The first reactions to James Gunn’s Superman are in, and going by the rave responses, the first DCU movie could be heading towards a strong debut with its Rotten Tomatoes score.
Gunn has played down how much Superman needs to make at the box office, but there’s still a lot riding on the new movie – even if it isn’t to do with money.
It’s been 13 years since DC introduced a live-action Man of Steel (excluding Nicolas Cage’s cameo in The Flash). It underperformed, which proved to be an accurate and unfortunate omen for the DCEU, a franchise that was put down following Aquaman 2 and the hiring of Gunn and Peter Safran.
While the DCU soft-launched with Creature Commandos, Superman is where (as the poster says) “it begins.” Thankfully, it’s off to a strong start.
Superman destined for strong Rotten Tomatoes score after first reactions
The response to Superman hasn’t been unanimously positive – but the reactions so far have mostly praised the film, highlighting Gunn’s direction, the movie’s tone, and the cast’s performances.
Collider’s Perri Nemiroff said the film made her “so damn happy… the movie is loaded with exhilarating action set pieces and well-placed humor and levity, but the beating heart of the film is Superman’s humanity, and his insistence on doing good and making the world a better place.”
Grace Randolph, who has a contentious relationship with Gunn, even declared it the “best Superman movie to date.”
“When James Gunn gets out of the way and lets his work speak for itself, it’s incredible… it’s not perfect, but darn close and made me a believer in Gunn’s DC,” she added.
Brandon Davis offered similar praise, calling it a “triumph for the new DC Universe… it’s a Superman for everyone. David Corenswet was born for Superman and Clark Kent. Loved it.”
However, there have been a few criticisms. Inverse’s Hoai-Tran Bui praised the cast, but added: “It’s a shame it looks like that.”
Next Best Picture’s Josh Parham also wrote: “Superman is weighed down by a needlessly convoluted plot, bordering outright muddled, and a mix of tones that never quite settles. While its spectacle is engaging, Corenswet’s performance is the real stunner, delivering an incredible presence. Hoult is good but underutilized.”
It’s important to note that even the more critical tweets are broadly positive. Remember, Rotten Tomatoes isn’t a simple indicator of quality. In short, 98% doesn’t mean it’s rated 98 out of 100: it means 98% of critics gave it a review that is considered to be ultimately positive, but that could range anywhere from a three-star, middle-of-the-road write-up to a five-star, euphoric review.
So, where does that leave Superman? In this writer’s opinion, somewhere in the mid-80s, but we’ll know more when the review embargo lifts at 3pm ET.
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