With comic book movies experiencing an alarming decline in commercial returns and audience interest, Superman (2025 ) was a risky venture. Especially since the character has a colossal reputation, and every incarnation of Superman that followed Christoper Reeve’s beloved 1978 version has been met with fan disappointment and mostly negative critical reaction. However if anyone could make Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, soar again, it was James Gunn.
His recent track record speaks for itself, radically changing the energy of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU ) for the better with his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, and delivering the most entertaining non-Batman, DC Comics film in recent memory with The Suicide Squad (2022 ). He excels at building relationships and imbuing characters with recognisable traits and feelings that makes them feel less distanced from ourselves. He is proficient at delivering exuberant, visually compelling films that embrace the vibrancy of their source material.
In this iteration, Superman (David Corenswet ) has been publicly protecting Earth for three years. We are introduced to the Man of Steel after his first defeat, orchestrated by arch-nemesis, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult ). This is one step of a carefully mapped-out strategy to eliminate Superman for good. Meanwhile, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan ) and Clark Kent’s relationship is in a fractious position, resulting from Superman’s interference in global politics.
Because of his unbendable devotion to upholding justice, near-invincibility and lack of moral conflict, depicting Superman as a movie hero worth caring for is not easy. How can we empathise with someone that has no recognisable struggles that we can relate to? Perhaps sometimes we need to remember the film we are watching and accept that certain genres need to be judged on different criteria.
I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. I was completely engaged in the story and invested in Superman’s noble intentions. Gunn makes the best, modern version of a Superman film, bringing the same bombastic energy as his previous films. The action sequences are kinetic and inventive with a vivid blend of settings and creatures. Lex Luthor’s intelligence and calculating ruthlessness is a genuine menace to Superman’s physical abilities, and Gunn’s clever, creative ideas makes it feel like a competitive duel. Luthor feels like a real threat.
While there was once a desire for comic-book films to feel more realistic and grounded, with darker atmospheres and complex characterisations, this film leans – refreshingly – in the opposite direction.
Brilliant baddie
Nicholas Hoult is incredible as Lex Luthor. He is given full rein to make him as cold-blooded and smug as possible. Hoult’s emotional range leads to a very memorable villain. Corenswet feels like the right choice for Superman, capturing his sincere, undying good intentions without reaching an irritating level of earnestness. An intriguing decision is made to prioritise screen time for Superman, sidelining Clark Kent which benefits the fast paced, adventurous narrative. It succeeds if the intent was to make this as much of an enjoyable ride as possible.
There is an effort to tie the film’s nefarious machinations to our reality which is handled tastefully and proves effective at reminding us how dangerous and fragile our own current political landscape is.
Unnecessary exposition and convoluted plot mechanics are kept to a reasonable minimum, allowing viewers to enjoy the ride and reduce the amount of confused expressions.
Predictably, the overabundance of CGI can become tiresome and unpleasant to watch, especially when Superman finds himself in a pocket dimension. However, there were so many moments where I just sat back, admiring the fresh ideas and well-judged decision making that I was left thoroughly satisfied.
Even casting relatively unfamiliar actors as Clark’s parents, and the rural, unremarkable, small-town sensibility that he imbues them with feels like an approach to those mentor type characters that has rarely featured in these films. The closest comparison being Rosemary Harris and Cliff Robertson in Spider-Man (2002 ), one of my favourite comic-book films.
The film unfortunately cannot elude the unavoidable need to set up the new DC Universe, and a totally unnecessary cameo setting up future films did leave a bad taste in my mouth, but ultimately, this was as good as it could have been. James Gunn is spearheading this new direction for DC films and if Superman (2025 ) is any indication, then fans can rest easy knowing that they’re in safe hands.
Now showing in cinemas.
