ComicScene Superman Review

I didn’t have high hopes. I’d see the trailers for Superman alongside other cinema goers and it was a bit ho-hum. There was the f*****g dog. Film magazines were ignoring the movie on their covers. The hype on social media seemed forced by James Gunn and the cast as they toured country after country. It was, quite frankly, looking like a potential disaster.

Then the movie starts. It’s a full cinema (my first in a loooonnngg time!). And somehow you realise this isn’t an iconic origin story. We are slap bang in an Action Comic. No one blinks an eye when aliens and meta humans battle each other in the sky. Then there’s the humour, the imagery is more comics Frank Quitely and Tim Sale than John Byrne and Frank Millar, Lex is a lethal sonofabitch from the word go and when you close your eyes Lois sounds like Margot Kidder and is just as ballsy. Iconic characters like Jimmy, Perry, Cat, Steve and Morgan are fleeting but spot on from the comic books. Even the cameo at the end explains the bad dogs behaviour making you want more from DC Studios.

Sure it’s a bit messy and sometimes you think you are watching a Mr Terrific and the Justice Gang movie but watching at my local IMAX screen I loved it. This was Superman 2.0 after Christopher Reeve and unlike most superhero movies of late it is one I will want to watch again.

The real enemy for Superman? After the trailers I would say it is Fantastic 4. Good audience reaction. Say it…say it Ben….

It’s…a supers**t summertime!