Superman is the 2025 action/ adventure film from DC Comics, DC Studios, and director James Gunn. After the official death of the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), it was only a matter of time before DC Comics made another attempt at the screen, and Warner Bros. Studios’ decision to bring in James Gunn as their reshaper of worlds was immediately an intriguing choice.
There are numerous projects scheduled under Gunn’s new universe, but all of that starts right here with Superman. Starring David Corenswet as the titular hero, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, and a plethora of major names in the supporting cast, Superman is a dense reintroduction to the beloved icon. Spoilers will be ahead, so proceed with caution, but let’s talk about Superman!
Pre-Watch Thoughts
I was quite excited for this movie. Superman is finally back on the big screen, and James Gunn was at the helm of it all! There was finally some hope of having a Superman movie where Superman smiles! Given Gunn’s track record with major studio productions of comic book adaptations, this was going to be a good time.
James Gunn made the ultimate bowl of chicken salad with Guardians of the Galaxy, and he continued to do so every time he did anything with those characters. David Ayer’s Suicide Squad is a bad movie, but James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is delightful fun that I recently rewatched, because I like James Gunn with DC characters.
Going into Superman, I hoped to have fun, enjoy the vibes, feel something resembling positivity, and avoid nitpicking my way through it. With respect to Henry Cavill, and everyone who worked on Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, that was depressing, it sucked, and I hope to never return to those movies. Finally, we have a Superman who smiles, and I am going to enjoy every second of it!
Kryptonite- The Bad
My faults with this movie are few, but some still bother me. The biggest issue I had was Lex Luthor’s motivations- they are weak. I know Luthor’s motivations are always jealousy that everyone so loves Superman, but this time, I got the sense they wanted to throw a few more ideas into the mix, yet none stuck out more than the others. Even the way Luthor has access to some resources felt muddled.
For example, it is not mentioned until the end fight that Luthor had been trailing Superman, collecting his DNA, and using that as his access to the Fortress of Solitude. Any mention of that at all anywhere else in the movie would have nailed that for me. I know this was meant to hide the reveal of Ultraman, but a tease of Luthor’s scheming would have been cool. David Corenswet spielt Superman.
The next problem I had with Superman was the presence of Gunn-isms and the surplus of comedy. Keep the tone light, let’s have some fun, and be silly, but several gags or jokes derailed my momentum.
Kryptonite Shards- Rapid Fire Negatives
I want to talk about the good stuff, but let me run through some more nitpicks I had super quick. The speed at which the citizens turn on Superman when Luthor is on Michael Ian Black’s talk show threw me. He just fought a monster, saved everyone in the area, and he has been doing this for three years, but immediately, now let’s ignore everything. If there was one casualty in that scene, I think that would have justified the switch, but that was too quick.
The pocket universe was used a little too much, and the river that flowed into a black hole lost my attention. The final negative thing I have to say is that I didn’t care about any of Luthor’s henchmen, regardless of how much screen time they had. I’m sorry, but not everyone needs to be a character. Okay. That’s all I need to rant about. Now let’s smile and talk about hope.
Looking Up- Positivity, Hope, Inspiration, and Good
In Man of Steel, there is a scene where Superman and Lois talk about the symbol on his chest. Superman tells Lois that it stands for hope, and it had not dawned on me until midway through this film that I have been starved for genuine hope since, at least, 2006. I liked Superman Returns, and I digress. Hope is in more places than words. All of this is evident in the closing moments of Superman. As Punkrocker by The Teddybears and Iggy Pop plays, your life is not the same as it was before.
How can you watch this movie and not be inspired to inspire after watching David Corenswet get back up after being weakened, beaten down, denied the ability to help people, and beaten down even further? That is the essence of Superman on the most basic level, and James Gunn got that. Life sucks, everything is hard, monsters will destroy your town, and you will have bad days, but despite all of those things, we keep going and keep fighting. Do not give up, because tomorrow is a different day.
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Superman is about hope. Superman is about hope. As flawed as this little comic book movie is, there is good in this. My social media feed is currently flooded with Punkrocker, people smiling, and a sense of hope. Superman is fictional, but his impact is real, and that is what matters most.
Good vs Evil- Performances
David Corenswet is perfect as Superman. He is charming, real, funny, and a regular guy. Nicholas Hoult is a comical, nerdy, and slimy version of Lex Luthor, which is everything that perfectly foils Superman. The differences in their fighting styles, worldviews, and morals are exactly as different as they should be. Lex fights like everything is a chess match, while Superman fights because he needs to keep going; is poetic stuff. Hoult and Corenswet were made for each other, and I would love to see more of these two against each other.
Rachel Brosnahan is a perfect Lois Lane. Her chemistry with Corenswet was sweet; she IS Lois Lane, and I am glad they put an actual emphasis on her journalistic side rather than have her ask some questions like previous iterations. Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific is the coolest guy ever. I have been a fan of Edi’s for a bit now after he was in a handful of episodes of House, Netflix’s The Harder They Fall, and, of course, X-Men: First Class.
For those who have not seen it, Edi played a mutant with the ability to adapt to anything. He was killed off in the second scene he appeared in, and it was a total bummer. Fans of that film and character, myself included, were happy to see Edi get another shot at a comic character, and Mr. Terrific was the perfect person. Nathan Fillion is a jerk, and I would not have cast anyone else as Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern.
Anthony Carrigan is underrated. Shoutout No Ho Hank from Barry, and Victor Zsaz from Gotham. Casting him as Metamorpho was perfect. The last bit of perfect casting has to go to the future best man at my wedding, Skyler Gisondo. I mean, come on. Everyone looks great in their respective roles, but the only two who are their characters are Edi as Terrific and Skyler as Jimmy Olson. That is Superman’s buddy right there. Skyler’s Jimmy is just a guy trying to work, and he happens to be in contact with some of the world’s most powerful people. I love that for Skyler, to be honest.
Random Wrap-up Thoughts
Without dedicating entire sections to single ideas, there are a few things that deserve some praise before we head out. Krypto! Krypto the Super Dog is the best boy. I laughed hard when he attacked Lex Luthor, and he was the necessary chaos needed to keep this movie pumping. The Engineer is cool, Ultraman was sick, and Beck Bennett got a good laugh out of me.
The soundtrack is great in true James Gunn fashion. Punkrocker, 5 Years Time, and even the Superman Theme are all killer tracks. While the CGI gets heavy at points, I do not think this is a bad-looking movie. My favorite shot is when Superman is floating in the dust of a building that nearly collapsed on a driver. The practical sets and practical robots in the Fortress of Solitude looked great, and of course, shout out to Alan Tudyk.
Ma and Pa Kent are the sweetest humans on this planet, and I need to see more of them, or I will riot. Pruitt Taylor-Vince and Neva Howell are the only correct options for the ideal Ma and Pa. Some moments took me out of the experience, both as a comic book film and as a movie altogether, but the vibe is right, the tone is fun, and the combinations of characters doing what comic characters do are enjoyable.
Superman, Directed by James Gunn
This was a fun movie. That was all it needed to be. It met that criteria, was worth the time, and will leave a lasting impression on the superhero genre for years to come. While flawed, this is still a worthwhile movie that also makes for a fantastic summer blockbuster.
Enjoy yourself, feel the inspiration, and inspire others like Superman would. I am giving Superman an 8/10. That is enough about me. Let’s talk about you! What did you think of Superman if you’ve seen it? If not, will you check it out? Let me know and stick around here at Respect My Region for more reviews!
