Superman (2025)
The new cinematic “DC Universe” gets off to a great start, as James Gunn’s film puts heart, kindness and optimism at the centre of his introduction to a more emotionally relatable Man of Steel, while still retaining the flair for humour and ensemble storytelling that he brought to the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
Premise: It’s been three years since Superman (David Corenswet) first revealed himself to the world, but his recent decision to save innocent lives by preventing the invasion of a country by its neighbour has made him a politically controversial figure. Soon he is having to reconcile his human upbringing with his Kryptonian heritage, while corrupt and self-serving billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) pulls the strings behind the scenes and plots Superman’s downfall.
Review:
It’s fair to say that Zack Snyder’s Superman-related trilogy divided audiences, but whether you loved it or loathed it, I urge you to give James Gunn‘s reboot a fair chance. If, like me, you loved Henry Cavill’s tenure as Superman (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice was, in fact, my second favourite film of 2016), I can assure you that David Corenswet‘s interpretation of the character is as fresh and different from Henry Cavill’s as Robert Pattinson’s was from Christian Bale’s in The Batman. If you didn’t like Zack Snyder’s version of Superman, then I can assure you that the tone of James Gunn’s Superman is about as far removed from the tone of the previous trilogy as you can get – despite (surprisingly) touching on some similar themes.
One of the things I enjoyed about 2013’s Man of Steel and 2016’s Batman v Superman was that they acknowledged the fear and mistrust that (at least some) of the public would have if an alien with the powers of a god was walking amongst them – which is something that 1978’s Superman: The Movie never had to contend with. 2025’s Superman doesn’t shy away from this issue either – in fact, it’s central to Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) hatred of Superman, and it’s the main reason why he’s able to recruit others as his “cult” followers. I don’t want this review to become too bogged down in real world politics, but you don’t have to be a genius to draw parallels between a self-serving billionaire who weaponises the public’s mistrust of aliens for his own personal gain by dehumanising them and calling them a threat to America ... and Lex Luthor.
“…in David Corenswet’s hands, Superman’s innate goodness & kindness shines through…”
There are many points in the movie where Lex Luthor and his followers (including the Engineer, played by María Gabriela de Faría, who freely and without irony admits that she’s sacrificed her own humanity to destroy “the Alien”) dehumanise Superman by calling him “it”, “the Kryptonian” or “the Alien”, which is sadly a tactic too familiar to anyone who’s seen any Right Wing media coverage lately. But what makes 2025’s Superman so interesting is that it’s not just the baddies who are tackling these issues – Superman and his allies also are forced to question who he really is, and how he can reconcile his upbringing on a small Kansas farm with the intergalactic mission that his Kryptonian parents sent him on.
But somehow James Gunn manages to tackle all of these (potentially quite heavy) themes with a lightness of touch, so that the film never becomes as dark or grim as some felt the Zack Snyder films did. And the reason for this is David Corenswet’s central performance as Superman – in his hands, Superman’s innate goodness and kindness shines through at all times, and he’s the “Big Blue Boy Scout” of the comics, always striving to do the right thing and save as many as possible. Whether it’s helping save innocent bystanders in the middle of an apocalyptic battle (something which many say that Zack Snyder’s films forgot is central to Superman’s character), or trying to find a solution that doesn’t involve killing, or simply saving civilians from military aggression without worrying about the political fallout, David Corenswet’s Superman is an inspiring symbol of hope and kindness, just as the character should be.
“…this version of Superman is more emotionally vulnerable that what we’ve seen before…”
This film also manages to solve one of the most common complaints about Superman as a character, which is that he’s so powerful, nothing poses him any real danger. James Gunn tackles this on two fronts: firstly, while this version of Superman is still the most powerful “Metahuman” on the planet (more on that later), he’s not so powerful as to be completely invulnerable – in fact, the movie opens with Superman having just suffered his first defeat in battle. But secondly – and most importantly – this version of Superman is more emotionally vulnerable that what we’ve seen before. He’s unsure of himself, and of whether he’s doing the right thing, in that same way that so many of us are; he’s not sure whether he can make things work with his girlfriend, fellow Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (played by Rachel Brosnahan who’s great in the role, and who gets some great subplots of her own and is never relegated to just being a “damsel in distress”); and he’s even struggling to maintain a modest degree of control over his superpowered dog, Krypto.
