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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Superman: James Gunn's idea of an India-coded country is regressive and riddled with stereotypes; the Man of Steel wouldn't stand for it
By now, Quentin Tarantino's hot take on Superman has resurfaced online enough times for it to have seeped into the cultural consciousness. Via one of his onscreen mouthpieces, Tarantino theorised that Superman truly was an alien living among us. The blue suit with the large 'S' wasn't a costume for him; it was the attire of his people. The real costume was the suit and tie he wore as Clark Kent. 'Clark Kent is how Superman views us,' Tarantino said. 'And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak… he's unsure of himself… he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race.' The same theory, funnily enough, could be applied to James Gunn. In his new Superman movie, the filmmaker offers a similar outsider's perspective on earthly matters. Positioned as a quasi-apology for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel — the most expensive emo music video ever filmed — Gunn's Superman harkens back to the goofy cartoons of the 1980s. It's bright, kid-friendly, and energetically performed. It's also surprisingly contemporary. Not only does this Superman live in the DC Universe's equivalent of 2025, he also finds himself at the centre of a divided world. The film's opening titles inform us that 'metahumans' like him first arrived on Earth 3,000 years ago. Three years ago, Kal-El 'came out' as Superman, and three minutes ago, he suffered his first loss on the battlefield. Also read – F1: Brad Pitt takes a page out of Shah Rukh Khan's Pathaan playbook, and tears it to shreds Played by David Corenswet, Superman was already attracting heat for his unilateral decision to intervene in a clash between the Eastern European-inspired country of Boravia, and the very India-coded Jahranpur. It is unclear where exactly these fictional nations are located on the planet, although the third act appears to suggest that they are separated only by a fence of some kind. While the Boravians are fair-skinned and blue-eyed, their adversaries look like they're from the Subcontinent. It seems as if Gunn is commenting on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Palestine conflicts; it could only have been more obvious had Vladimir Putin himself sauntered into frame and pointed fingers at Benjamin Netanyahu. This isn't the first time that Gunn has offered simplistic commentary through his colourful superhero movies. The Suicide Squad was a pretty bold critique of American foreign policy, particularly the Iraq War. Superman alludes to this in its finest scene. The 10-minute scene involves zero action and no visual effects; no monsters are being slayed, no dimensions are being hopped. The scene is as much about the rigours of journalism as it is about a new couple having their first argument. It's framed around a simple conversation between Clark and his girlfriend, the intrepid reporter Lois Lane, played by Rachel Brosnahan. They agree to put their personal equation to the side for a few minutes, during which Lois interviews 'Superman' about his interference in the Boravia-Jahranpur crisis. Superman tells her that the Boravians were about to annihilate the less-resourceful Jahranpurians; he simply couldn't wait for the American government to give him the green light. Plus, he tells her, he doesn't represent America. 'I represent me!' But Lois grills him about the repercussions of his actions; Boravia is an ally, whereas Jahranpur has a rocky history with America. 'People were going to die,' Clark yells, losing his patience. It is the only time in the movie that he views human beings as inferior to himself. He cannot understand why random protocols should be followed when innocent lives are at stake. Armed to the teeth, the Boravians are the clear aggressors, while the Jahranpurians are shown to be rag-wearing cave-dwellers of some sort. Even by superhero movie standards, which aren't as low as you'd think, this is a rather racist view of the third-world. Gunn's intentions might be pure, but his expression is flawed. There is also the rather unfortunate parallel that one can draw between Superman and Donald Trump, especially the Nobel-hungry version of POTUS that we've been seeing recently, the same version that intervened to de-escalate tensions between India and Pakistan earlier this year. Gunn couldn't have predicted this, of course. But perhaps this is the universe's way of reminding him that he shares a similar outlook to that of the POTUS about this part of the world. 