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Indian Express
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
With Superman, James Gunn projects America's favourite superhero as an outcast, but that's not his sharpest comment on the country's politics
James Gunn has made a career out of telling the outcast's story. From his early films that went under the radar — the 2006 sci-fi horror comedy Slither and his 2010 maiden superhero movie Super — to his much-celebrated Marvel franchise Guardians of the Galaxy and DC debut The Suicide Squad, Gunn has even infiltrated the saturated superhero universes with oddball energy and subversive quirks. Who else could take America's favourite superhero and turn him into an outcast, an outsider, an 'immigrant,' as he put it. In fact, the first time Superman is addressed in Gunn's iteration, he's referred to as an 'alien.' Identity crisis is not new to Superman's conflicts. Even in Zack Snyder's Man of Steel (2013), Superman grappled with the idea of being an outsider, but that jostling is more internalized than external. In fact, it gets to the external in Snyder's Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), when even the Caped Crusader turns on his future Justice League teammate and levels allegations of conspiracy against America on him. During the interval block, when Superman is on trial, and a suicide bomber destroys the court building in order to frame him, the lone survivor in him knows he'll be blamed for the explosion. But unlike Snyder, Gunn enjoys the unique position of straddling both DCEU and MCU. He took his signature lightness of touch, that made Guardians of the Galaxy so watchable, and showered it all over The Suicide Squad, making it stand out as a far cry from David Ayer's gruesome 2016 version. Sure, Snyder's gritty treatment made the internet demand his cut of Justice League (2021), but one shouldn't forget that the Guardians of the Galaxy cast also lobbied for Gunn to be reinstated as the threequel director even after he'd joined the rival gang in DC. Also, unlike Snyder, Gunn is able to focus more on the external than the internal because he's able to make his characters self-aware, unassuming, and not as holier than thou that they're often perceived to be. What jarred so much in a Snyder film — that Martha twist in Batman v Superman — could very well land in a Gunn world, with two more punches rolled in along with it for good effect. Gunn stamps his trademark creative motifs all over Superman — an exaggerated villain in Nicholas Hoult's Lex Luthor, a furry companion to the protagonist in Krypto, and allegiance with fellow anomalous superheroes in Justice Gang. Hawkeye, Green Lantern, and Metamorpho's warring of words with Superman make them a team trying to reconcile their eccentricities in order to meet the higher purpose of saving the day. It's no Guardians of the Galaxy, but the departure from a cohesive unit like Avengers or Justice League underlines the theme Gunn is trying to spotlight through his iteration. Gunn reflects an America where the big tech chief shapes and controls the narrative because he owns everything from the mainstream media, social media to search engine algorithms. Gunn's Elon Musk-like Luthor is dating a dumb-as-a-doorbell Instagram influencer. But again, in a James Gunn world, no outcast is disregarded as a tokenistic presence. The very influencer, who's considered merely a flowerpot in a room full of technologically proficient, advanced individuals, in fact turns out to be their Kryptonite. Even the one she's in cahoots with — a reporter who often goes unnoticed in the newsroom thanks to his everyman-ness — ends up using that very anonymity to gain an edge over America's gravest internal threat. Every life — a woman in a car, a girl crossing the road, and a dog barking at a life-sized monster — is accounted for. Superman spends most of his time and energy saving each and every one of them, instead of flagging the American stripes at the cost of civilian or individual casualties. That's why when Superman's past and origin are used as tools for his character assassination, his adoptive parents remind him of his strongest superpower — his choices. Even if his biological parents from Krypton sent him off to Earth to lord over the gullible and the less mighty, he chooses otherwise. It's only when he comes to terms with the fact that he's as human as the Earthlings — because he wrestles with self-doubt like the rest of them — that he makes Luthor confess to his real motive. Luthor wants to eliminate Superman because as a proud innovator, he wants to prove brain's supremacy over brawn. But what good is a brain if it wants to dumb the other brains down? What good is an insider if he betrays his nation for power? Similarly, what good is a peace-keeping nation if it engages in war to chase that idea of peace? Gunn invokes America's political irony in Superman, but he reserved his sharpest commentary for another character — Peacemaker. John Cena's anti-superhero was introduced in The Suicide Squad as a part of the squad who turns on his teammates on the order of US government stooge Viola Davis' orders. He claims his goal is to achieve peace at any cost, which involves even murdering people left, right, and centre. Like Superman, an