James Gunn’s Superman Doesn’t Soar: A Misfire of Tone and Timing

I’ve had an up-and-down relationship with James Gunn’s superhero films. Only one of the three Gunn-directed Guardians of the Galaxy films totally worked for me, and while I’ll cherish Guardians 2 forever, the others in the series were more indicative of the poles of Gunn’s overbearing style. On one hand, the first Guardians film undercut its serious moments and strained too much for laughs. Guardians 3 had the opposite issue: Gunn overindulged in schmaltz and manipulation (but learned that cute animals in danger could be a winning formula). Likewise, Gunn’s The Suicide Squad followed in the irreverent footsteps of its Guardians predecessors. Now, Gunn takes over the DC Comics film universe, and in turn, a franchise that’s been rather inflexible in its presentation. Unfortunately, Gunn’s deft touch with the wise-cracking heroes of Guardians and Suicide Squad doesn’t translate to Superman, a figure who embodies sincerity and earnestness. Su

by Robert Book and Bradley Paul Gee · source ↗