Superheroes: they have been as old as time if you count Hercules and Perseus of Greek myth. Funny how my audience was treated to a teaser to Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey adaptation during one screening, but that is for next summer. Superman and Fantastic Four are the topics of the day. But rather than review them respectively, I want to take a moment to take the temperature of these two long-running franchises. DC and Marvel are the big dog on campus in the comics landscape. However, I think it is interesting to see them trot out their most squarest of characters.
Clark Kent and his hero counterpart, regardless of what Zack Snyder thought, is really the least complicated of the DC roster. As the saying goes; he is in the pursuit of truth, justice and the American way. Some in the media have begun to question his American-ness though. Director James Gunn has been accused of making this latest iteration of the character an immigrant story. I would like to circle back with these critics and ask if they have seen the original 1978 film with Christopher Reeve. Clark/Superman has always felt like a stranger in a strange land. What doesn’t make that a foreign outsider narrative?
My argument against this film isn’t our hero’s allegiances; it is where is the center of gravity. David Corenswet is the best since Reeve at nailing Clark, whether wearing the cape or the glasses. Whereas Henry Cavil’s Kent felt like Superman in Clark cosplay, Corenswet pulls off both halves of his personality. He makes you believe more than just his flying, it’s his emoting.
The problem of the film is that we never fully focus on him, playing “meanwhile back at the ranch” with a host of other potential spinoffs.
And don’t get me wrong, they are equally compelling. Mister Terrific and Guy Gardner are fun to watch. Even Lois Lane and Jimmy Olson were a great team here. But it begs the bigger question: is it really a Superman movie if Clark feels like just part of the ensemble? DC has been chasing what Marvel has built over time, a cohesive cinematic universe. Only time will tell if this new approach will pan out.
On the opposite side, Marvel clearly felt that Supes was major competition. Clearing two weeks after DC’s drop, The Fantastic Four: First Steps hit theaters. Disney and Kevin Feige had a lot riding on this film to do well, as this is their second attempt at continuing this legacy post-Endgame. Artistically, I think they succeeded. Financially, we shall see. But commendation needs to be given to the casting team at picking these actors. Pedro Pascal is red hot now and his big dad energy is enough to fill Reed Richards’s shoes. The Bear’s Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn bring heart and humor to their characters that could have been just one note. But the soul of the film belongs to Vanessa Kirby.
Long underrated, her Sue Storm is light years beyond the goofy portrayal by Jessica Alba in the early 2000s. In fact, this is what has been missing from the MCU, real pathos and genuine sentiment. In her centerpiece speech, Sue all but directly quotes Kennedy’s Address to Rice University but inverts it.
Gone is the heavy snark of Iron Man and Rocket Raccoon. This is how Marvel has lost its way, going down the irony drain to mixed results. It would seem that Gunn jettisoning after his Guardians trilogy and the Russo Brothers getting their Netflix deal has left open a window for conviction again. That isn’t to say that the jokes need to stop; they just can’t be aimless anymore. As one DC character in one of the best comic books films asked, why so serious? I can tell you why. Because there are too many clowns out in the world willing to tear it all down. Too many automatons willing to devour all that is good in the world. Sometimes you need family, found or otherwise, to band together to defeat them.
