British Steel
So Henry Cavill is Superman. A Brit is playing the most American of superheroes, and the internet is having feelings about it.
Let me say upfront: I think this is a great choice. Cavill has the jawline, the build, and — crucially — the earnestness that Superman requires. Too many modern actors would play the role with a wink, a hint of irony that says "I know this is silly." Superman doesn't work with irony. Superman works with sincerity, and Cavill has demonstrated in interviews and in his previous work that he can do sincerity without it tipping into parody.
The "but he's British" objection is the silliest of the complaints. Christian Bale is Welsh and he played Batman. Andrew Garfield is British and he's about to play Spider-Man. Hugh Jackman is Australian and he's been Wolverine for over a decade. The idea that only an American can play an American character is the kind of parochialism that Hollywood abandoned decades ago, and good riddance.
What matters is whether Cavill can make us believe that a man can fly — not literally, we've had the CGI for that since 1978, but emotionally. Can he make us feel the weight of being the most powerful person on the planet and choosing, every single day, to use that power for good? Can he make Clark Kent's essential decency feel like strength rather than weakness?
Brandon Routh couldn't quite manage it in Superman Returns, though he came closer than he got credit for. The script failed him more than he failed the role. Christopher Reeve, of course, remains the gold standard — that twinkle in his eye, that ability to shift between bumbling Clark and commanding Superman with nothing more than a change in posture.
Cavill doesn't need to be Reeve. He needs to be his own Superman, for his own era. And based on what I've seen, I think he's got a real shot at it. Zack Snyder is the wildcard here — his visual instincts are strong but his storytelling instincts are questionable. But that's a worry for another day. Today, I'm just excited that Superman is back in good hands, even if those hands learned to make tea before coffee.