'They've been fighting for thousands of years,' Trump remarked (incorrectly and ignorantly) on more than one occasion. Read more – Sinners: Ryan Coogler compares Marvel to vampires as he delivers one of the best movies of the year Superman is a fun movie, but was it necessary to portray the Jahranpurians as so stereotypically backward? Was it necessary to shoot those scenes with a yellow tint, as if we're in a Tony Scott movie from 2004? The white saviour trope doesn't really apply here, though, seeing as that's Superman's thing. He's still quite young in the movie, around 33. He grew up listening to Dashboard Confessional probably, witnessing the evolution of technology before his eyes. He probably witnessed Lux Luthor's rise from an ambitious start-up bro to a full-blown technocrat villain. Superman has always been an empath, but perhaps being a millennial made him a bigger one. And he's right; he doesn't represent America. He doesn't discriminate. Superman's greatest challenge — Gunn isn't interested in exploring this, by the way — isn't who to save, but who not to. Even he can't be everywhere at once. But every nation, not just America, can learn something from him. After all, we used to be a country that welcomed the Dalai Lama in the 1950s and granted him refuge; now, we're a country that lets a fleeing mass murderer onto our land when her countryfolk kick her out. Post Credits Scene is a column in which we dissect new releases every week, with particular focus on context, craft, and characters. Because there's always something to fixate about once the dust has settled. Rohan Naahar is an assistant editor at Indian Express online. He covers pop-culture across formats and mediums. He is a 'Rotten Tomatoes-approved' critic and a member of the Film Critics Guild of India. He previously worked with the Hindustan Times, where he wrote hundreds of film and television reviews, produced videos, and interviewed the biggest names in Indian and international cinema. At the Express, he writes a column titled Post Credits Scene, and has hosted a podcast called Movie Police. You can find him on X at @RohanNaahar, and write to him at He is also on LinkedIn and Instagram. ... Read More
Pink Villa
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Box Office: Superman scores a bigger first Tuesday than Jurassic World: Rebirth in US, James Gunn directorial hits USD 155 million in 5 days
Superman is performing well at the box office, despite meeting with polarised reactions among the audience and the critics. The James Gunn-directed film has recorded a phenomenal business day on Tuesday, making a new record at the US box office. Superman records biggest 1st Tuesday of 2025, surpassing Jurassic World: Rebirth Bankrolled by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros Pictures, Superman fetched around USD 17.1 million on Tuesday, as per estimates, after a good outing of USD 13 million on Monday. With such an impressive jump, the movie recorded the biggest first Tuesday of 2025 in the US. In contrast, Scarlett Johansson's Jurassic World: Rebirth had collected USD 15 million on its first Tuesday. When compared to other Hollywood biggies, the movie has also surpassed Zack Snyder's 2013 release Man of Steel, which had collected USD 11.5 million on the same day. The 2022 released movie, The Batman, had collected Rs 10.5 crore on its first Tuesday. Superman's worldwide cume now stands at USD 270 million Released on July 11, the David Corenswet -starrer superhero movie surpassed USD 155 million at the domestic box office by the end of its Tuesday. The international cume of the reboot movie is around USD 115 million. It now stands at USD 270 million at the worldwide box office. Although the movie is performing well in the US, its performance in India has remained decent so far. For the unversed, the James Gunn film has collected around Rs 30 crore in its 6-day theatrical run. It's expected to gross around Rs 60 crore net at the Indian box office. Though it will be a Clean Hit by the end of its theatrical run, a better theatrical return was expected. Superman In Theatres Superman plays in theatres now. Stay tuned to Pinkvilla for more box office updates.
