“Terrible New 'Superman' Is Final Nail in Superhero Cinema's Coffin“

What do you expect, it’s no-talent James Gunn who put a freakin dog in it to simply sell merchandise.

Good Peter Safran used my friend to climb to the top and then deserted him for DC while still making money off of my friend.

Easier to read

Thank you r3.

Not at all surprised and what I was expecting.

From the clips I've seen it looks like a dreary, humorless, Woke slog with a wan, anemic Superman.

Superman has always been a tough sell and James Gunn is a weirdo.

"Similar to Snyder and Joss Whedon's misshapen Justice League, Gunn's spectacular overpopulates itself with heroes and villains it has neither the time nor the inclination to develop."

That's a problem I have with basically all the modern superhero movies. They stuff these things with as many characters as they can because it makes the comic book geeks happy, but it makes the stakes meaningless and the action just a blurry mess of activity. Terrible films.

IMO, the best lighthearted superhero movie remains 2004's Spider-Man 2. The best darker superhero movie remains 2008's The Dark Knight.

The Saturday morning cartoon vibe he talks about might be just what the doctor ordered —everyone I know is anxious and miserable, children pick up on this anxiety from the adults around them. Something that flies in the face of all the dark, angsty dystopian movies and TV series we’ve been seeing for the past15 years might feel fresh.

I’ll make up my own mind about whether Gunn and his actors caught the right tone for this.

Variety’s review of John Cena’s new film also makes a dig at Superman:

“You could be forgiven for writing off “Heads of State.” But then, you would miss a movie that’s no sillier than “Superman” and a lot more entertaining (a comparison worth making, since both adhere to a mythical sense of heroism).”

I think this says it all.

It will open strong but it really has only two weekends to make bank and it becoming a profitable hit will depend on word of mouth.

[quote]Superman has always been a tough sell

Not to audiences. The first three Reeve movies were iconic box office juggernauts, and Lois and Clark was a popular TV show in the 90's that launched Teri Hatcher's career. The Brandon Routh movie also did well.

The recent movies having been trying way too hard to modernize the whole story and it doesn't work. There's an earnestness to the Superman story that you can't bullshit. And the Lois and Clark dynamic is a 40's screwball comedy/romance at the core, and most of these current male screenwriters can't write that kind of female role anymore.

They need someone who brought the same gravitas that Raimi brought to the Spider Man saga. Someone who can balance the heart and the humor, like Donner and Lester did.

R12 most people hate the Richard Lester Superman films. (Superman 2 was largely shot by Donner and Lester’s contributions are viewed unfavorably.)

I mean the lead actor is a charisma free plank and the lead actress supports men wearing dresses.

They try to make Superman happen once every decade or so and it has never worked since Donner/Reeve.

I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than watch this.

[quote] The Brandon Routh movie also did well.

A most talented and handsome actor.

[quote]I’d rather stick pins in my eyes than watch this

Pics please.

This film has put on a Barbie-esque campaign in which the public has no means of escape from it.

[bold] James Gunn is doing his part to tank the film early[/bold],....."It's about an immigrant named Kal-El...."

Warner Bros has got to be pissed...

The phrase "Truth Justice and the [bold] American [/bold] way is no longer used. Instead they are using the phrase "Truth Justice and the HUMAN way". When asked about the change during press, Corenswet is squirming trying to explain it. What the fuck has Gunn ever gotten right at D.C.? This could be the one that finally finds WB cutting him loose.

R21: I was on the fence about paying to see this in IMAX. Now I have a good reason to wait until it's on streaming.

I remember Rex Read making a cameo in the 1978 Superman movie his presence lent authenticity to Clarke and Lois being reporters seen anything good lately. Lois asked Rex not till you came along. He replied anyway today everyone's a critic. Everyone has a platform everyone has Twitter, Instagram, social media Sub stack logs. It doesn't matter what one reviewer says people will go see the movie judge for themselves media has changed. I wonder if any action at the daily planet will reflect that forgive the typos. This was voice to text.

Forgive the typos, the spelling, the punctuation, hopefully my message can be deciphered

Masculine Lois repeatedly hangs out with a MAN who wear dresses and calls himself a woman. Sorry. I'm busy [bold] Dropping the TEEE [/bold] that weekend.

