideas thrown at the wall that don’t necessarily congeal as a whole. Here’s a sampling of reviews:
“A movie that doesn’t sacrifice its titular character in service to franchise-building. Instead, it focuses on celebrating the values that Superman himself has embodied from the beginning.” – Liz Shannon Miller, Consequence
“James Gunn tried to make a great Superman movie, one that embraces the wonder of the character as an action hero and a moral paragon, which derives its drama from how people react to his faith in us. He succeeded.” – William Bibbiani, The Wrap
“Gunn constructs an intricate game of a superhero saga that’s arresting and touching, and occasionally exhausting, in equal measure. Audiences should flock to it.” – Owen Gleiberman
“Gunn’s screenplay can certainly be faulted for piling on too many elements… But what matters most is that the movie is fun, pacy and enjoyable, a breath of fresh air sweetened by a deep affection for the material.” – David Rooney, THR
“Gunn’s stamp on this mythology, and his use of it as a statement of intent for where he wants to take things in this larger intellectual-property universe, is largely a blast.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone
“In a genre infamous for feints and teases, Gunn’s kitchen-sink approach feels refreshingly generous, and his excitement for the character shines through.” – Robbie Collin, The Daily Telegraph
“Superman hasn’t had this much charm and personality since Christopher Reeve made you believe a man could fly. And while David Corenswet won’t replace the memories of Reeve, he’s certainly the best Superman since the late actor hung up his cape and tights” – Odie Henderson, Boston Globe
“Although overstuffed and uneven, at its best Gunn’s Superman combines the most admirable attributes of both character and director, resulting in an ambitious, occasionally stirring film that is weirder, nervier and more thoughtful than most blockbusters” – Tim Grierson, Screen
“It’s hard to make a comic book come to life at the same time as you’re trying to bring life into a comic book… But it’s even harder to care if a man can fly when there isn’t any gravity to the world around him.” – David Ehrlich, IndieWire
The new “Superman” opens in cinemas this Friday.