outsider who makes America his own, Peacemaker is an insider who infests on his own country, both wearing irony as a cape. Peacemaker grabbed eyeballs for his evil turn in The Suicide Squad, but Gunn, having felt he gave the character a short strife, revives him in a spin-off show on HBO. The length of the format allowed Peacemaker to be presented as a full-blown, well-rounded character. Luthor, or even Superman, couldn't enjoy that because of Gunn's attempt to pack a host of themes and characters into two hours. In Peacemaker, Cena's character has a dad who looks and behaves like Uncle Sam and a bestie in Eagly, a bald eagle who's seen resting on Uncle Sam's arm in pop culture. His central conflict is to not get bogged down by Uncle Sam's pointy finger, but let the eagle guide his allegiance to a nation. An eagle preys, sure, but it also flies. It doesn't let its vision be confined to a country. Christopher Smith aka Peacemaker is the son of a white supremacist who injects his son's blood with racial lordship. Right from childhood, he's shamed for crying like a girl and banished for even harbouring an interest in rap and rock & roll, gifts of the Blacks to the land of America. Smith is hardened to an extent that he doesn't even realize when he accidentally punches his brother to death in a casual, childhood brawl. But because his father blames him for his brother's death, Smith's gnawing guilt sabotages his latent will to do better. He doesn't want to follow in his father's footsteps and engage in war in the name of his nation. All he wants is peace — but the years of conditioning compels him to resort to violence as the path to peace. He becomes a vulture circling his past, even when he wants to chase the dove of peace. While internally, he needs to save America from ingrained white supremacy, externally also, he has to save the world from a rather absurd threat — butterflies taking over human bodies and serving as the hosts in order to bring a new world order. Transformation is in the DNA of a butterfly, so when one of them convinces Peacemaker to join forces because he also desires a better planet, he shakes off the toxic temptation to control and thwarts the threat. His internal journey meets his external — Chris Smith becomes one with Peacemaker, one who wants peace for all, and not peace for the immediate at the cost of war for the other. Also Read — 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 This journey felt far too rushed in Superman. The external also weighed heavy on the internal, as is the case with many of these superhero tentpoles. Gunn managed to paint Superman as the ultimate outsider, but his protagonist was too busy saving the world to go on through that internal metamorphosis without spelling it out in dialogues like he does in his final battle scene against Luthor. He announces himself as a human, but the fact is no human proclaims he's one. He just makes peace with the fact that he's no peacemaker; he's just a man battling demons within to choose peace, every day.
Geek Tyrant
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
James Gunn Breathes Easier After SUPERMAN's Box Office Success, Admits Stakes Were High — GeekTyrant
As audinces continue to enjoy James Gunn's Superman , the director is opening up about the tremendous pressure he felt leading up to the film's release. With the film already nearing the impressive $400 million global box office mark and securing an 83% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it's clear the Man of Steel is back in a big way. In a candid conversation on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn admitted feeling a significant weight lifted off his shoulders thanks to the positive reception of Superman . He revealed: "I have a strange way of approaching work. When I'm working, when I'm filming or writing, I really don't feel pressure- I'm having fun, that's my relief valve. 'That's a relieving time for me. But then outside of that, yeah, I felt a lot of pressure. I mean, there was a lot riding on this." Gunn emphasized that the pressure wasn't just about box office numbers or reviews, but rather the responsibility he felt toward the entire creative team behind the movie. He explained: "When I feel pressure, the first pressure is from all the people that worked on this movie- the department heads and the actors that believe in it so much and Peter Safran, they all believed in this project so much. 'From the beginning, everyone was just wholeheartedly, 100% in and if it comes out and it's crap, that just sucks." The stakes extended beyond just Superman , with Gunn talking about how the film's success would directly impact the broader DC Universe and other projects already in motion: "Also, we have Craig Gillespie working on Supergirl, Chris, Damon and Tom working on Lanterns, and James with Clayface so there's all these other people, working on these other projects that could have been bolstered or hampered by this movie- and thank God, they've all been bolstered by it." The positive reaction to Superman marks a significant milestone, officially kicking off the cinematic vision Gunn has planned for DC Studios. The film not only revitalizes the iconic superhero but also sets an an exciting tone for what's ahead in the newly reimagined DC Universe.
Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Superman' holds firm at N American box office
The Man of Steel has staying power: Superman topped the North American box office for a second week running and surpassed the USD400 million mark worldwide, industry estimates showed Sunday. Riding largely positive reviews, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios earned USD57.3 million in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts its North American take at USD235 million and its international sales at USD171 million - or USD406 million globally. Jurassic World: Rebirth - the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga - also held its ground in second place at USD23.4 million. Its worldwide total stands at USD647.2 million. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets - and genetically mutated dinosaurs - are lurking. I Know What You Did Last Summer, a sequel to two 1990s slasher hits that bring back the franchise's original stars Freddie Prinze Jr and Jennifer Love Hewitt, opened in third place at a disappointing USD13 million. "This is another horror series returning after a long layoff, in this case after 27 years," said industry analyst David A Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. "Generally, the layoffs don't bother these films; in fact, they get stronger... that's not happening here." Smurfs, the latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, opened in a lacklustre fourth place with USD11 million in North American ticket sales. F1: The Movie, the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, finished in fifth place at USD9.6 million. "The current lineup in theatres is strong, with a broad selection of big titles including superheroes, action, monsters, horror and animation," said Gross. Superman will soon get a new superhero rival when Marvel's hotly anticipated The Fantastic Four: First Steps starring Pedro Pascal hits theatres in the coming days. AFP
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
WB reportedly fast-tracking Wonder Woman reboot movie following Superman's success
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. James Gunn's Superman reboot movie has landed as a resounding success, with critics and audiences alike praising the feel-good blockbuster. The success of the new Superman is now even lifting the rest of the new cinematic DC Universe along with it, as WB is fast-tracking a Wonder Woman reboot movie, as reported by Variety. The trade reports that the success of giving Superman a fresh coat of paint is rubbing off on Wonder Woman. Gunn, who serves as co-CEO of DC Studios along with writing and directing Superman, has previously named Wonder Woman as a tentpole of the new DC Universe along with Batman, Supergirl, and of course, the Man of Steel. Director Patty Jenkins previously directed two Wonder Woman films starring Gal Gadot, including 2017's generally charming Wonder Woman, and its absolutely dismal 2020 sequel, Wonder Woman 1984. Jenkins was working on a third film in the series when Gunn and co-CEO Peter Safran took over the reins of DC's movie division, reorganizing it into DC Studios, leading to both Jenkins and Wonder Woman actor Gal Gadot being dropped, with no new Wonder Woman yet cast. Gunn himself recently gave an update on Wonder Woman, saying it wouldn't go into production until it has a rock-solid script, a guideline he's repeated about numerous films including the long-awaited sequel The Batman 2, which now reportedly has a script locked in. "I mean, it's not going to be until the scripts are ready. So, both the scripts are being written now, and, if they're good, then we'll go into production immediately," Gunn stated at the time. "So it really depends on how we can get the scripts done," he added, "because the one thing I'm just not going to do is go into production without a script that I feel is fantastic, especially for those characters who deserve the best. I'd rather wait a year than go too soon." Warner Bros. had no official comment for Variety about Wonder Woman kicking into gear, but judging by Gunn's statement that a reboot movie for the Amazon hero would go into production "immediately" upon the script's completion, it seems there will be no hesitation on the part of DC Studios. In the meantime, a streaming series titled Paradise Lost about the history of Wonder Woman's mythical island home of Themiscyra is also in development. Superman is currently in theaters. Check out our 4-star Superman review, and stay up to date on all the upcoming DC movies flying your way very soon as part of the DCU Chapter One. Then discover how to watch the DC movies in order – if you dare. Solve the daily Crossword
The Province
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Province
'Superman' triumphs once again at North American box office
(L-R) Nicholas Hoult, Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet star in the new 'Superman'. Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP/File Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) — The Man of Steel has staying power: 'Superman' topped the North American box office for a second week running and surpassed the $400 million mark worldwide, industry estimates showed Sunday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Riding largely positive reviews, the latest big-budget action film featuring the iconic superhero from Warner Bros. and DC Studios earned $57.3 million in the United States and Canada, Exhibitor Relations said. That puts its North American take at $235 million and its international sales at $171 million — or $406 million globally. 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' — the latest installment in the blockbuster dinosaur saga — also held its ground in second place at $23.4 million. Its worldwide total stands at $647.2 million. The Universal film, starring Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali, takes viewers to an abandoned island research facility, where secrets — and genetically mutated dinosaurs — are lurking. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'I Know What You Did Last Summer,' a sequel to two 1990s slasher hits that bring back the franchise's original stars Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jennifer Love Hewitt, opened in third place at a disappointing $13 million. 'This is another horror series returning after a long layoff, in this case after 27 years,' said industry analyst David A. Gross of Franchise Entertainment Research. 'Generally, the layoffs don't bother these films; in fact, they get stronger… that's not happening here.' 'Smurfs,' the latest film featuring the adorable blue creatures and starring Rihanna as Smurfette, opened in a lacklustre fourth place with $11 million in North American ticket sales. 'F1: The Movie,' the Apple and Warner Bros. flick starring Brad Pitt as a washed-up Formula One driver who gets one last shot at redemption, finished in fifth place at $9.6 million. 'The current lineup in theatres is strong, with a broad selection of big titles including superheroes, action, monsters, horror and animation,' said Gross. 'Superman' will soon get a new superhero rival when Marvel's hotly anticipated 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' starring Pedro Pascal hits theatres in the coming days. Rounding out the top 10 were: 'How to Train Your Dragon' ($5.4 million) 'Eddington' ($4.3 million) 'Elio' ($2.0 million) 'Lilo & Stitch' ($1.5 million) '28 Years Later' ($1.3 million) Crime News NFL Vancouver Canucks News