James Gunn is an abomination to film directing, so this is no surprise.

The suit is unflattering and that may sound shallow but it’s one reason a looney Batman failed

Also, save the politics for your Senate run. We already live with orange shitler 24/7 and know the fourth reich is dawning we need movies to escape.

They are pushing this as a relevant to modern politics story. No idea how much of the movie is actually about that or whether that's just part of the marketing push.

I think people want escapism, not a repeat of what's in the daily headlines, so I'm curious how well it will do beyond opening weekend when word spreads of its allegedly political content.

As soon as I saw that awful Superman suit I knew this was going to be fucked.

When I read about all of the non-Superman, DC characters that would be in it along with that FUCKING dog, I just knew. The suit is ill-fighting and Hoult is too distracting, but I’m still going to give it watch.

Not sure about the upcoming FF movie either. The cinematography looks amazing, but the casting seems off.

I hoped the suit was some kind of early Mom made creation and it would change. It looks really heavy and bulky. I am hopeful that it resembles more of a Chris Reeve/Donner movie. As a big fan of the Reeve movies, the Henry Cavill movies left me stone cold. I couldnt get through any of them after the first.

Behold the costume, ruined like so many superhero costumes before it. Corenswet is feminizing his press tour, calling himself a "theater kid"---which might be slang for gay---because no straight guy ever calls himself a theater kid.. Reminds me of SOLO girling out during his promotional tour. LoL

Who's going to tell Lois that she got billing behind Beck Bennett, Michael Ian Black, Jimmy Olsen and "onlooker"?

DL is populated by old farts who are still sexually obsessed with Christopher Reeve.

And of course Gunn is a liberal so we all know who on DL is obsessed with dumping on him.

[Quote] humorless, Woke slog

Yes, him.

[quote] Who's going to tell Lois that she got billing behind Beck Bennett, Michael Ian Black, Jimmy Olsen and "onlooker"?

That listing at r33 is from the cast listing on IMDB.com. The primary way individual cast members are listed on IMDB.com is by order of appearance. This is not a "billing" listing.

[quote] The primary way individual cast members are listed on IMDB.com is by order of appearance.

Does she come in at the end?

Jake Tapper is in the movie!! James Gunns BROTHER is in the movie!! And THIS is Jimmy Olsen? A thousand hot guys in Hollywood and THIS is who they cast? Oh well. At least Hawkgirl isn't in the movie...Oh wait...She IS in the movie (for no particular reason).

Jimmy is a secret CIA agent working undercover at The Daily Planet. Spoiler alert: He gets his head blown off within a minute of his introduction.

There's always a casting issue with Jimmy Olsen, as he can't be a rival to Superman. They recast the character in Clark and Lois because the actor was too hot - sorry, too similar to Dean Cain ( despite looking nothing like him.

Early reviews are always designed to generate hype. We'll get a clearer picture of the film in a few hours.

Early social media reviews are really positive.

Frequent James Gunn hater, Grace Randolph, says:

[quote] This is the BEST Superman movie to date.

[quote] When James Gunn gets out of the way & lets his work speak for itself, it's incredible. 💙💛❤️

[quote] It's not perfect, but darn close & made me a believer in Gunn's DC

A terrific start for the new DC Studios,” wrote Fandango’s Erik Davis. Collider’s Perri Nemiroff offers: “The movie is loaded with exhilarating action set pieces and well-placed humor and levity.”

I saw it at a critic's screening last night with my friend who works in media. I'd call it very good but not great (can there even still be a "great" superhero movie? It feels like that ship has sailed). It's fun and kind of silly, fast-moving and broad, and a very big stylistic break from those wretched Zack Snyder movies. Corenswet really turns out to be the best thing about the movie -- he nails that weird combo of conviction and corniness that defines Superman. I wish the movie had a little more Clark Kent, though. As an old DC nerd, I enjoyed the use of obscure heroes like Mr. Terrific and Metamorpho the Element Man, and Nathan Fillion has some great comic moments as Guy Gardner. Hoult brings some nice intensity and pathos to Luthor, though the character felt a bit under-conceived. I think it will do well.

I’m curious to see how it does in its second weekend when word of mouth spreads.

