James Gunn's ambitious reboot of the DC cinematic universe with a new Superman movie is happening this weekend at the theatres. Superman was screened for select critics and journalists in the West this past week, and even as reactions and reviews were under embargo, one publication jumped the gun. A now-deleted Superman review from Daily Beast has slammed the film, implying it is the 'final nail in the superhero coffin'.
Superman first review
Daily Beast broke the review embargo, publishing their review on Monday. By Tuesday, however, the post had been taken down. But, not before the headline: "Terrible New ‘Superman’ Is Final Nail in Superhero Cinema’s Coffin" had done its fair share of damage online. Excerpts from the review were screengrabbed and shared online.
The review was critical of the CGI in James Gunn's film and not kind to the new Man of Steel: David Corenswet. One part read: "Superman doesn’t skimp on the high-flying action, to a fault; the film is so awash in over-the-top CGI insanity that its slam-bang mayhem loses its punch. Not helping matters, the charming Corenswet looks the part but, in the shadow of Christopher Reeve (whose son Will cameos) and Henry Cavill, he comes across as relatively slight—a situation exacerbated by the all-over-the-place nature of his saga."
The review particularly criticised the inclusion of too many characters and plotlines in a two-hour runtime, saying all that eats into time that could have been spent developing the protagonist. "Biting off more than it can chew, Gunn’s wannabe-blockbuster eventually resorts to setting up future franchise instalments via quick-hit appearances from Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) and Supergirl (Milly Alcock). That’s not to mention by highlighting second-banana figures like Mister Terrific at the expense of fully establishing the altruistic heart of its protagonist, whose path toward self-actualization is mostly an afterthought," reads the now-deleted review.
Fans defend Superman
{{/usCountry}}The review particularly criticised the inclusion of too many characters and plotlines in a two-hour runtime, saying all that eats into time that could have been spent developing the protagonist. "Biting off more than it can chew, Gunn’s wannabe-blockbuster eventually resorts to setting up future franchise instalments via quick-hit appearances from Maxwell Lord (Sean Gunn) and Supergirl (Milly Alcock). That’s not to mention by highlighting second-banana figures like Mister Terrific at the expense of fully establishing the altruistic heart of its protagonist, whose path toward self-actualization is mostly an afterthought," reads the now-deleted review.
Fans defend Superman
{{/usCountry}}Even as the review was taken down, it spread like wildfire on social media, largely because of its acidic tone. But hardcore fans were not pleased with the review or that it broke the embargo. "This seems like an effort to pull the film down," wrote one person on Instagram. Another added on Reddit, "I still don't understand this. Everyone is a visual effects expert now. Literally every shot I've seen in the trailer has phenomenal visuals apart from the one shot that Gunn removed. The Kaiju scene in particular was improved, that sequence looks gorgeous." Many others pointed out to the other largely-positive reactions as 'proof' that the film is good.
Others were just as critical as The Daily Beast's review. One wrote, "Always knew this would be a hot pile of garbage. Letting Snyder go was DC's biggest mistake."
Superman stars David Corenswet in the titular role, alongside Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, respectively. The film releases worldwide on July 11.