Superman Is Less
I’ve written about this before. Who hasn’t. But sometimes it just feels like everything’s already been done. How can I possibly make another thing about… anything?
It took me 45 minutes, but I finally got my phone streaming to the TV at the Airbnb this Labor Day weekend. What did we watch?
Superman.
I did not want to watch this. But Disney+ wouldn’t work.
Spoiler alert: if you haven’t seen it, maybe skip this. Though really, I’m not spoiling much. Just vibes.
I love superhero movies. As a kid, one of my favorite memories was hitting the Osco drugstore, grabbing a comic off the rack — Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, whatever I could get.
So when a new take comes out, I’m curious. But Superman? Ugh. Henry Cavill crushed it. Man of Steel was fantastic. How do you top that? More explosions? Longer plots? Another messy DC crossover?
Still, I had to see how James Gunn would do it. I had no hope. Superman’s been done to death. The trailers looked bad. Campy CGI dog saves Superman? Another “fly Lois around while you kiss her” scene? Yuck.
Meanwhile, I finished a great book this weekend: Subtract by Leidy Klotz.
He digs into why we’re wired to add instead of subtract. We always want more — more floors on the house, more steps in the career ladder. Probably because stockpiling food and tools kept our ancestors alive.
But his research shows again and again: our instinct is to add first. And he gives a checklist to fight it:
- Subtract before improving – Cut before you add. Make To-DON’T lists.
- Make subtracting first – Subtraction isn’t better than addition, but it should go first.
- Persist to noticeably less – Editing should hurt. If it doesn’t, you’re still adding.
- Reuse your subtractions – Donuts were invented by cutting out soggy middles. And donut holes? Delicious.
Ok, back to Superman. I friggin loved it. Can’t wait to watch it again.
Gunn made it unique by subtracting. The first scene: Superman’s a bloody mess on the ground. He can’t even walk. He needs a dog to drag him home. Invincibility — gone. Throughout the film, he struggles with fighting, leading, even dating.
And it’s not just Superman. Even the characters we’re used to seeing as perfect? Gunn pulls them down a notch. Jonathan Kent!? In Smallville you had John Schneider — Dukes of Hazzard John Schneider — as the iconic dad. In Man of Steel, Kevin Costner literally sacrifices himself.
Here? Jonathan Kent is probably more like the rest of us. Teary-eyed, stumbling through what he wants to say to his kid.
And even that damn CGI dog. Turns out this version of Krypto sucks. Bad dog. And yet I was crying every time I thought it wouldn’t make it.
Subtract before improving.
Sure, Gunn added his usual humor, soundtrack, and big action. But it works because he started with less. Superman is weaker, more human.
Not perfect. My wife spotted plot holes and missing exposition. I’m sure those scenes exist, just cut. But instead of ruining the movie, it gave us something to talk about — and maybe those “donut holes” get served in the sequel.
And it was tight. 129 minutes. Man of Steel was 143. Batman v Superman? 152! Still long, but for superhero standards? Trim.
I feel bad now I had such low expectations :) Maybe I should subtract some of that next time.