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Indian Express
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Superman: James Gunn's idea of an India-coded country is regressive and riddled with stereotypes; the Man of Steel wouldn't stand for it
By now, Quentin Tarantino's hot take on Superman has resurfaced online enough times for it to have seeped into the cultural consciousness. Via one of his onscreen mouthpieces, Tarantino theorised that Superman truly was an alien living among us. The blue suit with the large 'S' wasn't a costume for him; it was the attire of his people. The real costume was the suit and tie he wore as Clark Kent. 'Clark Kent is how Superman views us,' Tarantino said. 'And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak… he's unsure of himself… he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.' The same theory, funnily enough, could be applied to James Gunn. In his new Superman movie, the filmmaker offers a similar outsider's perspective on earthly matters. Positioned as a quasi-apology for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel — the most expensive emo music video ever filmed — Gunn's Superman harkens back to the goofy cartoons of the 1980s. It's bright, kid-friendly, and energetically performed. It's also surprisingly contemporary. Not only does this Superman live in the DC Universe's equivalent of 2025, he also finds himself at the centre of a divided world. The film's opening titles inform us that 'metahumans' like him first arrived on Earth 3,000 years ago. Three years ago, Kal-El 'came out' as Superman, and three minutes ago, he suffered his first loss on the battlefield. Also read – F1: Brad Pitt takes a page out of Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan playbook, and tears it to shreds Played by David Corenswet, Superman was already attracting heat for his unilateral decision to intervene in a clash between the Eastern European-inspired country of Boravia, and the very India-coded Jahranpur. It is unclear where exactly these fictional nations are located on the planet, although the third act appears to suggest that they are separated only by a fence of some kind. While the Boravians are fair-skinned and blue-eyed, their adversaries look like they're from the Subcontinent. It seems as if Gunn is commenting on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts; it could only have been more obvious had Vladimir Putin himself sauntered into frame and pointed fingers at Benjamin Netanyahu. This isn't the first time that Gunn has offered simplistic commentary through his colourful superhero movies. The Suicide Squad was a pretty bold critique of American foreign policy, particularly the Iraq War. Superman alludes to this in its finest scene. The 10-minute scene involves zero action and no visual effects; no monsters are being slayed, no dimensions are being hopped. The scene is as much about the rigours of journalism as it is about a new couple having their first argument. It's framed around a simple conversation between Clark and his girlfriend, the intrepid reporter Lois Lane, played by Rachel Brosnahan. They agree to put their personal equation to the side for a few minutes, during which Lois interviews 'Superman' about his interference in the Boravia-Jahranpur crisis. Superman tells her that the Boravians were about to annihilate the less-resourceful Jahranpurians; he simply couldn't wait for the American government to give him the green light. Plus, he tells her, he doesn't represent America. 'I represent me!' But Lois grills him about the repercussions of his actions; Boravia is an ally, whereas Jahranpur has a rocky history with America. 'People were going to die,' Clark yells, losing his patience. It is the only time in the movie that he views human beings as inferior to himself. He cannot understand why random protocols should be followed when innocent lives are at stake. Armed to the teeth, the Boravians are the clear aggressors, while the Jahranpurians are shown to be rag-wearing cave-dwellers of some sort. Even by superhero movie standards, which aren't as low as you'd think, this is a rather racist view of the third-world. Gunn's intentions might be pure, but his expression is flawed. There is also the rather unfortunate parallel that one can draw between Superman and Donald Trump, especially the Nobel-hungry version of POTUS that we've been seeing recently, the same version that intervened to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Gunn couldn't have predicted this, of course. But perhaps this is the universe's way of reminding him that he shares a similar outlook to that of the POTUS about this part of the world. 'They've been fighting for thousands of years,' Trump remarked (incorrectly and ignorantly) on more than one occasion. Read more – Sinners: Ryan Coogler compares Marvel to vampires as he delivers one of the best movies of the year Superman is a fun movie, but was it necessary to portray the Jahranpurians as so stereotypically backward? Was it necessary to shoot those scenes with a yellow tint, as if we're in a Tony Scott movie from 2004? The white saviour trope doesn't really apply here, though, seeing as that's Superman's thing. He's still quite young in the movie, around 33. He grew up listening to Dashboard Confessional probably, witnessing the evolution of technology before his eyes. He probably witnessed Lux Luthor's rise from an ambitious start-up bro to a full-blown technocrat villain. Superman has always been an empath, but perhaps being a millennial made him a bigger one. And he's right; he doesn't represent America. He doesn't discriminate. Superman's greatest challenge — Gunn isn't interested in exploring this, by the way — isn't who to save, but who not to. Even he can't be everywhere at once. But every nation, not just America, can learn something from him. After all, we used to be a country that welcomed the Dalai Lama in the 1950s and granted him refuge; now, we're a country that lets a fleeing mass murderer onto our land when her countryfolk kick her out. Post Credits Scene is a column in which we dissect new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and characters. Because there's always something to fixate about once the dust has settled. Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
Daily Mirror
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Hell is Us' mysterious world doesn't need Soulslike combat to be interesting
