Take-57 Was the movie "Superman" interesting?

【Tagline for this movie】
"LOOK UP"

【Original Title】
"SUPER MAN"

【Running Time】130 minutes

𓃠 Everyone, are you having a good movie life?
I am Paysanne, a stray cat from N City.

On the opening day, I watched it from the very front row of IMAX, literally "looking up" at it.✨️
The villains of the Reiwa-era Superman are fake news, inflammatory marketing, media controversy, and a net society where you pull others down to lift yourself up──
It also felt like a cheer for "children being bullied on social media"—a problem that didn't exist in 1938 when "Superman" was born. I projected myself onto Superman, who is accused by everyone of being an "invader," and I wanted him not to give up, thinking, "You are a Superman too."

Don't just look down, obsessed with your smartphone.
"LOOK UP—Look at the sky"
"Heart" is stronger than "physical strength," and even stronger than "intellect"──so they say.

⚠️ Now, since it has been about 10 days since the release, please be aware that I will be writing the following with some spoilers.

I feel like I see more "praise" on X, but it is indeed being called "controversial" in some quarters. Just like in the film, there might be people out there looking to earn views by stirring up controversy, saying "The new Superman is '#Supershit'!"—and then people will start attacking those who are attacking it, and I'm sure fruitless arguments will break out on social media again...🙄 That's what I was thinking, but...

It's great that director Gunn seemed to anticipate such people, portraying them in the film as "monkeys writing abusive comments on the net🐒" that Lex Luthor uses to manipulate information.😂

Among the Supermen adapted into films so far──
The "truth-seeking" type "Showa-era Superman", Christopher Reeve.

The "Heisei-era Superman", Henry Cavill, who had a terrifying quality like a nuclear weapon that could destroy the Earth if handled incorrectly.

And Reiwa Superman was David Corenswet's Clark Kent, the most human-like version, swayed by the 'shifting feelings of the masses'.

I don't really like it when the protagonist in a movie talks about themselves, but since Superman hasn't really shown weakness before, this time it might have touched me a little 😢

Man, but Lex Luthor is really good this time 😲
Gene Hackman's 'sly' version, who 'sucks up to the powerful,' is also good, though 😂

Although it wasn't a direct confrontation, there was a clear sense that he was properly fighting Superman, and I even felt a sense of allure in his acting during their first meeting, where he was nonchalant yet muttered mocking remarks 😹

There was advance information that 'Ultraman' would appear in the new Superman movie—I was wondering what that was all about? 🙄 But I guess that's what it meant 😂

Luthor's fighting style, which calculated all of Superman's attack patterns, felt like an ultimate evolved version of 'Superman III (1983)' in a way 😸

The 'computer that looked like a cheap TV game' in 'Superman III' is now... it's a comeback, isn't it? 😂

Also, this time it starts with Superman looking tattered in Antarctica (it's used in the trailer too). His face was covered in wounds and blood was flowing from his mouth... I suddenly wondered, what is the 'concept of blood' in 'Superman' anyway... 😂

In 'Superman II (1980)', he chose love with Lois, lost his superpowers, and became 'human'—there was a scene where he was punched by a man in a cafe, bled, and was surprised, saying, 'Look, Lois, blood!' But honestly, it's a bit unclear how much it takes for his 'steel body' to get injured or bleed 😂

'Superman II' is personally my favorite Superman movie that I've watched countless times. There is the theatrical version directed by Richard Lester and the 'Richard Donner version,' who was the director of the first film, 'Superman (1978)'.

Please be aware that these two are so different that you could say they are 'completely different things'. Also, if you've only seen '2' in theaters or on TV, I recommend watching it. I guarantee you'll be like, '😲 Whoa, it's totally different! (Of course, the flow is the same)' 😁

Come to think of it, I don't think there was a transformation scene this time. Speaking of Superman, comical transformations in phone booths or photo booths (well, you don't see either much these days, lol) are a highlight, but I guess those are being carried over to the next film? 😁

　This time, one thing in the new film that made me go "?" was the message from his biological parents.
　In the movie, there's no clear answer as to whether "that" was "the real thing" or "tampered with by Lex," so both have a "perhaps" attached to them, don't they?🙄
（Though Mr. Terrific did say it was mostly authentic.）

　For those who have watched Clark's "biological parents," Jor-El and the others, in previous "Superman" films, you might think, "No, no, that's not right... that's a fake," or "Huh? Is that the setting this time?😲," and the movie ends without knowing "which one is true."

　Luther might know the truth, but Clark himself might not know the truth in the end, either.