I don't trust reviews (Hollywood or Broadway) anymore.

[quote]What do you expect, it’s no-talent James Gunn who put a freakin dog in it to simply sell merchandise.

Krypto is part of the Superman legend. Has been since the 1950s.

I'm looking forward to seeing Krypto on screen, much more so than Metamorpho, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific or Hawkgirl, none of who are part of the Superman legend.

So far, it’s at 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

I’m optimistic. We all need a fun Superman movie right now.

That so-called “critic” at The Daily Beast doesn’t understand what makes Superman Superman. Everything he’s complaining about is what we needed. A bright, hopeful Superman. Superman’s more human than that guy will ever be. He’s about hope. He’s about truth, justice, and the human way.

It looks completely CGI. There’s actually humans in it?

EW Grade: B-

: "The latest version of the caped hero from Krypton has finally arrived, marking the start of the James Gunn era at DC Studios. It's got a superb bunch of actors — anchored by its exquisitely cast trio of David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult. But no amount of super-strength can lift the gifted actors from the muddled mess of Gunn's script.

"Corenswet is a marvel as Superman/Clark Kent, seemingly born for the role (remarks upon his resemblance to Reeve far predate his casting). He layers a patina of boyish charm with a quiet intensity and intelligence, making Superman's All-American, cornfed upbringing a symbol of his genuine decency. He believably plays Superman's earnestness and kindness, leaning into the traits that could make the character feel old-fashioned in a cynical world. We don't deserve his Superman, but we sure as hell need him."

[quote]So far, it’s at 86% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.

I'm at a point now where I want the OP of this thread to just throw himself into a grease fire already. He's probably the same poster calling the new Jurassic Park movie a flop.

Like, it's fine if you personally are not feeling a movie, but don't make it into a fucking crusade and try and turn the whole of DL against it with these over-the-top hateful threads.

R47 Dude, everybody knows Krypto.

The obviously concerted effort to tank this film (and the completely buffoonish posters trying so hard to do that) is hilarious.

r53, apparently r1 and r30 don’t

Any casual or onetime Superman fan, which is a huge demographic given he's been a cultural icon for almost a century and every generation has had its own set of movies, tv shows, animated works and, of course, comic books to feel lifelong nostalgia over, knows Krypto.

And for anyone who doesn't, he's Superman's dog from Krypton. Not exactly a difficult concept.

I'm R30.

[quote]I’m optimistic. We all need a fun Superman movie right now.

It's not a coincidence that all the trolls trashing it online are MAGAs. They loathe any form of optimism that is separate from MAGA propaganda and hate when American cultural icons aren't portrayed as aggressive MAGA propaganda.

It's a cult, of course.

Rottentomatoes released the audience rating of the movie.

The Critics score is a fresh 86% (as of today).

The Audience score is a fresh 96%

The studio must be so happy.

I think it will do well, especially if word of mouth is as strong as it seems like it will be.

I hope the Snyder Bros' heads are exploding over the good reviews.

I love the original one in 1978. They should just re-release it with new special f/x. Or create a whole new movie from it using deep fake, AI, CGI, etc.

Krypto is getting raves. Who’s a good boy?!

Reviews are a matter of taste.

71 Metascore.

That time Superman found romance.

[quote] Reviews are a matter of taste.

R63 = Chris Evert, World’s Worst Tennis Commentator

Apparently it’s about Israel.

Sorry, not sorry but I enjoy James Gunn's snarky superhero movies and tv shows. I would have seen Superman in spite of the bad review. Toxic fandom has taken the fun out of every film series. No one is re-writing the Bible here, it's just soap operas with superhumans and monsters.

[quote] That's a problem I have with basically all the modern superhero movies. They stuff these things with as many characters as they can because it makes the comic book geeks happy, but it makes the stakes meaningless and the action just a blurry mess of activity. Terrible films.

The first time I noticed this was Spider-Man 3 (2007). Excess villains shoved in for fanservice.

Superman: DCU Movie Has Already Broken 3 Box Office Records

[quote]While early box office tracking for Superman suggested an opening weekend of around $100 million, those estimates have now risen to between $140 million and $150 million, thanks to the strong Thursday previews. With international markets expected to do $100 million-plus, Warner Bros. and DC Studios are looking at a global opening weekend of $250 million or greater for Superman.

