Movie Review - DC's Superman

Look up.

Superman is a 2025 superhero film directed by James Gunn, written by James Gunn, produced by DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, and The Safran Company, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based off of various Superman comics by DC Comics. The film stars David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan. This is the first film in the DC Universe and the fourth reboot of Superman. It was preceded by Creature Commandos and will be followed by Peacemaker Season 2, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Lanterns, and The Authority.

"Hey, buddy. Eyes up here." - Superman

Plot

When an international conflict reaches American borders, Superman gets involved, subjecting himself to political backlash and a decrease in popularity that is exploited by evil billionaire CEO Lex Luthor.

The Sweet

Since it was announced as Superman: Legacy in 2022, I have been eagerly awaiting this movie.

Superman was my most anticipated movie of the year for a litany of reasons. First off, this is the start of James Gunn's new DC Universe. After the failure of the DCEU, Warner Bros. decided to hit the reset button and give us this new, expansive DC Universe that would start with Superman. That's huge, so, naturally, I was excited for that. But beyond that, I was very excited to see a truly great modern Superman. Christopher Reeve's Superman is iconic, but the movies are dated. I want a modern version that captures the feeling of Reeve's performance while also giving us a great, exciting Superman story.

Superman definitely succeeds in a few of those areas. It's biggest success is its most important, and that is in the titular Man of Steel. David Corenswet's Superman is exactly the type of adaptation of the character that I want to see. This old-fashioned boy scout who believes in the inherent goodness in humanity and values life above all is what I see Superman as, and that's precisely what this version is. He understands that every single life is important. Simple actions like him saving the life of a squirrel in the midst of a battle with a kaiju just show that James Gunn has a fundamental understanding of what makes Superman special.

On top of that, David Corenswet absolutely knocks it out of the park. It feels like he captures the essence of Christopher Reeve while also pouring his own charm and personality into the character to give us this new, modern version of Superman that really, really works. Off the bat, he's just so much fun. This is honestly probably the funniest and most charismatic Superman we've ever gotten, and I think that's nice. Sometimes, Superman can feel a bit wooden because he's such a boy scout or because he's too alien, but Corenswet really lets his personality and likability shine, which just makes him a magnetic screen presence.

I also think that this is the best Clark-Lois relationship we've seen on screen. I cannot say I put either Corenswet or Rachel Brosnahan over Christopher Reeve or Margot Kidder, but together, their dynamic is better. They have fantastic chemistry and their relationship is just so compelling. You don't see how it starts. You don't know how they've met. Lois already knows Clark is Superman. We see them in the middle of their relationship and we see them navigating the ups and downs, and it is some of the most compelling stuff in the film.

I also loved the visuals here. The CGI (for the most part) looked pretty good, but James Gunn also did a great job of bringing to life a lot of the most colorful parts of the DCU. The DCEU had this gross, de-saturated look where everything felt dark and gritty. It feels like Superman aims to do the exact opposite of that by bringing this energetic, colorful world to life. The way that lighting is used to frame Superman as this figure of hope and good is also just really awesome and hammers home how well Gunn understands the character.

I will talk about this more in my negatives, but I did appreciate that this movie was not afraid to get weird. Everyone has been saying that this is the most comic book-y comic book movie that they've ever seen, and that's true. This movie is not afraid to give us weird sci-fi zaniness that feels ripped straight from the pages of the DC Comics. It's like a live-action cartoon, but it embraces that instead of making it a flaw. That's a really unique way to approach a superhero movie, so for that, I give it props.

Finally, this is definitely the funniest Superman movie we've ever gotten. Man of Steel is not funny, as we know, and the Reeve movies have their own dated sense of humor. James Gunn is funny, so, naturally, this is a pretty funny movie. It's light-heartedness feels like it just makes the comedy flow more naturally, and giving us a more charismatic Superman also contributes to the comedy.

The Sour

I hate to say this, but I was disappointed by Superman.

The main thing that really disappointed me was that it was so goofy. While I appreciated that it leaned into the comic book side of the character, that inherently just took away some of the seriousness. It felt like it went in the exact opposite direction of Man of Steel, and, while that is sometimes a good thing, it also really detracted from this movie having any stakes or emotional weight whatsoever. The comic book-y nature of the story would work...if it was a comic book. Film is a different medium, so the wacky, zany sci-fi does not fit as well. I know I praised it for feeling like a live-action cartoon, but that's also a negative, because no movie should ever really be a live-action cartoon.

I think there's a balance a Superman movie can strike between this and Man of Steel. It doesn't need to be this grounded, gritty Superman tale, but it also doesn't need to be this over-the-top, goofy version that has giant kaijus and flying dogs. You can meet in the middle somewhere, and I do not know why the Superman movie franchise has failed to do so so many times.

Speaking of failing so many times...they just cannot do a great version of Lex Luthor on film. Now, Nicholas Hoult is great. This might even be the best movie version of Lex Luthor we've gotten. He's definitely the most evil and most hatable version of the character so far, but he feels incredibly one-dimensional. He just hates Superman and will destroy everything and everyone in his path to take down the Man of Steel. There's no real motivation or nuance. They just make him this petty, mean jerk who wants to kill Superman...because. And that's frustrating. I know there can be great versions of Lex Luthor in media, because Michael Rosenbaum's Lex Luthor from Smallville is, in my opinion, the definitive version of the character and one of the best TV villains of all time. I do not know why it is so hard for movies to do a great version of him.

The tone of this movie is also all over the place. Because it is so goofy, the times where it tries to get dramatic and have actual emotion feel very out of place. There's a specific segment of the film where Clark goes to Smallville for a bit, and that is, in my opinion, the best and most potent part of the movie, at least emotionally speaking. That's because it does ground this wild, over-the-top movie in some sort of emotional reality. Ma and Pa Kent bring a gravitas and maturity that the rest of the film does not have, and it really hits. But that's frustrating, because it feels out of place due to the rest of the movie being so comic book-y.

Finally, this movie is way too overstuffed. This is one of the things I was very worried about coming into the film, and, sadly, my fears were validated. Superman takes place in a very lived-in DC world, and, while that can be cool, it feels like it takes away from the actual story at times. We did not need Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl in this movie. They are a lot of fun (except Hawkgirl, she felt completely wasted), but they just distract from Superman. Like, this movie is supposed to be about Clark and his journey, but introducing this prototypical version of the Justice League is distracting. There's also a ton going on, and it can feel overwhelming at times. The finale of the film has, like, three levels of conflict all going on at the same time and none of them are really connected, which is just so frustrating.

Final Thoughts and Score

Superman is a good movie, but it's a disappointment. While the Man of Steel himself is amazing, the movie feels like a Guardians of the Galaxy-ified version of Superman, and I mean that in a sadly negative way.

I am still going Savory. Age range is 8+.

SWEET N' SOUR SCALE

Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)

"Superman"

Fun Factor: 7.5/10

Acting: 7.5/10

Story: 6/10

Characters: 7.5/10

Quality: 6.5/10

Directed by James Gunn

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence and action, language, disturbing themes and images, thematic elements

Released on July 11, 2025

2 hours and 9 minutes

David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman

Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane

Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor

Edi Gathegi as Michael Hall / Mister Terrific

Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho

Nathan Fillon as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern

Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl

Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen

Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher

Wendell Pierce as Perry White

Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard

Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent

Neva Howell as Martha Kent

María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer

Zlatko Burić as Vasil Ghurkos

Frank Grillo as Rick Flag Sr.