Tom's Guide
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Tom's Guide
‘Superman' is rated 93% by viewers, but did we see the same movie? Here are my 5 major issues with the Man of Steel's subpar return
As a general rule of thumb, I try to watch new movies unaware of the critical reception or early fan response. As a critic myself, I want to judge the flick without any preconceptions. But in the case of 'Superman,' that was pretty much an impossible task. Even though I booked tickets for opening night, I had already seen fawning praise from comic book fans, knew its online viewers' scores were close to perfect, and had heard glowing things from my colleagues who caught an early preview screening. But after seeing the James Gunn DC franchise starter for myself, I'm left wondering: Did we see the same movie? Is 'Superman' a Snyderverse-scale disaster? Most certainly not. But a new era for DC on the big screen? Not in my book. I'd go as far as to say the Man of Steel's much hyped return is about the same quality as the majority of recent Marvel efforts like "Captain America: Brave New World." In a word: Mediocre. Now, clearly, this is something of a hot take. The movie holds an impressive 93% rating from viewers on Rotten Tomatoes, and my aforementioned colleagues were less than impressed by my reaction. However, before you write your anger-fueled comments telling me I should be banned from ever writing about movies again, allow me to explain my five major issues with 'Superman.' (And then feel free to tell me all the reasons I'm wrong down below in the comments section.) For me, the biggest sin in the majority of recent comic book movies is how often they're overstuffed with additional superpowered characters, and 'Superman' leans into this annoying trend hard. I had hoped, as the foundation for the new DC Cinematic Universe, that the focus would be squarely on fleshing out Superman (David Corenswet) himself and key characters Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and villain Lex Luthor (Nicolas Hoult). But nope, the blockbuster is distractingly crammed with unnecessary extras. Alongside getting acquainted with the new Clark Kent, we also meet new heroes in the form of Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). Then there's Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and the rest of the Daily Planet editorial staff, and a bunch of peripheral villains. Then, if that wasn't enough, we also get teasing cameos like Supergirl (Milly Alcock). It's character overload, and it means that in Superman's own movie, a startling majority of the time, he feels like a background extra as we're introduced to yet another new face who presumably will have a spinoff movie in the future. Speaking of Superman feeling like an extra, it's probably not a good thing that the one action scene I've seen people talking about most doesn't even involve him. Instead, it's the mid-movie sequence that sees Mr Terrific defeat a squad of goons to the jaunty tune '5 Years Time' by Noah and The Whale. And I'm not surprised as it's the film's best moment. Gunn flexes his filmmaking muscles, deploying neat camera tricks and creatively playing with the soundtrack. I came away from it thinking maybe Mr. Terrific should have been the star. I've also seen a lot of love for Green Lantern's arrival in Jarhanpur, where he uses oversized green middle fingers sprouting from the ground to flip over armored tanks without even a glance. It's the type of pure comic book heroism that Superman himself never manages to display. In 'Superman,' the headline hero doesn't even appear to be the Man of Steel. 'Superman' begins with a cute title card that explains, '3 hours ago Superman lost his first battle ever,' but frankly, based on what we see in the rest of the movie, I find that hard to believe. This incarnation of Superman doesn't seem capable of punching his way out of a wet paper bag. Look, cards on the table, I've never been much of a Superman fan. His Boy Scout attitude doesn't warm my cold heart, and the fact that he's blessed with seemingly every power under the sun makes him sort of bland. So, I'm totally on board for a Superman who isn't presented as completely overpowered in all situations, but Gunn completely oversteers. Throughout the movie, the only time we really see Superman go to town on a group of bad guys is when he faces off against a flying horde of generic robot goons. Otherwise, he gets his butt kicked by basically everything, or has to call in some assistance from the Justice Gang (or his best pooch pal). And this could be okay if this were an origin story, about a Superman still grappling with his powers, but he's supposed to be years into the role, and according to the introductory cards, had previously never lost a fight. We even see the Justice Gang tackle a multiversal jellyfish while Clark natters away with Lois about how "punk rock" he is, proving that even in-universe, other heroes don't feel the need to call on Superman. Probably cause they knew he'd just get his clock cleaned by the oversized sea monster. Another increasingly common sin in modern blockbusters is the inclusion of something 