Deadline has now adjusted their prediction down to 115 million midday. Say sources got overly excited. But who knows where it will end up The predictions for this one have been more volatile than usual. Not sure why.

Just got back from seeing it and I hated it so much

[quote]I’m optimistic. We all need a fun Superman movie right now.

My biggest issue is that the movie is not fun at all. None of the characters is appealing, Lex Luthor is way too dark and Superman is sidelined much of the time in favor or other, lesser superhero characters. Add in a bad CGI dinosaur-beast, an annoying Superdog and Nathan Fillion's Corky St. Clair haircut and it just gets worse and worse

I never read the comic books so maybe fans of those will find more to like here. Fans of the old Christopher Reeve films will leave unsatisfied

[quote]Warner Bros. Pictures’ “Superman” grossed an estimated $56.5 million domestically on Friday, on top of $22.5 million in Thursday previews. The 1938 comic book character, which began as a film series in 1978, is expected to gross nearly $130 million domestically for the weekend.

R73: What are you even talking about? It’s barely going to eke out a (domestic) opening that’s around what Man of Steel did THIRTEEN years ago with fewer premium screens and lower ticket prices. Also, the overseas numbers keep going down.

Saw it yesterday. Had low expectations but really enjoyed it. David Corenswet was good (and hot) in the role and Mr. Terrific stole the show. I liked that the movie veered a bit on the silly side after the too-serious Man of Steel movies. It was a fun popcorn flick.

With gross of $123 million, it’s failed to break Man of Steel $128.7 million opening from 12 years ago (inflation adjusted would be around $177 million).

Word for word with r75.

I saw "Superman" yesterday, too.

I do not discount, and in some instances actually agree with, the critics of Superman by the pro reviewers who have panned it, Jeremy Jahns on his popular Youtube Channel most prominently.

He has dissected the movie and points out the lack of internal logic and questionable choices Gunn has made with plotting and presentation.

But you know what? I figure by my wanting to see a movie about the fantastical fictional over-the-top character that is "Superman", I've already let go of any reservations about it "making sense".

So, I just rolled with it and had a very good time.

Superman is a great movie. It’s very entertaining and never boring. David Corenswet is hot and the dog Krypto steals the movie. The grumpy people need to chill out.

[Quote]None of the characters is appealing, Lex Luthor is way too dark and Superman is sidelined much of the time in favor or other, lesser superhero characters.

Literally this. Saw it yesterday. It wasn't very good. Why did they need to add all those useless characters? What was the point? We never got to actually know any of them. Superman was very much sidelined. He should have gotten a lot more screen time. I didn't even like the main story, which was clearly supposed to be Israel vs Palestine. Don't we get enough of that in the news? Also, yes. Terrible CGI. I expected so much more.

Turning out to be a massive hit, particularly after the right wing went after it for daring to call Superman an alien…which he is

[Quote] The grumpy people need to chill out.

They’re not grumpy. The **need** to see attractive men fail is a sad sexual fetish. It explains the ratboy troll, the Cavill troll, the Bailey troll, and now the Corenswet troll.

[quote] Turning out to be a massive hit,

What did? Superman bombed.

This isn’t even going to break even.

Saw it yesterday. It was a really solid movie. Corenswet, Brosnahan and Hoult were all great casting choices. Adding Krypto was a shrewd but appreciated choice. It was nice to see a movie about Superman that wasn't a grim/dark mess. This film has a lot going on -- a LOT -- but it never felt like too much or that Superman himself was getting lost. This was clearly an attempt at adapting a silver age Superman comic, and it succeeded. I liked how the film avoided an origin story and started years after Superman was known around the world; do we really need to see him learning to fly for the 10th time? Does anyone NOT know his origin at this point?

The only criticism I might have is that Clark Kent was barely in it. For most of the runtime, he was Superman. And we never got the shot of him ripping open his shirt to reveal the Superman logo. Oh well.

All this being said, I feel confident in the future of the DC Universe. Bring on Supergirl and the Lanterns show.

[quote] With gross of $123 million, it’s failed to break Man of Steel $128.7 million opening from 12 years ago (inflation adjusted would be around $177 million).