While its combat might leave a little to be desired, Hell is Us is shaping up to be a remedy to gaming's current run of samey Soulslikes thanks to its unique approach to navigation. Much more than just another Soulslike, by removing the mini-map and quest markers Hell is Us drops you into an oppressive sci-fi world far more gratifying to explore and discover. Prior to getting hands on with it, I couldn't bring myself to believe that Hell is Us isn't a soulslike. A mysterious protagonist; heavily emphasised melee combat; and a dark, mysterious world full of several interconnected biomes to explore and root around in. On a pure surface level, Rogue Factor's upcoming title ticks a lot of the same boxes seen from the genre's top stalwarts. Dig a little deeper, though, and it doesn't take long to realise that Hell is Us asks much more of the player than the need to simply parry, block, and dodge with accuracy. After two-and-a-half hours of playtime, I can already see how lateral thinking will be the most important weapon in your arsenal – a sentiment further reinforced by the lack of map and the investigative-led 'player-plattering' system. Crucial to the mystery running throughout Hell is Us is the inherent otherworldliness felt in the location in which it's set. Based in an alternate version of 1993 where analogue technology is heavily contrasted by alien-like invaders, the fictional country of Hadea plays host to several monstrous sights and enemies. You'd think taking place in an Eastern European-inspired location on Earth would bring a sense of safety and certainty, yet an ongoing civil war divides the remaining human factions trying to survive, and the monolithic structures that surround such life also aren't helping morale. The truth is that, even without traditional quest markers or map designed to stoke curiosity, Hadea already presents the type of landscapes I wouldn't be able to stop chipping away at. Luckily, the setup of Hell is Us gives you plenty of reason to want to do so as well. Cast in the shoes of Remi, he's on a mission to find his parents to find out why they abandoned him so long ago as a kid. Doing so means coming face-to-face with countless ghoulish nasties while equipped with a serious of increasingly robust melee weapons and the most basic compass needed to try and navigate Hadea's constant rainy atmosphere. Right now, Remi is falling into the trap of being almost too gruff-voiced for my personal liking, yet I can forgive this due to an incredibly torturous opening (literally) that takes place in media res, as well as the fact that Remi's fighting actions speak louder than his words anyway. It's true that the bulk of your time facing enemies is spent continuously taking big swings at them, trying not to deplete your stamina (tied to health here) while trying to stagger them and land a big blow. This sequence of events becomes more difficult, however, as new types of Hollow Walkers are introduced, specifically the ones who are attached to a crystallised aggressive force by an umbilical cord, which must be killed to start dealing damage to the main enemy and are a lot more erratic to fight. That said, while most enemies are paired up in this way, Remi is also, thanks to the addition of a flying drone you can command to engage passive attacks and abilities. Much more than just a flying assistant attacking on its own, the accompanying drone proves itself far more useful right out of the gate. The first ability I unlocked after finding it, for instance, is a simple distraction technique, whereby Remi can command the drone to blind one enemy and keep them temporarily pinned as he faces off against another. A later save game file teased the true extent of what the drone is capable of, particularly once I engaged the skill that saw it attach to Remi to see him spin around to attack foes with all the force of a bladed cyclone or tornado. Much like weapons that grow stronger as you attach new relics and level them up, the drone proves equally as powerful. Trust your instincts Combat in Hell is Us is somewhat standard but solid at the very least, then, with the potential to let players craft their own builds based on their intended weapon. That said, where the game truly comes to life is in its navigation and exploration, where for the most part you're almost entirely left to your own devices. Aiding this fact is the 'player-plattering' system, being a made-up term that essentially means having to move closer to your goal by gaining information in organic ways a lot of other third-person action games wouldn't attempt. Speaking to NPCs to unlock clues, completing environmental puzzles to discover key items, and using your compass to head into directions unexplored… Hell is Us isn't the type of adventure to hold your hand. Thankfully, the developers at Rogue Factor don't want to be too cruel, and so have equipped Remi with a tablet that will track and remember any information you might miss. Even from just a few short hours playing I can already tell Hell is Us is the sort of game a lot of people will want to play with a pen and notebook. Yet players wanting to merely uncover Hedea's surface-level secrets should get on just fine. To my surprise, I really didn't miss the presence of a mini-map or quest markers while playing my demo, which is a testament to how well the studio has designed the game's independent locations. Rather than serve as one continuous map, you'll travel between them via an APC – a factor that should make tracking down all this semi open world's secrets far more alluring and, dare I say, bearable. The biggest compliment I can pay Hell is Us following my short time playing the preview build, is that I can't wait to jump back in again to try and uncover even more of its mysteries. Between its incredibly unsettling atmosphere, twisty narrative, and eerie enemy designs there appears to be much to sink your teeth into, and all that's outside of what so far comes across as exceptional world design backed up by solid combat. Hell is Us might not be a Soulslike, at least a true one, but it is shaping up to be an engaging action-adventure twist that elects to place great trust in the player's own instincts, outside of combat as well as in. So far, a lot more has been added simply by taking away, and that's plenty enough reason to keep an eye on what Rogue Factor is cooking up.
