It’s been a couple of days since I saw it, and I have some thoughts. I’ll start with the non-spoiler things, then I’ll mark where I’m getting into spoilers. There are a lot of other reviews out there for this movie, so I’m going to try and keep to things that are relevant to my perspective.

Non-Spoiler Stuff

TL;DR — It is excellent! You should see it in the theaters.

James Gunn had one assignment many things he needed to accomplish in this movie, but the most important was getting Superman himself right. With an excellent performance by David Corenswet, this was the Superman many of us were hoping to see.

From the trailers, the movie looked like it could be bloated with too many characters. While all of the characters were present and had their moments to shine, this centered on Superman, Lex, and Lois. This is their movie, and while Mr. Terrific stole a few scenes, James Gunn balanced this movie as well as he balanced Guardians of the Galaxy.

Nicholas Hoult is a stand-out Lex Luthor. He is smart, driven, and evil. You’ll hate him just right, if that makes sense.

Rachel Brosnahan is a stand-out Lois Lane. She’s strong and witty in the way that Lois is supposed to be. She’s an actual journalist in this movie, and it is relevant to the plot.

The casting was perfect. The writing is great. The pacing is just right. I can’t think of any moments that dragged, or anything that felt like it could be cut. And the entire thing looks and sounds beautiful.

And then there was Krypto.

That’s all the non-spoiler stuff I can think of without repeating myself. I love this movie. I’m probably going to grab either my kids or friends or both and go see it again.

Spoiler Stuff

At this point, if you’re still reading this and you haven’t seen the movie, I recommend you either delete the email, close the browser tab, click onto something else… whatever. I’m going to talk about stuff that happens in the movie, and I’m not sure if it will detract from your viewing experience or not. Rather than risk it, just leave this post until after you’ve seen the movie.

This is your last warning. Spoilers beyond this point.

Okay, let’s get into it. I’m going to start by addressing some of the criticisms I’ve seen online. Then I’m going to talk about how I see this movie and this character from the perspective of someone that was adopted at (or near to) birth.

There’s been a lot of bullshit online about this movie being “woke,” but I don’t want to give those criticisms or those people too much of my time or attention. Superman has been “woke” since literally his first appearance in the comics. And, people that use “woke” as a criticism are stupid mouth-breathers that should always be ignored.

I saw one person post something about Superman being an orphan, not an immigrant, and… look. If your understanding of the character is that deeply flawed, maybe sit this one out. You’re just making yourself a target for scorn and mockery, and I don’t have time for that. I’ve got better things to do.

I’ve seen a couple of criticisms floating around that the plot of the movie is sloppy. To that, I have two things to say. First, I don’t agree with the criticism in general, in that I was able to follow everything that happened in the movie without external guidance. Second, even if it was a little sloppy… this is a superhero movie. It’s supposed to be popcorn fun with heart. It achieves this and more, and while there are a couple of things that happen that seem a little convenient, easy, or fast… it’s fine. The plot of this movie is fine.

Let’s talk about a couple of those plot points that are fast. That is, when the message from Superman’s birth-parents goes out on the news and the world immediately turns on him, and when the details of Lex’s plan goes out on the news and the world immediately turns on him.

In both cases, the reaction is very fast. Too fast for realism, because there would be people that question the truth and stick with the people they are rooting for. People don’t change sides that quickly. However, this is a movie with aliens, power rings, screaming hawk girls, and metahumans. For the sake of the movie and pacing, it’s fine and forgivable. This is a case where dedication to realism would have made the movie a slog.

A lot of what I’ve said so far are things you could have read anywhere. While I occasionally do movie and book reviews, that’s not what you’re here for. Let’s get personal. Let’s talk about the moment I related to Superman more than I’ve ever related to him before.

The news goes out, and Superman hears for the first time the rest of the message from his birth-parents. He was sent to conquer Earth and rule it, creating a new Krypton. It’s a moment that shocks him to his core, because it goes against everything he believed about why he was sent to Earth. He knew in his heart that he was supposed to serve humanity and do good, and learning the truth of his heritage made him question everything he knew about himself.

You could see it in his face as he walked away from the crowd to catch a moment and recover. I recognized the look in his eye, because I felt it when I learned the truth about my parentage.

I knew I was adopted from the beginning, but I didn’t know who my birth-parents were. Until I learned, I saw myself as someone chosen by my parents. And, I thought that I could be anyone, because I was born from strangers. I had unlimited potential, and I was special because I was adopted.

The truth shrank my world. It called into question… everything. It reduced me in ways I wasn’t prepared for.

The resolution for Superman in this movie is the same resolution I found. I had to learn it on my own, but Pa Kent put it this way: We are the choices and decisions we make. We are more than the complexities of our genes.

Let’s talk about Ma and Pa Kent real quick, and then I’ll wrap this up. Melissa did not like the choices James Gunn made depicting Martha and John Kent the way he did. They talked slow, with southern accents, and didn’t seem particularly comfortable with technology, like cellphones. Melissa said they were portrayed as idiots, and I think she was going a little too far.

The Kents were depicted as Kansas farmers. Simple folk of the Earth. Human. They had a folksy wisdom about them, and they are exactly the kind of people that would love and raise an alien baby to grow up to be Superman.

Superman himself is a reflection of those kind of parents. He’s clever, but also naive in a way. He sees the beauty in everyone, cherishes life, and acts in a way that reflects the hope inside him. A big blue boy scout that saves lives because it’s the right thing to do. Any other consideration is secondary to doing what is right. That’s Superman.

There really is more I can say about the movie, but I’ll stop here. This is my favorite Superman movie, and my favorite depiction of Superman.

Let me know what you think of it.