But key to all of this is an early scene which establishes the pride he feels in fulfilling the mission that his Kryptonian parents gave him, which was to serve humanity – and that’s exactly how he sees himself, as a public servant. He doesn’t have a hero complex – in fact, he’s plagued by self-doubt that he’s not good enough (which is also something many of us can relate to) – but he finds joy in being able to serve the people of Earth, his adopted home. The juxtaposition between Superman, who is embracing the humanity given to him by his adopted parents despite the fact that he’s an immigrant sent to Earth/America from an alien culture, and Lex Luthor, who knows nothing of self-sacrifice or of putting the needs of others before himself and who willingly casts aside his own humanity and compassion, is another element of the movie that really worked for me.
“…assumes you’re already familiar with the established origin story…”
I don’t want to say too much about the plot to the movie (which is why I’ve been focusing more on themes and tones), because I had no idea where this was going (especially after an unexpected second act development), and that was half the fun of watching the movie. What I can say is that, based on the trailers, I was really worried that the movie would be overstuffed with characters that either had too little to do (which was a problem that impacted last year’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire) or which took the main focus away from Superman, effectively making him a guest star in his own movie. However, I’m happy to say that I was wrong on both counts.
Yes, this movie does have a lot of supporting characters – but somehow James Gunn manages to use them to make this new “DCU” feel fully populated and fleshed out, rather than overstuffed. Although this is the first movie in this new fictional universe, it feels like you’re joining an ongoing story where everything and everyone’s already established, so this never feels like yet another “origin movie” – in this regard, it actually reminded me of how the original Star Wars also made you feel like you were joining a larger ongoing story part way through, but never in a way that left you confused. And just like that first Star Wars didn’t explain what the “Clone Wars” were, or how the Emperor rose to power, don’t expect this Superman to fill in all the blanks – we meet Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince), but we don’t have to watch them find and raise Clark as a baby/child, and equally, when we’re introduced to Lois Lane she and Clark already have a shared history, so we don’t have to relive their initial meeting. Like with the recent Spider-Man: Homecoming trilogy, the filmmakers assume you’re already familiar with the established origin story, and take things from there. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Frank Grillo as General Rick Flag Sr feels like a fun way to connect this movie to the larger DCU plans, and the film also has a couple of fun cameos (which I won’t spoil), as well as one touching one, namely the appearance of Christopher Reeve’s son, Will Reeve, as a TV reporter.
“…what makes Superman special is his kindness & compassion, not his physical strength…”
While it may be true that Wendell Pierce doesn’t get much to do as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, he and the other Daily Planet reporters and columnists make the office scenes feel like a real, lived-in workspace, rather than a building where Lois and Clark are the only real reporters. Ironically, by not giving all of these supporting characters too much to do, the film doesn’t feel bloated and overstuffed in the same way that something like Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire did. That said, some characters are allowed time to shine (so that this isn’t just the Lois and Clark show) – with Skyler Gisondo‘s Jimmy Olsen and Sara Sampaio‘s Eve Teschmacher in particular getting some interesting and amusing scenes to play.
Given that the film makes it clear in the opening moments that Superman is just one of many “Metahumans” in the world today, you could be forgiven for asking “what makes him so special then?” – and James Gunn’s answer to that question is another one of the film’s triumphs. Although we’re told that Superman is the “most powerful” Metahuman, the film makes it clear that that’s not what makes him special – the other Metahumans that appear in the movie (Edi Gathegi as Mr Terrific, Nathan Fillion as the Green Lantern Guy Gardner, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl, and Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho) all have very impressive powers ... but what they don’t have is Superman’s heart. The movie illustrates why Superman is an inspirational figure – not just to the public, but also to his fellow super-powered beings – but the key to this is his kindness and compassion, not his physical strength.
“…has something real to say about humanity, society, compassion & empathy…”
With his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, James Gunn showed that he could handle tonal shifts between comedy and drama, and that he could balance a large ensemble cast – but some thought that his comic sensibilities might not work with Superman’s earnestness. The truth is, however, that the film wears its heart unapologetically on its sleeve, and this is one of the least cynical, most sincere films I’ve seen in a while. At one point, a character says that Superman sees the good in everyone, and thinks that everyone he meets has a beautiful soul – and it’s that earnestness and optimism that shines thought in every frame of this movie.
This movie is unapologetically a comic-book movie – featuring everything from a flying dog and a giant kaiju to portals to a pocket dimension and a reference to “hypno-glasses” – but this movie also shows that you can have all of that and a joyous sense of fun, and still tell a story that has something real to say about humanity, society, compassion and empathy. You’ve believed a man can fly; now you’ll believe a man can care.
Oh, and the film includes a short mid-credits shot and an end-credits scene – but in an apparent attempt to distance the DCU from the complaints of overpromising that have been levelled at the MCU, both scenes are just fun little jokes without any deeper meaning, so don’t feel you have to stay for them if you don’t want to.
