Rachel Brosnahan

Superman

12/07/25

Cineworld, Edinburgh

Many cinema-goers have fond recollections of Richard Donner’s Superman (1978). Though the film’s special effects were nowhere near as sophisticated as they are now, the story had true heart and vivacity. We really believed a man could fly.

Since then there have been several attempts to relaunch the Man of Steel, all of them underwhelming.

James Gunn, the head honcho of DC (and the man who gave the world Guardians of the Galaxy) now takes on the daunting task of bringing Superman up to date. It would be pointless to retread the origin story, we’ve seen it so many times it now feels like genuine history. So the film begins with some pithy headlines alerting us to the fact that there have been major changes since we last checked in. A fictional country, Boravia, has attempted to invade the neighbouring made-up land of Jarhanpur – and Superman (David Corenswet, last seen by B&B as the young projectionist in Pearl) has stepped in to prevent major loss of life. This is ruled as an illegal action by the American Government. Billionaire entrepreneur, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who has been secretly orchestrating the invasion, unleashes the ‘Hammer of Boravia’ (actually Ultraman in disguise) to take on Superman in combat.

Poor old Soops has his arse royally kicked.

Lying in the Antarctic snow, he’s rescued by his faithful dog, Krypto, and dragged to the Fortress of Solitude, where a battalion of sophisticated droids are waiting to nurse him back to health. (Krypto, by the way, is based on the director’s actual dog, which may be taking nepotism a step too far.) In the ensuing struggle to put things right, Soops is assisted by Mister Terrific (Edi Cathegi), a member of The Justice Gang, which also includes Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). This rather obvious homage to The Fantastic Four seems to indicate that Gunn is suggesting that DC and Marvel should work together, rather than being in opposition – or is that just my interpretation?

It’s pointless to say more about the storyline, which is unnecessarily convoluted and features so many characters that the result feels cluttered, almost to the point of incomprehension. Yes, there are scenes here that are nicely done, but frankly not enough of them. I shudder to think about the millions of dollars that must have been poured into this enterprise, but there’s the overriding sense that an essentially simple story – flying guy fights to save humanity – is repeatedly steered into a labyrinth of quirky sub-plots. Gunn also wrote the screenplay. Perhaps he was unwilling to ‘kill his darlings.’ There are several attempts to mirror contemporary real-world incidents that don’t quite come off

Corenswet is decent in the lead role but doesn’t have the charm of Christopher Reeve, while Rachel Brosnahan makes an appealing Lois Lane. Hoult, in his usual winning form, strides around in perfectly-tailored suits as Luthor and handles the requisite villainy with aplomb. In many ways he’s the most interesting character in the film, which is a problem in itself. I can’t help thinking of the way Jack Nicholson’s Joker overshadowed the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton’s Batman. If the character the film is named after isn’t your main takeaway, then something’s not right.

Everything builds to a mighty tussle in Metropolis with Soops whizzing around trying to save human lives – and in one case, a frickin’ squirrel! A sequence where our hero visits his foster parents in Smallville results in some truly syrupy dialogue and I’m afraid to say that Krypto’s exuberant charm soon wears thin.

So, worth checking out? I’ll admit this film doesn’t really work for me and that’s a shame, not because I had such high hopes for it but because the future of DC films may be riding on its box office takings. Whilst applauding Gunn’s brave decision to go for a radical reinvention of the franchise, it just doesn’t tick enough boxes to make this a satisfying two hours in the cinema.

You’ll believe a man can plummet.

2. 8 stars

Philip Caveney

The Courier

19/08/21

Cineworld, Edinburgh

The Courier is a spy movie, so we know what to expect, right? Gun fights, car chases, heart-stopping stunts…

Well no, because this ‘based on a true story’ tale, set in the cinematically-neglected Cold War era, plays it straight and, for the most part, sticks pretty closely to the facts. It’s 1960 and America and the Soviet Union are engaged in the arms race, the two super powers moving inexorably nearer and nearer to nuclear conflict.

High-ranking Soviet intelligence officer Oleg Penskovsky (Merab Ninidze) can see the disaster that lies ahead. He contacts a couple of American tourists and asks them to take a message to the American Embassy, offering to supply the CIA with inside information in exchange for safe passage to the USA for him and his family.

Some time later, CIA agent Emily Donavan (Rachel Brosnahan) approaches MI6, asking if they can suggest somebody who might act as a go-between for them. Agent Dickie Franks (Angus Wright) thinks he may have chanced upon the perfect recruit, innocuous businessman Greville Wynne (Benedict Cumberbatch), who spends most of his time travelling the world, wining and dining potential clients for his various business interests. Wynne would surely be above suspicion? So they ask him if he will be their inside man. At first Wynne is non-plussed, if perhaps a little flattered by their invitation, but, after some prevarication, he accepts their offer. Shortly thereafter, he finds himself making contact with Penskovsky in Moscow and carrying various secret messages back and forth between Russia and Great Britain.

But, of course, while this all might look dreadfully routine on the surface, the dangers of being discovered are just as nerve-wracking and the consequences every bit as deadly.

Director Dominic Cooke ensures that The Courier is strong on period setting: the drab, chain-smoking world of the early 60s is accurately depicted in every shot. Both Cumberbatch and Ninidze nail their roles with aplomb and Tom O’Connor’s script focuses on the developing friendship between the two men, making Wynne’s ultimate actions totally believable. Jessie Buckley takes a thankless role as Wynne’s buttoned-up wife, Sheila, and wrings every ounce of possibility out of it, proving once again what a consummate actor she is.

While the film might be short on action tropes, it never lacks suspense and, as Wynne’s deception begins to unravel, the stakes are increasingly cranked up for maximum tension. Also, this is a film that doesn’t back away from depicting the horrors of Wynn’s subsequent incarceration. (Next time I dine out, I think I’ll skip the soup course.)

Some heroes, it seems, are less showy than the Bonds and the Bournes – and here’s the proof that a spy movie can be thrilling without regular recourse to flashy sports cars and semi-automatic weapons.

4.6 stars

Philip Caveney