By Joshua Robison / The Jambar
Over the summer, the movie theater was filled with movies that had fans and critics alike rushing to theaters to witness filmmakers’ creative and intellectual aptitude.
Such films deserve praise and recognition for strides to entertain an audience and leave a lasting impact on viewers before they leave their seats. One film that deserves this level of praise is “Superman” directed by James Gunn.
“Superman,” released July 11, followed months of anticipation from comic book fans — and it did not disappoint. Gunn’s eighth film scored an 83% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.3/10 on IMDb, as well as grossing $608 million at the box office.
The cast consisted of David Corenswet as Superman and Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor — not to mention the first cinematic appearance of Krypto — Superman’s canine companion.
“Superman” is certainly one of the best, if not the best superhero movie that has been released in a long time. Recently, superhero films have been lacking overall production quality, plot and performance. It is relieving to the genre that “Superman” has stepped on the playing field to revive public opinion on superhero films.
There is not a dull moment during the film. Each minute feels like something is at stake and everything just fits perfectly into the world built by Gunn.
However, the one aspect that does lack in quality is the film’s use of computer-generated imagery. The CGI was not great. Films in the past have made better usage of the resource in creating movies such as this, and it definitely at times can seem like a bit of an eyesore.
Gunn’s adaptation of Superman completely immerses the audience into DC Comic’s universe, with the inclusion of many other characters like Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific.
Not only did “Superman” possess such a unique range of characters, it also made Superman himself, a dynamic character. This was the first time that Superman was displayed as what he was meant to be — a beacon of hope — rather than a tyrant or god-like figure.
The element of the film that resonates more than the plot, cinematography or character development, is its unbridled amazement
It is impossible — to witness Superman as he flies above the clouds and David Flemmings compositions echo throughout the theater and the iconic Superman “S” animating before viewers — and not be amazed as to what was displayed on screen.
“Superman,” out of all of the films released this past summer, is by far one of the best in the franchise. It is definitely a must watch for film lovers of all kinds.