Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Elizabeth Tulloch, Tyler Hoechlin, Jordan Elsass, Alex Garfin, Erik Valdez, Inde Navarrette, Wolé Parks, Dylan Walsh, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sofia Hasmik, Adam Rayner, Daisy Tormé, Zane Clifford, Joselyn Picard, Stacey Farber, Taylor Buck, Fritzy-Klevans Destine, Austin Anozie, Danny Wattley, Wern Lee, Eric Keenleyside, Pavel Romano, Leeah Wong, Monique Phillips, Dee Jay Jackson, Shawn Stewart, Kelcey Mawema, Ian Bohen, Samantha Di Francesco, Angus Macfadyen, Rya Kihlstedt, A.C. Peterson, Kayla Heller, Victoria Katongo, Ben Cockell, Jill Teed, Mariana Klaveno, Hesham Hammoud, Kennedy Chew, Miguel Castillo, Michele Scarabelli.
Every year it seems there is another Superman series on television, or a film released at the cinema in which the hero from Kryton is examined and a new facet of his existence is explored. There is no doubting the popularity of Jerry Siegal’s and Joe Shuster’s creation, and in the times, we find ourselves in, it is no wonder that the Man of Steel feels more relevant than ever; for in a world beset by famine, war, pestilence and want, of mad men in charge of national conscious, we need a familiar hero in which to cheer on.
That old familiar feeling, the sense of continuality, of nostalgic references pitting their wits against some of the most iconic villains to ever grace the pages of comic books, graphic novels, and live action serials alike, the tale of a lost boy, the last of his kind who grows up to be the protector of the human race and of Earth, there is a reason why audiences continue to ask for more, it is because we wish, we need to believe in something that one day we might see in ourselves.
The latest series to feature the man from Krypton is one though that thankfully comes as one ready to push on with Clark Kent’s life as much as give audiences the thrill of the range of powers, and one that does not rely on returning to its symbolic beginnings. If anything, Lois and Superman is one that is respectful to the midlife crisis and to the pains of seeing youth lived through the eyes of others as much as it as about extra-terrestrial forces attacking the Earth.
Hints of this incarnation, this version of Superman, portrayed with sensitivity and calm by the superb Tyler Hoechlin, have been witnessed across the D.C. Arrowverse, and whilst the style has been in keeping with others from the style, there is a more wholesome, less dark approach to this series than say Arrow itself, and more convincing as a tale of heroism within the human soul than perhaps Supergirl finished as being and certainly far superior than Batwoman, and this is down not only to the writing but to the sheer insight into the relationship that Superman/Clark Kent has with his wife, Lois Lane, and their grown up children.
Lois and Superman also benefits from returning Clark Kent back to the family farm, and without that vital component of his life, his earthly adopted mother; a marking of time that we must all go through is made sincere and honest and not reduced to sentimentality or outrageous, unwanted, comparisons. By bringing Superman back to the nest of his childhood and early teenage years, by placing Clark Kent once more into the community of Smallville, the series responds to the idea of small-town America, the issues of trust, of growth, of old haunts still holding the same powerful emotional pull as they once did, a bold move that works superbly well.
With terrific performances by Elizabeth Tulloch as Lois Lane, Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lana Lane, Alex Garfin and Jordan Elsass as brothers Jordan and Jonathan Kent, and the aforementioned Tyler Hoechlin as Superman/Clark Kent, Lois and Superman is in its first series equal to all the great Superman stories brought to the small or large screen; a reminder that your first home, wherever that may be, never truly leaves you.
Ian D. Hall