　Since the truth is unknown, I think Clark decided that he had no choice but to establish his identity by combining the first part of his biological parents' message with the words from his "adoptive parents" when he returned home, and the beliefs he has held until now.

　Even in reality, there are people who are discriminated against in various aspects just because "if the parent is like that, the child is like that too" (whether that's true or not).
　Like, the moment that's found out, the attitude of the people they've been associating with changes completely.

　I feel like this is also one of the important themes☹️

　From the viewer's perspective, it ends up being "Is it fake? Is it real?," but I feel like making the audience think that was the director's intention as well🙄

　For example, like with SMAP's Nakai-kun before, "if something like this were to happen in reality," ordinary citizens wouldn't know in the end how much is true and how much is not.

　I think that question will only increase as fake videos become more sophisticated. I believe the director intentionally left it unanswered to let the audience re-experience that current situation—what do you think?

　Of course, perhaps this issue will be carried over into the next film and become part of the story, but🐈️
　This time, they skipped the so-called "origin story" of Clark coming to Earth from Krypton entirely and started from around his third year of activity as Superman, and I'm fantasizing that it's because "that part will be revealed as a mystery" throughout the entire series...?

"Superman" is actually the second installment of the new DCEU works. The first installment is "Creature Commandos" (currently streaming on U-NEXT), which was released as an animated series.
　The protagonist, Rick Flag Sr., also made a brief appearance, didn't he😺

　Frank Grillo, who voiced the character in the anime, appears as the character himself. Perhaps there will come a time when it collaborates with this anime, and I don't think it's a loss to know that this Rick Flag Sr. character is actually a figure who is quite central in the James Gunn world.

　In Director J. Gunn's "The Suicide Squad (2021)," his son, Rick Flag Jr. (Jr., not Sr.), is one of the protagonists. And in the film, he is killed by "Peacemaker," the protagonist of Director Gunn's TV drama series.
"Peacemaker" Season 2 starts streaming on U-NEXT in August, and it seems that Rick Flag Sr., whose son was killed, and Peacemaker will be the axis of the story, and it seems it will also collaborate with the world of "Superman."

　Also, I think "Creature Commandos" is good for preparing for this "Superman" or the "new DCEU" by understanding "what kind of worldview this is😲"😊

　The next DCEU work is "Supergirl (scheduled for 2026)," but the third installment coming after that is "Clayface (scheduled for 2026)," which is set in Gotham City from the Batman series. This Clayface also appears in this "Creature Commandos" or the Japanese-produced anime "Suicide Squad Isekai (2024)," so fans might want to check it out.

　Also, it's said that Christopher Reeve, who played the first Superman, had his son Will Reeve make a cameo appearance as a TV reporter in this "Superman."

Furthermore, the voice of "Superman Robot" No. 5 at the Antarctic base is Pom Klementieff, and No. 1 is Guardians of the Galaxy series' Yondu, familiar to many, Michael Rooker—
😂 Even though I don't want to know advance information, I might have wanted to know just this part before watching lol
😸 Huh~

And now, the strongest theory this time...
Krypto 🐶 isn't an original movie character, he's been around since the comic days (well, I guess that makes sense lol)

Krypto's rising (?)
DC League of Super-Pets (2022) seems to be available on U-NEXT too 😸
Also, it was announced the other day that Krypto will appear in the next film, "Supergirl"!—that's happy news 😺

Also, preaching to the choir for those who are well-versed, but in the aforementioned "Peacemaker" season 2, Green Lantern and Hawkgirl will collaborate (Wait? What about Mr. Terrific? 😂)—so I'm looking forward to it 😋

The Guy Gardner who appeared this time is the 4th Green Lantern. The theatrical version "Green Lantern (2011)" that Ryan Reynolds played back in the day was the 2nd, Hal Jordan. They are set as different people.
American hero comics often have these "Xth generation" or "so-and-so's son" things even if the names are the same, so it really causes confusion, doesn't it 😂
When I look it up, I feel like I'm taking a history class 🤭

Also, it was just announced the other day that production has begun on the drama "Lanterns", which depicts the exploits of the successive Green Lanterns 😁
This isn't a case of trying to catch lightning in a bottle because "Superman" was a hit—it's something that has been talked about since the new DCEU was launched, so I have high expectations 😌

To tell the truth, "Superman" is truly the very first of heroes, the origin, so in ramen shop terms, it's the "default" 😂 so compared to other heroes, I think it's a work that's quite difficult to make interesting... 🙄

Even though the shop manager, no, the director, has added some "toppings" this time, I have a strong feeling of "No way! If you've done this much, I'm already super satisfied!" 😀

Well then, see you next time!