'cute,' usually a small animal or creature of some sort. Think of Dolores in the recent 'Jurassic World Rebirth.' I guess every movie studio now wants its franchise to have a Baby Yoda moment. In 'Superman', this comes in the form of Krypto, and yes, the official Krypto plush is now available for just $22 (or why not pick up a Krypto Funko Pop! for just $15). Merchandising, baby! Putting to one side that Krypto's inclusion feels like a cynical ploy to sell soft toys to kids (and big kids), he boils down to the movie's 'get out of jail free' card. Superman is about to be defeated? Have Krypto swoop in at the last second and save him from harm. This cheap trick is used twice, with both major villains defeated not by Superman's own guile or superior strength but because his unruly hound is on hand to save the day. Plus, as a CGI construct, Krypto regularly crosses over the uncanny valley and looks completely fake. I'm not a comic book reader, and the few issues I've cracked open in my life have all been on the Marvel side of the fence, so correct me if I'm wrong, but I was under the impression that Lex Luthor was DC's answer of Marvel's Doctor Doom — an ultra-intelligent foe, always one step ahead of the game, and capable of intimidating even the most powerful heroes. I guess not, as the Lex Luthor we get in 'Superman' is anything but threatening. He's a whiny tech-bro billionaire who is so insecure he literally calls in a troop of monkeys to post mean tweets about Superman — no, seriously, that's an actual plot point in this movie. Oh, and he also locks his ex-girlfriend in a pocket dimension prison like a pouty teenager. Even in the grand finale, when he should be at his most intimidating, Luthor is reduced to comic relief as he's thrown about his flying headquarters by Krypto. If he's to be the anchor villain of the new DC universe, then he's going to need a major character intervention to seem a worthy threat for a fully-stocked Justice League. Or maybe he'll just write some mean comments on their Facebook profiles from his prison cell, and that'll be his grand plan. Ironically, Hoult's version of the character has an awful lot in common with Jesse Eisenberg's infamous one from Snyder's maligned 'Batman vs. Superman.' Granted, there's no grating personality tics here, but both come across more like a sulky manchild than a calculating supervillain. I guess all it really took to get DC fans on board with an ultra whiny version of the character was a shaved head from the very start. OK, so I've written a lot of negative things about 'Superman' above, but there's some positives. David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult are all well-suited to their roles. And while I don't love Lex's characterization, I see that as a writing issue rather than a failure of Hoult himself. Give this trio better material, and I'm convinced they'll soar to new heights. Plus, the movie's emotional arc, which sees Superman struggle with his true reason for being sent to Earth, is remarkably well-handled. It all culminates in an ending that feels emotionally earned, and had me briefly considering forgiving all the movie's other sins. Not to mention, "Superman" might be the first tentpole blockbuster in history to feature a scene where a journalist uploads a story to their publication's CMS (content management system), which had me hollering in my cinema seat. And if nothing else, unlike some of the efforts in the now-defunct DC Extended Universe, 'Superman' is a coherent movie. Sure, I believe it to be flawed, but I chose the word mediocre carefully here. It's not a total trainwreck, or even unwatchable, it's just not the breath of fresh air for the genre that I'd hoped or expected, considering the overwhelming positive viewer reception. Oh, and Milly Alcock's cameo, while probably unneeded, does have me intrigued to see more of the character when she headlines her own movie next year. So I'm going to stay optimistic that perhaps the upcoming Supergirl solo outing will be the movie that gets me fully invested in this new DC world.
New York Post
a day ago
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Mike Francesa rips new ‘Superman' film as ‘pure torture' in fiery rant
Mike Francesa went scorched earth on the Man of Steel. The legendary sports radio personality tore into the newly released 'Superman' film during a 15-minute rant Monday on his self-titled podcast, calling the James Gunn-directed blockbuster 'pure torture.' 'For someone who's an old-time, TV show 'Superman' guy trying to get entertained for a couple hours, and wants to see Superman, this movie was pure torture to sit through,' Francesa said. Advertisement 3 Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor (l.) and David Corenswet as Superman (r.) in 'Superman.' Jessica Miglio '… If my name was on the credits, I'd hide it, that's how bad it was… This was unmitigated garbage.' Advertisement The movie, starring David Corenswet as the titular hero, grossed a whopping $125 million domestically in its opening weekend. Even with a fresh Rotten Tomatoes score of 83 percent, Francesa took exception to the appearance of Superman's canine companion, Krypto, in the film. 3 Mike Francesa is not a fan of the new Superman movie. The Mike Francesa Podcast/YouTube 'There's a Superdog, who came up with a Superdog? We all like dogs, ok. And I didn't like the dog getting beat on in the movie, it bothered me. Who came up with a dog with a cape?' he said. Advertisement It's safe to say Francesa won't be giving the superhero flick a second chance. 