Director Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie, which premiered in 1978, is a classic piece of cinema that continues to shape the superhero genre today. Most recently, it led the way for writer-director James Gunn to release Superman, a more modern imagining of the Man of Steel’s adventures, with David Corenswet portraying the titular hero.
The influence of Donner’s film is clearly seen in Gunn’s new project, from the John Williams-inspired musical score to the lighthearted tone to the crystalline design of the Fortress of Solitude. This new movie had some big red shoes to fill after the example set by Superman: The Movie, especially with Christopher Reeve’s iconic performance as the red-caped hero. Despite the odds, Gunn’s Superman not only reached the high bar set by Donner’s film, but it actually improved upon the latter on several fronts, making it a far superior movie.
David Corenswet’s Superman isn’t too strong
One common criticism about Superman is that the character is ridiculously overpowered, and this was especially the case in the 1978 film. The Man of Steel was vulnerable to Kryptonite, as is tradition, but he didn’t experience much danger in the field beyond that. He also had the inexplicable ability to turn back time by reversing the Earth’s rotation, allowing him to undo Lois Lane’s death without any trouble or negative consequences. This sudden deus ex machina lessened the stakes of the film even more and cheapened the poignant, nail-biting drama that came beforehand.
In contrast, James Gunn’s Superman opens with the Man of Steel beaten and bloodied for the first time in his life, establishing just how vulnerable this version of the hero really is. It also hints at just how much this world of Gods and Monsters has caught up to him in terms of power, with characters like Ultraman, Engineer, and Metamorpho nearly killing the Man of Steel. This heightens the danger of the story, making Superman’s adventure much more engaging for the audience.
The new movie has better villains
In Superman: The Movie, Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor is a greedy, buffoonish villain who isn’t really that menacing. Despite that, he, Otis, and Eve somehow steal a nuclear missile in a scene that seems straight out of a Wile E. Coyote cartoon. Luthor is also driven by a sole plan to make money by bombing the San Andreas vault to turn the desert into a beachfront property. It’s a ridiculous plan with a bland goal that doesn’t make for a compelling villain, especially by today’s standards.
Though Gunn’s Superman embraces the silliness of the comic book source material, Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor seems like a genuine threat. He’s a narcissistic and insecure billionaire genius who deludes himself into thinking he’s protecting the world by destroying Superman, who reminds him of just how powerless he truly is. Luthor will kill anyone Superman cares about just to spite him and is willing to let a black hole destroy Metropolis if it means proving his superiority.
At the same time, the villains in Gunn’s movie explore the real-life dangers of government officials in and outside the U.S. violating people’s basic human rights. This is shown in how Luthor helps the President of Boravia enact a brutal invasion of a neighboring country and how the U.S. military works with Luthor to detain and torture people in his extradimensional prison. Donner’s film didn’t show this dark side of American and international politics, making Superman’s fight for world peace seem one-dimensional and unrealistic.
The visual effects are far better
Since Superman: The Movie was made in the ’70s, it’s not that hard to excuse how unconvincing the visual effects look now. The way Superman runs or flies in the classic film doesn’t look as natural or as thrilling today as it did almost 50 years ago. It may have been easy for audiences in 1978 to believe a man could fly when they were watching Donner’s film, but that’s because no one had ever seen anything like it on the big screen. The visuals may have been revolutionary for their time, but they don’t quite hold up today.
Cut to 2025 with James Gunn’s Superman, and audiences are treated to far more immersive and creative effects. Not only does the flying Superman better blend with his surroundings, but the film also presents several high-octane fight scenes that feature realistic CGI figures and creatures, as well as a variety of camera angles that give a unique perspective of the action.
Gunn does much better worldbuilding
Given the decades worth of comic book lore that have been established since 1978, this shortcoming seems natural. Nevertheless, aside from some brief glimpses of the planet Krypton before its destruction, Superman: The Movie didn’t feature a very rich mythology, especially since the filmmakers still had four decades worth of source material to draw upon.
However, Gunn’s film does a lot of worldbuilding in just a short amount of time. In its very first scene, Superman gives a quick history lesson about metahumans and the Man of Steel, with the rest of the story presenting a vibrant world featuring all sorts of superpowered heroes, villains, and creatures. With this amount of depth and variety, Superman feels like it is part of its universe.
Superman makes the supporting cast heroes
Though Superman: The Movie was about the Man of Steel, it arguably spent too much time investing in this one character’s development. As a result, the rest of the film’s characters seemed flat in comparison, with Lois Lane’s minimal growth only being defined by her romantic attraction to Superman.
James Gunn’s Superman remedies this problem by giving the Justice Gang and Clark’s coworkers at the Daily Planet, including Lois, Perry, and Jimmy, the chance to grow and become heroes. Through their collaboration, they free the Man of Steel from captivity, protect the people of Earth from destruction, expose Luthor’s crimes, and restore Superman’s good name, all while becoming better people in the process.
Even though Superman: The Movie may not have aged well in every regard, it still deserves to be recognized for showing the world what a superhero movie can and should be. This has clearly guided filmmakers like Gunn in making their own comic book blockbusters since 1978. With so many advancements in filmmaking and storytelling, Gunn made a Superman movie with a far richer world, more developed characters, a realistic narrative, and exhilarating action.
Superman is now in theaters nationwide.
