James Gunn's Superman Movie Gets One Key Relationship Exactly Right

This post contains spoilers for "Superman."

It's been more than a decade since Superman, one of the most recognizable superheroes on the planet, had a solo movie. The movie in question was Zack Snyder's "Man of Steel" in 2013, which kicked off the former DCEU. But with the release of director James Gunn's "Superman" over the weekend, the Henry Cavill era is behind us and the David Corenswet era is now upon us. Gunn's vision for the world the character inhabits is, admittedly, different. It's rich with characters, both familiar and now.

Gunn wasn't afraid to bring in new characters like Edi Gathegi's Mr. Terrific, as well as tried and true characters like Lois Lane, played in the new DC Universe by Rachel Brosnahan. One fascinating decision that Gunn made was to not cast big-name, A-list actors for Pa Kent and Ma Kent, with Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell taking on the roles, respectively. That decision paid off handsomely in the final film as Vince and Howell not only make the most of their screentime, but they proved to be the perfect vessels to help nail the relationship between Clark Kent and his adoptive, human parents.

"Superman" is a lot of things. It's a movie with an awful lot going on, overflowing with characters. It's also not an origin story, meaning we're more or less dropped right into the heart of the action, with Superman having emerged several years ago. So we don't get to see the Kents taking in Clark as a young Kal-El who was sent to Earth from Krypton before it was wiped from the galaxy. What we do see, however, is a masterclass in doing a lot with a little in terms of establishing an effective on-screen relationship.

Admittedly, the Kents don't get a ton of screentime in the film. We see a charming phone call from them early on in the runtime after Clark, an up-and-coming journalist, gets a story on the front page of the Daily Planet. They come off as immensely proud and charming parents who want to congratulate their boy. Even though he's an adopted child — one from space no less — they're no less proud of what he's accomplished. Not just as a superhero either. This phone call was all about his career as a journalist.

Later in the film after Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) leaves Clark worse for the wear, he and Lois have to head to the Kent farm in Kansas so that he can recover. It's here where the relationship sings. We see a caring pair of parents letting their boy — that boy being Superman, in his supersuit — rest in his childhood bed, just as he left it. The care feels so genuine it's touching. The fact that Vince and Howell aren't big movie stars only adds to the whole thing. They feel like the genuine article.

The key moment comes the next morning when Clark is eating breakfast and Pa comes out to join him. The conversation that ensues is one that feels just about as resonant as any great father and son moment on screen. While Clark is struggling with the legacy left to him by his real parents on Krypton, one of death and conquering the people of Earth, Pa assures him that he is who he is. It's the assurance only his father could provide. It's a beautiful, human moment in and amongst a big, busy, science fiction spectacle.

There were some concerns that "Superman" would suffer from being more of an ensemble movie, rather than a movie focused more specifically on its title character. Gunn did have a lot of plates to spin and not every character got a great deal of screentime. But in delivering a very believable, very relatable, very sweet relationship between Clark and the Kents, he made this vision of an optimistic Superman who truly wants to do good for the world entirely believable.

Clark's wonderful, loving, deeply human parents instilled goodness in him. That goodness made him want to do right by Earth, regardless of what Jor-El and Lara had in mind for him. That's in no small part what makes the final scene with Superman at his Fortress of Solitude surrounded by memories of his upbringing so impactful. Ma and Pa Kent are his real family, alien origins be damned. It's a wonderful message of the power of found family. This is something Gunn is quite good at, having previously dealt with this in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" with Star-Lord and Yondu.

Sure, maybe Clark Kent has some real family in the form of Kara Zor-El, aka Supergirl, who makes a brief appearance at the end of the movie. But there is something that resonates when it comes to Gunn's handling of the Kents in this movie. As busy as it is and as jam-packed as it is, Ma and Pa Kent help keep Supes grounded just enough to make him relatable. Just enough to make him human. When it comes to this particular relationship, Gunn truly understood the assignment.

"Superman" is in theaters now.