Will ‘Superman’ match the hype?

(News4usOnline) – The wait is over. Finally, after months of hype and endless promotion, the new “Superman” movie has arrived. There have been months of speculation about the James Gunn-directed film. 

Expectations for the D.C. Comics tale are high, high enough for “Superman” to reach super standards at the box office. 

With the July lead-in from “Jurassic World: Rebirth,” “Superman” is fighting with dinosaurs and the Fantastic Four to be the top draw at the theaters during the summer months. 

Outside of the huge success of “Sinners” and “A Minecraft Movie,” the moviegoing experience has been a bit sluggish this year. 

“Superman” is expected to change all of that. With relatively unknown David Corenswet operating as the newest leading man for the storied franchise, “Superman” should take off and supersede the $92 million that Jurassic World: Rebirth” made during the Fourth of July weekend by a much greater margin. 

For a $225 million budgeted film, it should. When you think about Superman, you think about the moral police and all the things that come with it. Goodness. Kindness. Superman is the guy who extends mercy to others. 

He’s someone who unapologetically lends a hand to help strangers. The values that Superman embodies, as corny and old-school as they might appear, are exactly the kind of attributes that today’s society can use.   

The appeal about the Man of Steel and what he represents never gets old, at least in the eyes of Gunn. 

“Some people think of Superman as old-fashioned,” Gunn said at the film’s premiere. “Some people think he’s too earnest. Yeah, that’s what we need right now. That’s what I think we’re all dying for…a little too earnest. I think we’re dying for someone who’s too kind. I think we’re dying for those old-fashioned things that we loved of just looking out for people and taking care of each other and loving one another. That’s all he is.”

Corenswet hopes the film brings people together. 

“Hopefully, they’ll be walking out and talking about how much they love each other and how excited they are to hang out with their friends and maybe get some stuff done,” Corenswet said. “I want people walking out with that pep in their step, that little bit of energy.” 

When it comes to projecting the right kind of energy to play Clark Kent, Gunn said Corenswet had all the right tools to offer for the role when he decided to cast him as Superman. 

“First of all, he (Corenswet) looks like Superman. He looks like he’s ripped right out of the pages of a comic book,” Gunn remarked. “Secondly, you know, he really does have the acting chops. He’s a really well-trained actor. He’s an amazing comedic actor…his comedic chops. He was able to deliver the fast-paced dialogue the way that I had imagined, and he’s incredibly athletic.”

There have been seven prior installments in the Superman franchise. Gunn’s version is expected to be a fresh approach to the series. One notable difference for this film is that Gunn had to do a reboot with a new leading man. 

That meant moving away from Henry Cavill (Deadpool & Wolverine) in favor of Corenswet. Yesterday, it was Cavill or Dean Cain, George Reeves, and the late Christopher Reeve (and others) who donned the Superman cape on the big and small screens. Today, it’s Corensweat. Tomorrow, it may be someone else. 

Regardless of who plays the role, Superman and all that he stands for is in all of us, says

veteran actor Wendell Pierce, who plays newspaper publisher Perry White.  

“Superman means that you have it within yourself to exercise your right of self-determination, and there’s a part of your humanity that can change the world,” Pierce said. 

Featured Image: DAVID CORENSWET as Superman and RACHEL BROSNAHAN as Lois Lane in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.  Photo Credit: Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures