Welcome back to Your Opinion Is NOT Law, where we dissect and refute bad takes. Today's victim is a relatively new YouTube channel called NowhereToLand, a video essayist who makes videos discussing film and television shows. I gave a couple videos of theirs a watch and was honestly underwhelmed by the presentation with sloppy editing, confusing text placements and a dorky looking puppet that shows up for no reason. The video on Superman (2025) particularly fails to analyze the film and instead misinterprets and even lies to make it seem worse than it is. Without further ado, let's get into it.
Superman Is Easier To Write Than You Think
The answer to the question, "How do you write a character that's nearly perfect?" is simple: you have them be the ideal the world around them should strive for. Some of the best Superman comic runs, movies, and cartoons are about how Superman's hope and optimism affect others. This movie accurately shows that despite the opposition from Lex and naysayers, Superman still inspires hope in people as scene when the people of Jarhanpur called for him during their darkest hour. There's even a term for this: it's called a flat-arch. It's when the main character's personality and sense of morality are challenged but aren't changed. Rather their sense of morality is what inspires change in others. Superman's not even the only character who's known for having a flat-arc. Marty McFly, Steve Rogers, Forrest Gump, and Wall-E are all great examples of the flat-arc. This video tries to make it seem like Superman is a hard character to write, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Superman is actually fairly simple to write, being a genuinely nice guy from Kansas who uses his superpowers to help others. The hardest part in telling a story like that is making it engaging, but that's the hardest part of every story because nobody knows what everybody wants.
This Is A Reboot, Not A Reaction
The video has this running gimmick of saying this movie isn't good on it's own because it's reacting to the criticisms of the DCEU. However, this misconstructs the definition of a film reboot, which is to start fresh without being connected to the previous installments. This film is less of a reaction to the DCEU and more of a tribute to the comics. I mean, sure, the criticisms of Man of Steel and Batman v Superman are known, but the main focal point of the DCU going forward was always to honor the comics while also providing fresh takes on the characters. The lighter tone, Superman trying to prevent as much damage as possible, and the world having many pre-established superheroes are all baked into the comics and are the foundation for which this new cinematic universe is built on. What this video also fails to bring up is that Superman isn't technically the start of the DCU. It actually started with Creature Commandos in 2024, over a year after James Gunn and Peter Safran were brought on board to reboot the DCEU. One could actually make the argument that The Suicide Squad was a prelude to how the DCU would work tonally given that James Gunn directed that film as well. In both cases, it's clear James Gunn has mad respect for the tone and aesthetics of the comics and honors them in his films.
It's Less Crowded In Here
The video echoes some critics sentiments that the film is "overstuffed" and there's too many characters. The thing is, though, compared to James Gunn's previous superhero films, this is the least crowded. Including Superman himself, there's 3 main characters (Superman, Lois, and Lex), 12 major supporting characters (Krypto, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, Jimmy Olsen, Eve Teshmacher, Ultraman, Angela, Ma and Pa Kent, Rex Mason, Vasil Ghurkos), and 32 named minor characters (Perry White, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant, Ron Troupe, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Von, Superman Robots #4, 12, 5, and 1, Mali, Otis, Sydney, Cleavis Thornwaite, General Mori, Rick Flag Sr., Joey Mason, Kara Zor-El, Flo Crawley, Peacemaker, Larry Chin, Dean and Desmond Farr, Ali Jessop, Amanda McCoy, Cheryl Kimble, Reggie, Albert Tyler, Loretto Bell, Jack Tapir, Heather, Fleurette, and Maxwell Lord). That brings the total number of named characters in the film to only 47. James Gunn said once that Oppenheimer had a lot more characters than Superman. Looking at the Imdb page, there's 59 named characters in that film in addition to the hundred other unnamed characters. What the video and a lot of critics fail to comprehend is movies, especially superhero movies, require a strong supporting cast to populate the world and have the protagonist's personality bounce off against different personalities. I can't think of a single character in this film that should've been cut because even the minor characters play a crucial role in making the world feel lived in.
The Characters Are Properly Introduced
The video questions if audiences would be familiar with The Justice Gang going in and if they would care to see more of them. I can personally testify that despite knowing very little about them, I would love to sed more of these characters. I wasn't that familiar with Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, the Kendra Saunders incarnation of Hawkgirl, Metamorpho, or his son Joey. This movie did a good job introducing these characters through organic dialogue, excellent costume design, and clearly defined personalities. It's no different than how other movies introduced supporting characters, like Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man, Black Panther, or Iron Man. This is nothing but basic screenwriting that even a novice like me could figure out.
Superhero Movies Have Humor In Them; Get Over It -.-
This video regurgitates this infamous non-argument that this movie was "Marvelized" in it's humor. I'm getting really sick and tired of the bemoaning about humor in superhero movies. There's no need to make a big thing out of what ultimately boils down to a personal dissatisfaction with the jokes. Just say "I didn't think this was funny." It's also weird the video uses Krypto behaving like a dog as an example when that moment of brevity was greatly needed after it's revealed Superman has Krytonite poisoning and just escaped a black hole. And that infamous hashtag IS a serious deconstruction of Superman's character because it greatly bothers him and shows that despite his perceived God-like status, he's still human. Again, just say you didn't find it funny. Comedy is subjective, and framing your lack of interest in the film's humor as objective makes you come off as pretentious.
Superman IS Relatable
The video mentions comic book writer, Grant Morrison taking issue with Superman getting beaten up alot in the film. To him, that's the film's attempt to make him more relatable. This video and Grant Morrison seem to conflate a character getting beaten up with being relatable. No, Superman is already relatable because like many of us, he's just a guy that's trying to do the right thing and is currently having a rough week. Through it all, though, he doesn't stay down when he's been beaten. He never gives up and he never stops being a hero. And he does try to fight back, but the issue is his opponents are much more skilled and stronger fighters. As strong as Superman is, he's not unbeatable or as skilled in hand to hand combat as someone like Batman.
Lying To Your Audience Ain't Cute -.-
At 7:38, the video brings up another issue Grant Morrison had with the film and it's in regard to the message Superman's biological parents sent him. Grant Morrison says that the reveal was "wish fulfillment BS" and the video says that the message was just "the chosen one" narrative and that he's doing good because he's destined to do so. Now this isn't even a misinterpretation of the film, this is just a blatant lie. Superman isn't the chosen one and that's not at all why his biological parents sent him to Earth. His initial reasoning to help others was because he thought that's what his biological parents sent him to Earth for. He only heard the first part of their message while the second part was incomprehensible due to the ship he came in being damaged. When Lex had it deciphered and the rest of the message played out, it shattered his preconceived interpretation of his biological parents. They sent him to Earth to make it the new Krypton, take as many wives as possible, and subjugate the human race. That's not at all "The chosen one" narrative. It's also not wish fulfillment because no sane human want to believe their parents want them to commit crimes against humanity. The message that this video and Grant Morrison fail to see is Superman wanting to help people isn't something he was destined to do, but something he chose to do.
Lex Is The Real Villain Of The Film
The video makes a point on how Lex isn't the villain Superman is fighting in the film, but rather his altered clone. If you hadn't seen the film before watching this video, this video would have you believe Lex is playing second fiddle to Ultraman the entire time. This is not the case at all as Ultraman isn't the villain of the film, Lex is. Ultraman is just the muscle Lex uses to fight Superman. The reveal of him being a clone solidifies Lex's jealousy of Superman. Lex goes through so much trouble in the film, selling billions of dollars worth of weapons to Boravia, inciting the Boravia and Jarhanpur conflict, breaking into the Fortress of Solitude, taking Krypto, creating a pocket universe, and even going as far as to create an imperfect Superman clone all so he can kill Superman. Lex's ego forbids him to accept being seen as inferior to the Man of Steel. It's not lazy, it's actually really clever storytelling.
All-Star Superman's Story Is Good For Another Film
The video brings up how the primary inspiration for the film, All-Star Superman, solves the Superman problem that the film doesn't. The storyline is Superman grappling with his mortality as he absorbed too much radiation from a star and how he works to make one last good impression on Earth before he inevitably dies. Don't get me wrong, the storyline in All Star Superman is a good one and I really liked the animated film based on it. That said, Superman dying in what's supposed to be his latest film reboot isn't a good idea. This film is supposed to be a new beginning not just for the DCU but for Superman as a character and starting it off with him slowly dying isn't a good idea to entice audiences to see this film. Maybe that could work for another Superman film down the line, after we've spent ample time with the current iteration of Superman. If that wasn't the point the video was trying to make, than it shows a great lack of articulation.
The Break Between DC And Superman Movies Was Long Enough
The video draws it's final thoughts by saying WBs and DC Studios should've taken a break before rebooting so that the film could properly stand on it's own. Don't worry, I was confused by this as well. What do you mean they should've taken a break? There was a 12 year gap between Man of Steel and Superman and by the time the DCEU ended with Aquaman 2, there was only a year and a 1/2 gap. Obviously they weren't gonna stop making DC movies for too long and they certainly weren't gonna stop making Superman movies. They had plenty of time to develop this film and it most definitely stands on its own. This is a gross misunderstanding of how film production works. A gap between movies shouldn't be longer than 3-5 years depending on the production. It's not just executives, directors, and producers that need to make a living, its also the actors, the writers, the caterers, the sound and VFX teams, the interns, the assistants, the editors, everyone involved. There are hundreds (maybe a thousand) names in the credits of the movie and each one is someone who's trying to put bread on the table. They can't be waiting for production on a film to start for too long, otherwise their unemployment benefits run out and they risk having to live on the streets. So, no, a longer break wasn't necessary in this case.
Conclusion
Wow, this video was a mess. The arguments brought up either misinterpreted what the film was about or otherwise straight up lied to make the film look worse. This video also completely omits a crucial moment in the film that destroys the argument that this film "doesn't solve the Superman problem." And that's when the people of Jarhanpur are about stand against the Boravian military and call out for Superman. This powerful scene wouldn't have worked if Superman didn't inspire hope and he was a weakling who never gets back up after being knocked down. To the creator of this channel, outside your nonsensical points, this video is just sloppy. The texts being obscured by the characters is distracting, the slot machine sound effect @6:24 was forced and unnecessary, and there is no explanation for the puppet showing up twice in the video. It's just such a messy and poorly constructed video essay that at best is a misunderstanding of Superman and at worst is a lazy pretentious grifter video made by a guy who clearly doesn't know what he's talking about. Like I always say: Your Opinion Is NOT Law -.-
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