Superman
DC
It’s the biggest film of the summer (probably?), but a number of critics and websites are a little too eager to share their thoughts about Superman, and even if it’s just a few outlets, some fans are using it to shape a narrative around the film before it’s out. The actual embargo is up tomorrow.
Over the course of the last week, a few outlets have broken this review embargo, with The Daily Beast’s hyper-negative review titled The Terrible New ‘Superman’ Movie Is the Final Nail in the Grave for the Superhero Genre being circulated widely even if it was up for barely five minutes.
That was in contrast to The Sunday Times, which posted a very positive review of Superman, calling it a “triumph.” Then we have some embargo breaking from the likes of Variety without it being a full review, with a critic there implying that Amazon’s medium-rated Heads of State was more entertaining than Superman.
There have been a large number of “hints” about the film from those who have seen early previews, of which there have been many. Most do not seem to realize that even saying things like “I’m not going to say anything, but I can’t wait for you guys to see this!” is still technically breaking the embargo. I’ve also seen insiders push back against the negative reviews saying, “This is not what I’ve heard at all” based on other feedback from those who had seen the film.
It’s not clear what may have happened with any of the outlets that published reviews early, but it can often lead to consequences with the studio like not being invited to early previews in the future.
Shaping the narrative about this film, in particular, is significant because this is a hugely important project for WB and DC, with this being the first real entry into the James Gunn-led DCU, with this being his project specifically and setting the tone for the rest of the universe. But with so few outlets chiming in with these leaks, it’s too early to tell. However, the idea that Gunn was going to make an awful Superman movie does not match up with his history of comic book productions across Marvel and DC. We have:
- Guardians of the Galaxy – 92% critic, 92% audience
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 – 85% critic, 87% audience
- Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 – 82% critic, 94% audience
- The Suicide Squad – 90% critic, 82% audience
- Peacemaker (show) – 93% critic, 89% audience
Superman
James Gunn
This is why Gunn seemed like a safe pick to run DC Films, given that he just has not missed with his Marvel and DC projects to date.
It seems unlikely that Superman will be reviewed negatively overall, but even if it’s below his other films, it stands to reason that the film A) is likely to still be a huge box office hit and B) may be beloved by audiences who increasingly don’t really care what critics say (see the recent Jurassic Park: Rebirth).
It’s still early in the day, and frankly, I would be surprised if no more reviews leaked before tomorrow afternoon when the actual embargo is supposed to lift. I’ll add those to the list if that happens and will have a real review round-up tomorrow.
Update: There’s a new large-spanning interview with the cast at GQ that isn’t breaking embargo per se, but it has a pretty clear, largely positive judgement about the film:
“The result is one of the most distinct superhero films in a long time, with a tone that feels honest and true to the spirit of Superman—and therefore at odds with pretty much everything else in the genre right now. Gunn’s approach is colorful, in both its palette and the costumes; proudly fantastical, with flying orbs, robots, portals, and giant monsters; and at times endearingly, intentionally corny (see: Krypto the super dog). But late in the third act, Superman delivers an impassioned monologue about himself that essentially states Gunn’s thesis about the character and his core values. You won’t find any controversial neck-snapping here.”
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