1 Change Would Have Avoided All of Superman’s Problems (& I’m Not Afraid To Say It)

James Gunn’s Superman has been crushing it, both at the box office and with its reception among critics and audiences. Becoming the highest-grossing DC film in years and scoring a solid 83% on Rotten Tomatoes, fans have been responding extremely well to the film. There has been some pushback on the film, however, with critics calling out the bloated story and heavy focus on building a new universe. Some of the criticism is also validated by the fans, which has made people question what should have been done to improve the film. Whether it’s the removal of characters or a longer runtime, the answer on how to improve Superman is actually quite simple.

Despite the film’s solid reception, the multitude of storylines would’ve made for a better TV show than a movie. With more time to dedicate to the world and giving each character stronger development, making the film into a TV show would solve just about every problem the film has.

Starting a Franchise Without an Origin is Superman’s Biggest Strength and Weakness

James Gunn tries his best to make a fully realized world in Superman, and while there are many aspects where he succeeds, the pressure of building a universe seemed to have gotten to him. The idea of starting a franchise in a world where Superman has existed for years makes for a nice departure from the stereotypical superhero film, but the film struggles at times to create cohesion. Whether it’s the introduction of the Justice Gang to Clark Kent’s time at the Daily Planet, the film brushes past important details that would help create the mood and environment of the film. Even though the film touches upon the most important aspects of the Superman lore, it could’ve done it in a more satisfying degree.

One of the strongest aspects of Superman is the relationship between Clark Kent and Lois Lane, played excellently by David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. The interview and apartment sequence are easily two of the strongest scenes in the film, which is because of their electric chemistry. Besides those two scenes, sadly, they are barely together for the rest of the film. Because of this, their relationship drama feels sidelined, making the eventual resolution to their conflict unsatisfying. If Superman were a TV show, it would’ve allowed the filmmakers to give more time for the two to share the screen and strengthen their conflict.

The film is littered with superheroes, but not all of them are given as compelling of development as they could have. Mr Terrific is given his fair share of screen time, but the Justice Gang is entirely underutilized. Hawkgirl, especially, is given nothing but a couple of seconds of action in a few scenes. Because of this, the Justice Gang adds almost nothing to the film outside of expressing that superheroes exist outside of Superman.

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There are Too Many Stories Going On at Once

James Gunn is surprisingly able to mesh multiple storylines into one film cohesively, but does so in an extremely swift manner. From investigative journalists uncovering a case to aliens attempting to reunite with their kids, the film does a surface-level job of conveying different stories and perspectives. While it’s easy to appreciate how Gunn crafted the film, the overall story would’ve improved if more time were given to each. Metamorpho’s storyline in particular could’ve easily driven the film to emotional roots, but instead feels like a light and simple subplot. If the story dedicated more time to developing each story, the experience would’ve been much more satisfying.

Films like Iron Man were successful start-ups to a franchise, as they told a singular story without the need to tie in to anything. Jon Favreau wanted to make sure that he got the character right before moving on to anything else. James Gunn should have done the same with his Superman film. While building a new DC universe was the main goal of Superman, it didn’t need to be so extensive in its world-building. If it wanted to be an ambitious superhero film with intertwining storylines, a TV show, or a 3-hour-plus film, is where Gunn should’ve taken the character.

While Superman is far from a bad movie, most of its mistakes have extremely simple solutions. Projects like Peacemaker and Creature Commandos show that James Gunn knows how to make great TV, so the decision to make Superman into a bloated movie is a baffling one. Hopefully, in the future, Gunn focuses less on universe-building and more on telling singular stories, as his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy shows that he can make amazing films without overstuffing them.

Superman is currently playing in theaters.