‘Superman’ puts the cart before the horse

Art never exists within a vacuum. Whether intentional or not, art is always in conversation with what has come before and what may come after.

“Art imitates life” is the old adage, with the reverse being equally true. Within the world of comic-book films, specifically those based on DC Comics publications, there has been a perpetual push-pull in terms of the tone for their classic characters.

The overcommercialization of “Batman & Robin” led to the more adult-oriented “Batman Begins.”

Doubling down on that approach with “The Dark Knight,” in conjunction with the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s strategy of being more family-friendly, gave DC the confidence to hand the keys to its cinematic kingdom to Zack Snyder, who likened the characters to tormented deities rather than everyday heroes. Grimmer than the fairy tales from the famous German brothers, these stories were the opposite of “summer fun,” and required real-time course corrections (the theatrical cut of “Justice League” vs. “Zack Snyder’s Justice League”), muddying the overall picture.

Bursting onto the scene as the ultimate course correction is James Gunn’s boldly titled “Superman.”

It’s not a coincidence that the opening studio logos feature a bright background, a cheerful animated version of Superman and a tinge of John Williams’ iconic score. As his Kryptonian parents state in their farewell video message, he’s been put on Earth because it’s the place where he can do the most good.

And, boy, were they right. This Earth also has its own Eastern European crisis, with Superman (David Corenswet) intervening when one side invades the other. He did so in the name of saving lives, and potentially stopped an impending war.

By doing so, he violated several international laws and established himself as judge, jury and executioner to those who can spin the truth. Similar to “Captain America: Civil War” and Zack Snyder’s approach in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” Gunn investigates the naivety of simply doing good in a modern world that perpetually proves that it can play devil’s advocate. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is their devil, pulling the strings on a multi-pronged hit on Superman’s public image. What good is a beacon of hope when people stop believing in it?

This central idea on the symbolism of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s classic character is the film’s greatest asset, especially with Gunn opting to go straight for the heart of the matter by placing this story slightly later in the origin story timeline. Superman is the people’s champion, with street vendors rushing to pick him up when he crashes into the ground, and kids waving his symbol as a means to ward off evil. But he’s now stuck between a rock and a hard place, with every decision involving two steps forward, three steps back.

What’s disappointing is watching that kernel get drowned by an onslaught of extra characters, side plots, and bloated set pieces. It’s all in the name of fun, but too much fun can be a bad thing.

Just outside the main troupe of characters is the Justice Gang (sounds like an opportunity for a future name change) trio of Guy Gardener, Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific (with his terrific tennis balls), Metamorpho (the Luthor henchman of Ultraman) and The Engineer, and all the staff at The Daily Planet. Their jobs are to deliver the copious amounts of exposition required to keep this flying locomotive on the tracks, explaining what just happened and what will happen. There’s also Krypto the Superdog lending comedic relief at every turn. Your mileage on his antics will be in direct correlation to how much you like dogs (hint: I’m more of a cat person).

All of this culminates in a final stretch that attempts to serve everything and everyone mentioned, along with nuggets for what’s to come next in this new era of the DC Universe. Gunn mostly succeeds in juggling all these haphazardly thrown balls, but he doesn’t excel enough to make me crave more. If it could have focused on one ball, then it would have been a slam dunk. You miss every shot you don’t take, but there comes a point where you’re just chucking at the wall.

Corenswet is quite the discovery as our titular hero, exuding a boyish charm and optimism that skipped over Henry Cavill. He wears the big red logo proudly, which Gunn prominently shows off every time he leaps through the sky. The visual effects that encapsulate him during those high-flying effects are well done, carrying a goofy off-beat energy from the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films.

Luthor’s brain is often stronger than Superman’s brawn, with Hoult capturing the megalomania required to take on such a formidable adversary. He’s punchable as he throws tantrums, consumes himself with envy and belittles everyone around him. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is underserved by the sped-through nature of her relationship with Clark Kent/Superman, but she still manages to make a good impression.

So, here we are, back to square one. A decade’s worth of previous DC films have been thrown in the trash (good riddance, I mostly say). In his overeagerness to be liked and do everything, everywhere, all at once, Gunn may have placed the cart before the horse, but he also swings the door wide open to a universe with endless possibilities. Now we just have to wait to see if the juice will be worth the squeeze.

Warner Bros. will release “Superman” in theaters nationwide on July 11.

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Eden Prairie resident Hunter Friesen is a film critic who owns and operates The Cinema Dispatch, a website where he writes reviews, essays and more. He currently serves as the president of the Minnesota Film Critics Association and travels the globe covering film festivals big and small. To view his entire body of work, you can visit his website and Instagram.