Superman
Currently only in theaters
Runtime: 2 Hours 9 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Superman kicks off the new DC Universe (DCU), but this isn’t an origin story. Superman works for the Daily Planet at Clark Kent and is wrapped up in foreign and domestic affairs which causes the world to question his motives. This gives tech billionaire Lex Luther the opportunity he has been waiting for to destroy Superman.
Themes:
Metahumans, aliens, villains, doing the right thing, identity, news, control, propaganda, pocket universes, kryptonite, the Justice Gang, choices, consequences, grooming, government, war, questioning motives, Krypton, parents, hope, unity, sacrifice, teamwork, family, parents, adoptive parents, love, and friendship.
Language:
A*s - 5 B*tch - 2 D*mn - 3 Hell - 6 Piss - 1 Sh*t - 10 Wuss - 1 Religious Exclamations - 11
The word crap and the initials B.S. are each used once.
Stuff to be aware of:
Alcohol - Towards the end of the movie, a character is drunk and their speech is slurred. This character staggers around and another character talks about this character’s drinking.
Gross - Superman has to cough up a bunch of nano technology, and he pulls tons of it out of his throat and lungs. It is pretty disgusting.
Scary - There is a giant Godzilla-like monster that Superman fights and there is a creepy-looking white humanoid monster that drives a transport vehicle. This monster’s face looks painted on and he looks very creepy.
Sexual - There are a few men and women that kiss in various scenes. A man passes by several prostitutes who catcall after him. There is brief discussion about how a man will take several wives. One character mentions that another character finds women from a certain country more attractive. Harems and “breading with earth’s women” are both mentioned.
Violence/Gore - There is plenty of superhero fighting and violence, but here are a few of the more intense moments. There are a lot of droids that get killed/destroyed in one fight scene. One character is a cyborg, and when cut, she has wires underneath her skin. Multiple fight scenes include people like Superman and Lex Luthor, with deep cuts and bleeding.
Russian roulette is played with a gun to a man’s head. When the gun finally goes off (you hear it), the camera pans far out, and you see the shot man’s head roll forward. Some characters break bones and pop bones back into their sockets.
Other - Green Lantern makes huge green hands that are flipping people off as they turn military vehicles over.
Overall:
Seeing It With Your Family
You wont find anything here that you wont find in most of the modern Marvel movies. I was disappointed with the amount of curse words, while Superman himself mostly sticks to “gosh” and “darn,” many characters curse a lot. Beware of the brief scene with prostitutes and know that sometimes the director gives a few scenes what seems like the horror movie treatment.
What I Thought
James Gunn has created a movie that feels more like a DC comic or one of their many animated movies. The film starts with several lines of text that catch the viewer up to where this version of the DCU is and then expects the viewer to know enough about these characters to not need introductions. This is a wise move; everyone knows Superman’s origin, and lesser-known characters are introduced in a way that the audience can easily understand their personalities and powers. We don’t need to know every character’s origin; this is a Superman movie after all. Don’t expect to learn all about all the side characters, but rest assured all characters are used and none are just in the movie to be in the movie.
A great story unfolds on screen that focuses on Superman’s (even though he is an alien) humanity. He makes mistakes, he gets angry, and he does the best he can. In my opinion, this was the take we needed on Superman for years. He has the power of a god, but he is as human and imperfect as the rest of us. In the end, he is relatable.
There are some interesting twists to Superman’s history, but every story choice made shows us the human side of Superman and how his choices make him who he is, not other people or outside sources. I enjoyed this one and think it is exactly the start to a new DCU that we needed. It has humor, heroes, and heart. I can’t wait to see what Gunn does next with the DCU.