'This movie is so bad that if you asked me to go sit through it again, I would want major, major cash before I could do it,' Francesa said. 3 Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane (l.) and David Corenswet in 'Superman.' ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection '… It was two hours of pain. It was the worst thing I've ever seen. Advertisement '… I was thinking about inflicting pain to myself just to keep myself awake. That's how bad it was. This movie was dreadful.' Francesa, 71, has made a name for himself with epic monologues over the years, taking down teams like the disappointing 2024 Jets, the Yankees for their sweep at the hands of the Mets last July, and countless others. But Francesa's 'Superman' take was breaking new ground. The Post's entertainment critic, Johnny Oleksinski, clearly disagreed with Francesa and awarded the movie three out of four stars.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Superman' Takes Top Spot at Sluggish U.K., Ireland Box Office
Warner Bros.' 'Superman' debuted atop the U.K. and Ireland box office with £6.9 million ($9.4 million), according to Comscore. The James Gunn-directed reboot, starring David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan, was below the $15 million opening enjoyed by predecessor 'Man of Steel.' The ongoing heatwave conditions in the region appear to be keeping audiences outdoors, choosing sun over cinema, as evidenced by the drop in blockbuster collections, which experienced a decline of 35% week-on-week. The massive popularity of Wimbledon, which concluded Sunday evening, could also be a contributing factor. More from Variety 'Superman' Star Edi Gathegi on Working Out With the Man of Steel and Why Mister Terrific's Credits Scene Feels Like a 'Promise' For His DC Future 'Superman' Box Office Muscle, David Zaslav's Early Victory Lap, Last-Minute Emmy Predictions and Waiting for Rihanna Inside Nicholas Hoult's Red Carpet Reinvention: How Lex Luthor-Inspired Looks Have Hollywood Seeing Him in a New Light Universal's 'Jurassic World Rebirth' dropped to second place with $4.4 million in its second frame, pushing its cumulative total to $26 million. Warner Bros.' F1' remained in the top three, adding $1.5 million in its third outing for a running total of $21.4 million. Rounding out the top five were Universal's 'How To Train Your Dragon,' which banked $782,759 in its fifth week for a total of $25.9 million, and Sony's post-apocalyptic thriller '28 Years Later,' which earned $669,347 to bring its cume to $18.5 million. Elsewhere in the top 10, Disney's 'Elio' collected $323,086 in its fourth week for a total of $4.6 million, while stablemate 'Lilo & Stitch' continued its summer run with $214,479, taking its total to $48.5 million. Punjabi-language hit 'Sardaar Ji 3' added $97,610 for a three-week total of $913,000. Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning' earned $64,949 in its eighth week, pushing its haul to $35 million, while Universal's 'The Ballad Of Wallis Island' rounded out the top 10 with $59,158, bringing its total to $2.5 million. Leading the charge among upcoming releases is Paramount's animated film 'Smurfs,' directed by Chris Miller, featuring an all-star voice cast that includes Rihanna, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, John Goodman and Kurt Russell, which opens wide across the U.K. and Ireland. Sony's 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' marks the return of the 1997 horror franchise that helped define post-'Scream' teen slashers. Vertigo Releasing is launching 'Four Letters of Love,' based on Niall Williams' best-selling novel and starring Pierce Brosnan, Helena Bonham Carter and Gabriel Byrne, into more than 300 cinemas. Mubi is opening Athina Rachel Tsangari's Venice title 'Harvest,' while Stanley Kubrick's 'Barry Lyndon' receives a 50th anniversary 4K reissue through Park Circus. BFI Distribution presents a newly restored 4K version of 'Human Traffic,' Justin Kerrigan's cult 1999 snapshot of British club culture. Other releases include SXSW and Toronto title 'Friendship,' a comedic drama from Paramount directed by Andrew DeYoung and starring Paul Rudd, Kate Mara and Tim Robinson; Punjabi-language comedy 'Sarbala Ji' from Bakrania Media; Telugu-language father-son relationship drama 'Junior' from Dreamz Entertainment; Rotterdam title 'The Ballad of Suzanne Césaire' from TAPE Collective; and Ico Costa's IndieLisboa winner 'Gold Songs.' Best of Variety 'Harry Potter' TV Show Cast Guide: Who's Who in Hogwarts? Final Emmy Predictions: Talk Series and Scripted Variety - New Blood Looks to Tackle Late Night Staples Oscars 2026: George Clooney, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Roberts, Wagner Moura and More Among Early Contenders to Watch
