Rotten Tomatoes’ synopsis of the new Superman movie reads: “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?” This new movie, with its bright colors and overall message of resilience, is already extremely loved despite its huge difference from other Superman movies in the DC franchise.
The reason for this is that the movie does a wonderful job of expressing kindness and support in a way that doesn’t feel cheesy. In the movie, during a discussion between Lois Lane and Superman, Lois talks about how there’s no way Superman is punk rock due to his belief that everything and everyone is worthy of kindness. Superman responds “maybe that’s the real punk rock,” which has now become a popular tag line of the movie: “Kindness Is Punk Rock”. The film’s ability to balance serious topics as well as heartfelt inspiration through its writing and cinematography is incredibly profound and has really impressed a lot of DC fans.
But Detective Comics has not always upheld this reputation. Movieweb says: “The issues with the DCU can be traced back to the beginning with Man of Steel and Batman in The Dark Knight trilogy…while the pitch of imagining a Superman movie as a first contact story might have been intriguing, Superman and Batman are two different characters that tonally cannot be approached the same way.” The article’s sentiment that DC movies are overdramatic and lacking plot has been shared by many DC fans.
Therefore, the reason the newest Superman movie has been so good is because it has not followed this same pattern. From just the trailers, it was clear to people that the movie was taking a huge turn. While Justice League only made $93,842,239 in box office numbers, Superman, released this July, made $125,021,735. This bright and loving tribute to DC has gained it its well-deserved appreciation. I am, therefore, eagerly awaiting DC’s next production!
