Should a Superman Movie Be Kid-friendly?
James Gunn's new DC superhero movie turned me into Helen Lovejoy.
I don’t go to the movie theater much anymore. Like most middle-aged dads, I could blame this on kids (partially true), but largely it has more to do with ever-shortening theatrical release windows (it’ll be on HBO in a month!), high ticket prices, and a hatred of traffic and parking garages (where did we park? B1?)
But, I made an exception for Superman. After Zack Snyder’s dour interpretation of the character, I was excited to see James Gunn—a filmmaker and writer I greatly admire—give things a kickstart. So, I braved traffic, parking garages, and ticket convenience fees (random thought, but how did we as a society just accept this is something we charge for?), to see ole’ Supes on the big screen. I also brought my 11-year-old son with me.
To be clear, yes, I know this is a PG-13 movie. And, yes, I’m well-versed enough in modern superhero blockbusters to know that it was probably going to have lots of guns and violence. But, my son plays Fortnite (arguably much worse), and more to the point, it’s Superman for crying out loud! If there was ever the platonic ideal of kid-fantasy superhero it’s Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s all powerful, cape-sporting Blue Boy Scout in red Underoos.
I won’t bore folks with a longwinded Superman review. There are real critics for that, and as the Rotten Tomatoes scores would attest, the movie is being well received both by professional reviewers and general audiences. Purely on a macro level, it’s clear that Gunn (unlike Snyder) understands this character: his positivity, his idealism, his inherent corniness. There were things I really loved about the film, and its unashamed portrayal of Superman’s full-throated optimism is definitely one of them…
…which is why it’s so strange that the movie has a handful of random moments that made me second guess whether it was the right decision to bring my son.
Yes, ladies and gentleman, I am not proud to admit that James Gunn’s Superman essentially turned me into Helen Lovejoy.
Okay, not really…but there were a series of small moments during the movie that did make me take pause: their inclusion was tonally jarring in a way that undermined all the good work Gunn and his talented actors are doing. I admit, this is very nit-picky, but here’s my…
Unofficial list of Superman’s pearl-clutching moments
5.) The movie is kind of obsessed with harems
One big change in Gunn’s Superman is that his parents were ostensibly evil eugenicists who sent Superman away from Krypton with the aim of ruling Earth like a god. This is a bold choice that breaks from a lot of comic lore. I can’t say I love it personally, but at least it’s a take. But, as I was wrestling with this reveal, to make matters worse, Supe’s dad, Jor-El, casually mentions that Superman, in addition to ruling as an all-powered Earth king, should “take” many terrestrial women so that he can make lots of super kiddos in his image.
Huh?
Not only that, we hear the word “harem” multiple times.
You ever have to explain what a harem is to an 11-year-old sitting in the backseat on the drive home from the theater? Not great, Bob!
4.) This character
Look…I’m not a prude, and I actually like that the movie isn’t totally sexless like a Marvel film (Brosnahan and Corenswet have genuine chemistry and I could watch them make out all day). More passion in family films please!
But, I hate how this character (apparently Cat Grant) is styled: she looks like she just stumbled off the set of an American Pie direct to DVD sequel. It’s very early-aughts coded in how she looks, and her objectification is incongruous with how the movie seems to want to depict women (e.g. I’m all for punk rock Lois Lane).
3.) Green Lantern flips the bird
Okay, yes, this is a funny visual gag, but I think this is where Gunn’s style of humor (dude started in Troma) starts to clash with Superman’s innocence. Yeah, I know it’s not Superman making the gesture, but it’s just weird to take your kid to a movie about truth and decency only to have a middle finger appear on screen that is 10 stories tall.
Again, I know…I’m no fun. I apologize.
2.) Profanity
Yes…I’m lame…but I could have done without Kal-El saying “supershit”. To be fair, I realize that this is actually within Clark Kent’s character (he’s offended and annoyed that he’s being called this particular pejorative), but still…c’mon! Supes doesn’t swear!
1.)The execution killing
This is actually the big one and the only moment that truly rubbed me the wrong way. Gunn introduces this kind innocent bystander that Superman saves. And, then, he is brutally murdered—execution-style—on screen by Lex Luthor. Like, Gunn doesn’t even cut away: we see Lex merk a guy in the head. It’s not implied violence, it’s actual John Wick style violence…in a PG-13 Superman movie…a character who wears a cape and red underwear and has a super powered dog. It’s even worse because this murdered guy gets so little screentime or development that it just feels mean-spirited and cruel; his death is treated like a punchline.
To circle back a bit, I’ve wrestled with why this stuff bothered me so much. Again, I know my kid sees/hears way worse stuff in his normal media consumption (YouTube is evil). But, for such a major cultural symbol (a symbol that it’s clear Gunn understands), I found the inclusion of these elements to work against all the hard work Gunn is doing to restore Superman’s place in the public consciousness.
All this to say, it got me thinking on a larger question—something that bothers me much more than having my kid hear some swear words. In basic terms: who are these superhero movies for?
I realize this is a loaded query and the Marvel machine has utterly reshaped the cinematic landscape for better and worse (mostly worse). But, the very fact that Superman has any of the above elements, clearly means it isn’t for current kids.
It’s for…well…it’s for nerds like me—40 year-old millennials who grew up watching Superman/Batman The Animated Series in 1997 and still wish they were kids. And—I dunno—like…maybe it shouldn’t be?
After all, this is Superman we are talking about here: if there ever was ever a comic book movie you should feel confident taking your kid too, isn’t this it? The one that features the guy who is selfless, caring, trusting to a fault…you know…truth, justice, and the human way…all that jazz…
Honestly, I’m less frustrated with James Gunn and more annoyed with me and my fellow man-children. We’ve had our shot and then some: our childish fantasies and play things have already been realized on screen beyond our wildest imaginations—we’ve had three Ant-Man movies for crying out loud!
Maybe…just maybe…it’s time to move on…maybe comic book movies (at the very least, a Superman movie) should objectively be for kids now—not folks who were kids 30 years ago. Considering the sheer deluge of man-child art that has been produced over the last two decades, in this current moment, I’d much rather we built something intended to inspire the next generation. And, no, Jack Black singing about lava chicken in A Minecraft Movie ain’t going to cut it.
The world is more awful than ever. If Hollywood is going to make a fantasy about an inspiring symbol for hope and truth, I think the onus is on the creators to try extra-hard to guarantee it’s something that you feel comfortable bringing your kid to the theater for.
*inhales*
*deep breath*
As Helen Lovejoy would say…maybe…just maybe…somebody does need to, in fact, think of the children.