James Gunn’s Superman reboot is all set to fly into the theatres next month worldwide. The heavily anticipated film marks the third reboot of the Superman franchise on the big screen in the last 20 years after the Brandon Routh film and Henry Cavill in the DC Extended Universe. A special preview screening of the film was held for select fans and reviewers last week, and the first reactions have now emerged online, with them being overwhelmingly positive.
Superman first reactions
The first 30 minutes of the film were recently shown to fans and journalists, first in Brazil and then in Manila, as part of the film’s promotional tour. Both these screenings of Superman took place last week, with director James Gunn and lead David Corenswet also watching with the audience. Many of the viewers then took to social media, and it is clear they were impressed by what they saw.
One viewer wrote that the film is ‘damn beautiful’ and time ‘flew by’ as he watched it, implying that the film kept the viewers engaged. Sharing some pictures and videos from the Brazil screening, they wrote, “No way I saw the first 30 minutes of Superman after feeling so hopeless the entire day. Needless to say it was DAMN BEAUTIFUL. Time absolutely flew by…”
Many assessments of the film’s first 30 minutes emphasised its light tone, vastly different from the dark take from Zack Snyder in Man of Steel. “It’s very Silver-Age. It’s got a lot of those sci-fi tropes. It’s big in spectacle, drama, and laughs. Big in its heart. A very earnest film,” read one review.
Another X user wrote, “A friend saw @JamesGunn’s SUPERMAN today. He said it’s 180 degrees away from @ZackSnyder’s vision. He told me A LOT of things…probably too much. He said the trailers have been a bit of a misdirect. But the most important thing was…he really, really liked it.”
Praise for David Corenswet
There is also praise for David Corenswet’s performance as Superman, particularly how the actor switches from the superhero to his alter ego, Clark Kent. “The first 30 mins of #Superman is so fcking good! A fresh new perspective to take the character! David is SO GOOD switching from Clark to Superman and the chemistry with Rachel,” wrote another viewer.
Directed by James Gunn, Superman is meant to launch the new DC Universe. The film also stars Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, along with Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, and Isabela Merced. The film releases in theatres on July 11.
