‘Superman’ Movie Review: The Heart and Soul Returns to DC
James Gunn’s Superman had a lot riding against it. The reboot follows a decade of messy attempts to build a popular DC Universe. An unforgiving fanbase of Zack Snyder loyalists accompanied the sinking ship. Superman’s last two reboots had lukewarm commercial success. The greatest achievement of those movies was arguably the casting of Henry Cavill.
After seeing the new entry, it became clear why Gunn was the correct choice to revitalize the DC Universe. With Guardians of the Galaxy, Gunn demonstrated how to introduce a galactic world of characters without any of them feeling shoehorned into the plot. He already knows how to juggle various personalities in a sandbox of his own. And within the first thirty minutes, we see his experience masterfully canvas a new DC playground.
What’s Superman 2025 about?
Similar to Guardians of the Galaxy, the new incarnation of Superman throws us into an already existing universe. Our first encounter with Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet) centers around the footage shown from the extended trailer. Superman has a reputation as Earth’s protector.
After serving the planet for a few years, he loses his first battle to an enemy known as “The Hammer of Boravia.” Similar to the extended trailer, we receive our first glimpses of the adorably infectious Krypto, and we learn this version of Superman can sustain injuries before healing from the sun’s power.
After his bodily repair, thanks to the Automatons (caretaking Kryptonian robots), the film takes us to Metropolis, where it briefly shows Clark Kent’s life. If there’s any nitpick about the film, it might be the limited time we spend with him as the reporter.
Clark Kent’s introduction at The Daily Planet highlights the chemistry between Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. Outside of work, we discover their connection is deeper. Kent boasts about his frequent exclusive interviews with Superman, and Lois ribs Kent about his suspicious access.
The script hilariously introduces Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) as the reluctant heartthrob. The girls are always swooning for him, but Olsen seems burdened by his mysterious power to make women fall in love with him. However, it’s in this introduction that the film sets up the stakes involving Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). It will also be the part of the film that a particular political demographic finds upsetting.
In Gunn’s screenplay, Luthor’s character draws heavy inspiration from present-day leaders who strive to portray outsiders as “dangerous.” When Superman saves lives in a foreign country, Luthor smears his good intentions by calling it a dangerous use of power.
Lex Luthor is the master at smothering Superman in endless political misinformation. But Luthor seeks something truly damaging on the Man of Steel, and when he discovers it, Superman must convince the world that he is the man he claims to be.
The optimistic protector returns
The biggest improvement with Superman (2025) is the renewed sense of optimism for the brand. With Gunn’s vision, Superman comes across as innocent, like a child who believes they can one day become president.
As mentioned earlier, one of the conflicts in the film revolves around whether Superman overstepped on foreign soil to protect lives. It’s an intense debate between Clark and another character in the movie. However, Clark, as Superman, defensively states that if he did nothing, innocent people would die. This response serves as a core message for Gunn’s Superman, showing that unnecessary politics have no place in matters of empathy and human life.
While Man of Steel benefited from a charismatic performance by Henry Cavill, some of the imagery in later sequels, such as Batman v Superman, depicted the character as a fearsome god. For some, the foreboding, godlike approach worked. But for myself, the gentle savior is the correct approach for Superman, and it is wonderfully on display in this reboot. There is a quality about a Superman who gets beaten up by his dog and saves tiny creatures that feels endearing.
The CGI is like Marvel (and sometimes worse)
Superman offers some of the best comic book action from a DC movie in quite a while. This sense of spectacle is especially on display in the grand finale when Superman truly gets to display his powers. However, the movie unfortunately takes the spectacle found in most Marvel flicks, along with some of the worst uses of messy CGI action from those movies.
There are moments in James Gunn’s Superman when it almost feels like an Avengers movie preparing to blast a laser beam in the sky. And between the wildly CGI action and a grand-scale threat that narrowly becomes too much, the choice almost feels like Gunn deliberately trying to make it feel like a Marvel event.
Additionally, there is a small sequence in the middle of the film involving a prison where the visuals almost mirror The Minecraft Movie. It’s a mercifully quick sequence, and it’s not enough to tank the movie. Still, for a big-budget film, it seems like some of the rendering was incomplete.
Superman has a big heart for its characters
For years, it’s been a myth that a superhero film cannot have a surplus of characters. James Gunn illustrated the falsity with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise, and he continues to demonstrate that with Superman.
With this film, Gunn proves that a crowded superhero movie is acceptable if the characters are essential for the narrative. For example, Gunn introduces Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced) as other meta-humans in the film.
The trio referred to as “The Justice Gang” serves as a contrast to Superman’s heroic approach, and they also exhibit a humorous sibling rivalry dynamic. Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific is the show stealer of the movie, portraying his role with immense charisma. His character also has one of the best action scenes in the film.
The only roles that feel shortchanged are Ma and Pa Kent. There is one emotional scene involving Pa and Clark, but for the most part, the Kents get little screen time.
But the real beating heart of Superman is between Lois and Clark. Almost every scene they share is magnetic. Corenswet and Brosnahan deliver the dialogue with sharpness and wit. Their romantic conversational warfare is some of the best scenes in the whole film.
For instance, the scene where Lois interviews Clark in the trailer is surprisingly riveting. If the movie were only them having interaction for two hours, it would be a five-star experience.
Final thoughts on Superman (2025)
Overall, Superman is a win for the DC Universe. Moviegoers will have complaints with the Marvel levels of CGI. But James Gunn has crafted a splashy, colorful superhero film with tremendous characters. He was truly the right man for the job.
Are you excited to see Superman on the big screen soon? Let us know what you think of it on social media @MyCosmicCircus or join our Patreon and private Discord to discuss.
Also check out: Superman and Shaping James Gunn’s New DC Universe
