MOVIE REVIEW: SUPERMAN

 

When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman's four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it's too late?

Director: James Gunn

Cast: David Corenswet,  Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced

Release Date: July 11, 2025

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for violence, action and language.

Runtime: 2h 9m

Review:

James Gunn's Superman forgoes all the dour, grittiness of Snyder's take on the character by going in the opposite direction by embracing a more colorful, less grounded approach that allows for him to have more fun with the character and his heavily populated comic book world.  Gunn doesn't bother with the usual origin story instead he gets right into the action almost immediately which gives the film a strong headwind that rarely lets up throughout its runtime.  The world he splashes onscreen is fully formed, already populated by villains and heroes who battle regularly.  It all leans heavily into its comic book roots which feels like it unburdens him and his cast to just have fun with the characters and story.  The action sequences are bombastically big and fun however this version of Superman is beaten around on more than a few occasions.  This version of the character is established but also still green enough to give moments of trepidation and self-doubt.   David Corenswet easily steps into the role with a disarming, boyish charm that fits the character perfectly especially when he's in his Clark Kent guise.  He has the perfect "Aw, shucks" quality that Christopher Reeve brought to the role back in the 1978 version that makes the character easy to like.  This is very much the boy scout version of the character who's straightlaced, well intentioned and ultimately just trying to do the right thing.  Rachel Brosnahan is equally impressive as she takes up the Lois Lane mantle with her performance being a mix of Margot Kidder and Dana Delany's animated versions.  Her Lane is plucky enough to hold her own against the Man of Steel as exemplified with a wonderful character moment during a private interview with him.  Corenswet and Brosnahan share excellent chemistry together, something that shines through in that scene as they bounce off each with believable ease.  I personally would have preferred a bit more focus on them at the cost of some of the more extraneous characters we get time with.  The "Justice Gang" made up of Green Lantern, Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl played by Nathan Fillion, Edi Gathegi and Isabela Merced are fun when they pop up on screen, but we're given the tiniest bit of information about each.  Fillion has a blast playing up the jerk angle as Guy Gardner's Green Lantern while Merced does what she can with the limited amount she's given to work with as Hawkgirl.  Edi Gathegi gets more screentime as the super genius Mr. Terrific, playing him mostly like a human supercomputer with occasional flashes of personality.  He gets a fun action sequence that feels like Gunn is plagiarizing his own work from Guardians of the Galaxy as it feels fairly similar to Yondu and his arrow.  In the same vein, Krypto essentially serves as this film's version of Groot with his appearance being well used for relatable pet comedy.  On the downside, Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor is more of a mixed bag as he comes off more like a hodgepodge of previous versions but missing the cold calculating, genius from the best take of the character which was Clancy Brown's work in Superman The Animated Series and Justice League.  Additionally, the film is overstuffed with ideas and plotlines that the film almost buries the titular character under the sheer weight of it all.  Still, it’s hard not to appreciate what Gunn and his cast accomplish with this restart of the DC movie universe with this easy to enjoy and incredibly fun version of Superman.  

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: ALIEN: ROMULUS

 

Space colonizers come face to face with the most terrifying life-form in the universe while scavenging the deep ends of a derelict space station.

Director: Fede Álvarez

Cast: Cailee Spaeny, David Jonsson, Archie Renaux, Isabela Merced, Spike Fearn, Aileen Wu

Release Date: August 16, 2024

Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated R for bloody violent content and language.

Runtime: 1h 59m

Review:

Fede Álvarez's Alien: Romulus is a bloody love letter to the first two films in the long running series, bringing back the retro futuristic aesthetic, a bevy of Easter eggs and delivering some truly thrilling sequences.  Álvarez's love of the series is readily apparent from the opening sequence with the look and feel immediately echoing Ridley Scott's original with its grimy, lived in version of space travel that was missing from the last two prequels.  It plays like cinematic comfort food for long time fans who have been waiting for something like this since the late 80's as every subsequent sequel has veered further away from the feel of those original films.  Everything has a palpable sense of reality with CGI used sparingly throughout which is a welcome change of pace.  It’s an impressive bit of alchemy which leaves you wondering why other directors hadn't leaned into more in the past.  The story is straight forward even if does leave you asking a ton of questions if you think about it too much.  Logic isn't the biggest concern as it's mostly interested in placing the characters, some far more brain dead than others, into specific situations for the mayhem to begin.  It’s all easier to digest since the cast is totally onboard from the opening scene.  Cailee Spaeny does well in the lead in an understated turn that does well to avoid direct comparison to Sigourney Weaver's Ripley.  Her central relationship with David Jonsson's synthetic Andy is an interesting slant on the usual survivor trope that runs across these films.  Jonsson and Spaeny have a strong chemistry together which gives their characters some emotional weight to their relationship, something sorely missing from the supporting characters who are little more than meat for the grinder.  It’s a testament to Álvarez that it’s not a huge drawback since the construction of the big sequences are so well done that you don’t really care that the majority of characters are one note or make some truly stupid decisions.  Alien: Romulus works best when its creativity is on full display such as a fraught trek through a face hugger infested hallway or an anti gravity Alien battle which brings a renewed sense of energy to the creatures and franchise.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: MADAME WEB

 

Cassandra Webb is a New York City paramedic who starts to show signs of clairvoyance. Forced to confront revelations about her past, she must protect three young women from a mysterious adversary who wants them dead.

Director: S.J. Clarkson

Cast: Dakota Johnson, Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor, Isabela Merced, Tahar Rahim, Mike Epps, Emma Roberts, Adam Scott

Release Date: February 14, 2024 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for violence/action and language.

Runtime: 1h 54m

Review:

Madame Web arrives onscreen barely registering a pulse thanks to a bland script and a cast that's as disinterested as the audience.  S.J. Clarkson does her best to give this low rent version of Edge of Tomorrow some life early on but using inventive angles and shots during some of the action sequences.  There are small slivers of energy, especially early, but once the film goes into an endless cycle of repetition which kills any sense of momentum or entertainment.  Those hoping for some mindless superhero action will be sorely disappointed since the majority of that occurs in a flash forward which the film never occurs in the actual film, leaving this film as nothing more than set up for a future installment.  Instead, the film follows Dakota Johnson's Cassandra Webb kidnap/rescue the trio of Sydney Sweeney, Celeste O'Connor and Isabela Merced and chaperon them around before abandoning them for an impromptu day trip to Peru.  It’s all rather nonsensical and illogical which might be goofy if any of the cast put any sort of effort into their performances.  Johnson leads the cast with one of the more uninspired performances in a big budget film in recent memory.  Her consistently monotone line delivery makes it feel like we are watching rehearsal footage instead of the final cut.  That energy runs across her supporting cast  who are saddled with the most generic clichés of early 2000's teenage girls.  It’s so painfully bad that you wouldn't be surprised if they randomly started singing Spice Girls song just to drive the point home about the live action Brats dolls assembled.  Tahar Rahim doesn't fair much better as the film's sort of evil Spider-man from the dollar store with his stilted delivery that makes Johnson look inspired in comparison.  Madame Web is a mess of a film that commits a variety of sins which would be forgivable if it wasn't so incredibly boring.

D-