If you’re going to do adjusted for inflation then you need to do it for the budget too. MOS’s budget of $200 million would mean $400 million today and that would mean it’s a complete bomb.

Agree about the movie not making sense. It doesn't make sense that Lois Lane could survive a romantic encounter with Clark/Superman. There's a reason he's called the Man of Steel. She would be blasted to smithereens when David Corenswet came.

She would sweat, and her core would explode!

[Quote] If you’re going to do adjusted for inflation then you need to do it for the budget too.

There’s a much more fundamental issue with the comparison than that. Any big event movie is going to have racked up much bigger box office before Covid than now. Covid changed so much about our society, including moviegoing. I know many people who were avid theater goers who just wait for the movie to hit streaming.

The business model is different now, the post theater deals are much more important.

Gunn and his allies in the media are trying to spin it as a success but 217 million worldwide and 123 in the US means just 94 million from overseas: that’s the most worrying aspect, personally speaking.

[quote] . I know many people who were avid theater goers who just wait for the movie to hit streaming

People like me. We spent money on upgrading our home viewing experience, making it as comfortable as possible while sacrificing space for all the gadgets. It's still justifying its existence.

[quote] that’s the most worrying aspect, personally speaking.

Personally-speaking? Were you involved with the making of this film?

We all have personal stakes in this. Superman is all of us. He is humanity. And that is his biggest strength.

R92 = Virgin posting from his mother’s basement

Sadly, they don't make movies for 54 year-old shut-ins who are mad that they have black people in TV commercials now.

As much as the haters want it to be a bomb, it's a big fat hit. Why? Because it's "Superman" and " Jurassic Park" amongst the cesspool of total crap out there right now.

R95: It's a complete disaster overseas. I wouldn't be shocked if it doesn't make $500M WW.

Chicken Little, it's only the fist weekend. Why are you so invested in calling it a failure when it hasn't finished its run? Movies are not the same since COVID. Anything grossing over a $100 million in its first weekend is a blessing for the entertainment industry and helps lift up other movies and keep theatres open. Maybe admit you were wrong since it's not a failure and bake and eat some humble pie.

Didn't read the whole thread but I saw it today and kind of loved it TBH.

R98 here. If you stay through the end credits there's a shot of Superman and Krypto looking out over the earth and snuggling. Nearly made me lose it and tear up.

I burst into tears! 🥹🥲😥😭

I could never get into the Caville Superman movies. Too dark and he is both drop dead gorgeous, and he checks ever box.

And yet....he's boring.

I LOVED David Cornswet. Loved the costume closer to the comics. David has it all -- great body, the Clark Kent charm. He was perfect. I couldn't stop seeing Mrs. Maisel in Lois. She's too ingrained in that role IMHO.

Nicholas was miscast; better than Spacey but he looked like he wanted to fuck Kal-El.

They got Jimmy Olsen right.

I often fall asleep at the movies but not this time.

R101 = Stephen Dorff

R101 = James Gunn

Just saw this and JFC what a trainwreck. I hadn’t seen any Superman since II in 1981. I was hoping it would be like Jurassic which I just saw after not having seen anything since the original. But I was at least able to enjoy the Jurassic reboot on some level. This? My god. Seriously, “Mr. Terrific”? Did they have to do a sequel from the Golden Girls Mr. Terrific? And seriously, Jimmy Olsen as a sex symbol? And I totally thirst for Skyler Gisondo.

So much wrong with this. Utter drivel. Marvel for idiots. And that’s a low bar to begin with. Skip and save your money.

Sorry haters.

Saw the film and didn't like it. There is a reason the old Superman comics are not selling to the younger generations - no relevance. Lois was boring but predictable for a Gunn film. Cornsweet was the least interesting or attractive cast member, adding in the dog as a gimmick was annoying.

I prefer the Snyder Superman incarnation over this, and that is saying a lot as Gunn's vision was too dark. This is just awful. I will be glad when the hype is over and we can ignore this disaster of a film.

Troll thread.

I laughed, I cried! It was better than Cats!

R108 = Krypto

who is Frank Grillo related to?

does he have a cousin who's in the movie biz?

How does he go from nudie pinup to starring in Superman?