REVIEW: “Superman” (2025)

(Courtesy Superman Homepage) 

After one decade, Warner Bros’ attempt at creating and building a film universe full of DC Comics characters felt like it came and went. Although entries like Wonder Woman and even non-canonical features like Joker were well-received, the DC Extended Universe just ended without a proper or respectable sendoff. 

Enter James Gunn and Peter Safran, who were called by the studio to restart this franchise competitor to Marvel under a new banner, “DC Studios.” While he is well-known for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy series, Gunn gave WB and DC one of their most recent acclaimed features in 2021, with the ultra-violent The Suicide Squad, while Safran has had a prolific career as a film producer since the late-1990s, with credits on WB and New Line productions (including installments in The Conjuring series, as well as the DC blockbusters Aquaman and Shazam). 

As Zack Snyder helped initiate the previous DC Universe with a darker Man of Steel, Gunn writes and directs a new outing for the comic book company’s inaugural superhero and his mild-mannered alter-ego Clark Kent. Originally titled Superman Legacy (before dropping the latter term), this 2025 iteration is both a standalone entry and a small ensemble piece that not only brings the iconic character and his worlds of Metropolis, Smallville, and the Fortress of Solitude back to a lighter atmosphere. It also puts us right in the middle of the action from the get-go, and in a world where other “metahumans” (or, superhuman beings) exist. This reportedly is the start of a phase currently titled, “Gods and Monsters.” 

I’m not messing around. I’m doing important stuff.

As an advantage, Gunn’s Superman is not an origin story (a la Tom Holland’s Spider-Man or Robert Pattinson’s Batman). The setting takes place a few years into the general public’s awareness of the guy, and during a period where he has an apparent identity crisis. David Corenswet is terrific and engaging as both the man in the cape and the relatable, beaten-down, but determined Clark Kent. Rachel Brosnahan brilliantly channels the late Margot Kidder as Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane while making the role distinctly her own. Ditto Nicholas Hoult, who brings charisma and cunning menace to the villainous Lex Luthor, who does everything he can to turn the whole world against the Man of Steel. Then there’s Clark and Lois’s secret romance and complicated relationship, including the fact that she apparently already knows he’s Superman. One rapid-fire scene, where he is interviewed, has both of them debating politics and ethics, and trying to justify what is right and good, while balancing wit and drama in the mix. 

The movie is also a clever throwback to the DC cartoons of the 1990s and early 2000s (including Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League), as well as Max Fleisher’s animated shorts from the 1940s. Several homages to John Williams’ famous score from Richard Donner’s 1978 classic starring the late Christopher Reeve are nostalgic—and work as brilliant variations of that score—while spectacular flying scenes, VFX, and immersive art direction and large-scale production design are incredible to look at.  

What I was most excited about was how Gunn and company were going to introduce other DC characters into this world (including superdog Krypto, who is tougher and more aggressive than he looks), considering how our current generation is more accepting of multiverse and/or ensemble storylines in comic book movies, as Marvel has already successfully pulled off. Anybody who was worried this may be a cash cow launch for an interconnected genre universe (I’m looking at you, 2017 Mummy), no need to. 

To be fair, though, this summer tentpole has already been getting mixed reactions, which Gunn has acknowledged. Nevertheless, I found the appearances of Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillon), Mr. Terrific (the scene-stealing Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabel Merced) to be awesome. So were scenes with the automatons in the Fortress of Solitude (voiced by Gunn regulars Alan Tudyk, Pom Klementieff, and Michael Rooker). Appearances by Rick Flag, Sr. (Frank Grillo), and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), on the other hand, felt kind of lacking, for one reason or another. 

Hey, Buddy. Eyes up here.

Despite being almost a direct opposite of Snyder’s moodier take on the character over a decade ago, parents of younger children should be aware that this Superman has some surprisingly crass and weird elements (trademarks of Gunn’s filmography), as well as some heavy political undertones, and intense, hard-hitting, slam-bang action sequences. I would strongly advise parental guidance for that demographic. (Remember, Guardians had a lot of edgy elements, too.) 

While not overtly spiritual (as original creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster made the character a Christ-like figure), there are spiritual-related visuals that are still powerful, from Sups getting energy from the sun to slowly rising up into the air, or viewing the earth from space. Select color schemes recall the original run of Star Trek, with one captivating moment that sets Clark and Lois against a translucent backdrop at night. And the theme that our choices and actions are more important than what others say is undoubtedly worthwhile. 

It certainly is a distinct and edgy entry in the character’s nearly-90-year existence, revealing (almost) a punk rock side we haven’t seen before. The result is both old-school and contemporary, but by no means cheesy. Those age-appropriate PG-13 elements notwithstanding, Superman is one of the most fun times at the movies this summer. Maybe even the whole year. I already look forward to seeing the new Supergirl movie in 2026. 

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