Superman (2025) – Review

Superman has long been Hollywood’s toughest nut to crack: the original superhero, yet often labelled “too perfect,” “too square,” or—worst of all—“boring” for modern audiences. Since Richard Donner set the gold standard in 1978, filmmakers have tried to solve the Superman problem by darkening him, complicating him, or basically turning him into Batman. James Gunn, however, flips the script: he embraces the bright, idealistic, sky-high optimism of the character, giving us a Superman who’s unapologetically himself. Let’s take a look and see how he pulled this off.

This movie starts with a rather bold opening. Forget retelling how the rocket landed, James Gunn skips all that Kryptonian baby stuff. Instead, we join Superman (David Corenswet) mid-career… and recovering from a loss! Yep, he’s already taken a walloping off-screen by the mysterious “Hammer of Boravia” before the opening credits, rescued by doggos and guilt (aka Krypto). Soon, we learn the Hammer is actually Ultraman, Lex Luthor’s (Nicholas Hoult) evil clone project. After a tense tête-à-tête with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) about whether superheroes even should meddle in global politics, Luthor unleashes a kaiju on Metropolis as a distraction. Lucky for Supes, he doesn’t have to fight this thing alone; the Justice Gang show up, consisting of Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion). Though “lucky” may be too strong a word.

“Shouldn’t this thing be threatening Japan?”

But what did Luthor need a distraction for? Well, turns out the bald genius had bigger fish to fry. With Superman conveniently tied up, Lex and his goons slip into the Fortress of Solitude like tourists on the worst VIP tour imaginable. What do they find? Not just the usual Kryptonian tech and ice sculptures, but a bombshell hidden message from Krypton itself. The first half is what you’d expect: noble legacy, hope, all that “S-shield means something” kind of stuff. But when Luthor restores the corrupted second half? Suddenly, Jor-El and Lara are less loving parents and more cosmic dictators, basically telling their son to conquer Earth and, well… keep the family line going in the most awkward way possible.

“Family can be so embarrassing. Am I right?”

Naturally, the world freaks out. Overnight, Superman goes from symbol of hope to public enemy number one, as governments, talking heads, and even a few of his so-called allies drop him faster than a speeding bullet. “Clark, are you okay?” quickly turns into “Clark, you’re under arrest,” and before long, the Man of Steel finds himself locked up in a bleak little pocket universe—basically, superhero solitary confinement. His unlikely cellmates? Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), who can turn himself into kryptonite, does so because Luthor is holding his baby hostage. Back in the real world, Lois refuses to let him go down as history’s greatest alien scam, rallying Mister Terrific and everyone’s favourite cape-wearing canine, Krypto, to pull off a jailbreak with all the energy of a high-stakes heist movie. Together, they crack open the cosmic cage and give Superman one last shot at clearing his name and proving that Krypton’s ghostwriters don’t speak for him.

He will be getting some help.

Then Luthor literally tears reality apart. Metropolis is split in two, clones and chaos everywhere. But with teamwork, moral clarity, and a hero dog to boot, Superman beats his clone (into a black hole, no less), Lois and Jimmy clear his name via streaming evidence, and the day is saved. The film closes on a tender, goofy note: Superman recuperates at the Fortress of Solitude, watching heartwarming baby footage of his life on Earth, finally able to exhale. And just when he thinks he can enjoy a quiet moment, his cousin Kara Zor-El (Milana Vayntrub) shows up, utterly hungover, insisting she needs Krypto back—cue the dog’s dramatic side-eye and Superman’s weary but fond sigh. It’s the perfect mix of epic superhero stakes and small, human (and canine) comedy, reminding us that even the Man of Steel needs a little domestic chaos now and then.

This is the Woman of Tomorrow?

Stray Observations:

• A member of Lex Luthor’s Luthorcorp crew is named Otis Berg, a nod to “Otisburg,” the seaside spot pencilled in by Ned Beatty’s character Otis on the map of his boss’s evil waterfront scheme in Superman (1978).
• Lex Luthor’s girlfriend, Eve Teschmacher, is another nod to the Donner Superman film, where actress Valerie Perrine played the villain’s moll.
• Lex Luthor using a strand of Superman’s hair to create a clone of him, as well as Superman’s intervention in global affairs, were ideas that previously appeared in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987).
• Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel got a lot of heat for all of the collateral damage in the fight between Superman and Zod. Here, James Gunn fixes that by having an announced evacuation of Metropolis. Ignoring the fact that the logistics of this kind of quick evacuation would be impossible.
• The Hall of Justice exterior was shot at the Cincinnati Union Terminal, which was used as the model for The Hall of Justice in Super Friends (1973).

I hope the Wonder Twins show up in this DC Universe.

Writer/director James Gunn took a radically simple approach for his Superman and the launching of the new DC Universe. It isn’t about subverting or deconstructing the Last Son of Krypton; it’s about embracing him. Gunn has made what is, at heart, a love letter: to the comics, to the iconography, and to the idealism of a character who has always stood tallest when he’s unashamedly himself. In an era of cinematic antiheroes and brooding, morally grey protagonists, Gunn commits to something both retro and radical: letting Superman be Superman.

You know, like saving people.

David Corenswet steps into the cape with a performance that balances modesty with myth. He never postures or leans into Christlike imagery; instead, his Superman exudes a steady decency, a warmth that radiates in quiet gestures as much as in grand speeches. He feels human even when he’s flying at Mach speed, which is perhaps the most essential quality of all. Importantly, Corenswet avoids the trap of imitation; he doesn’t play Reeve’s charm or Cavill’s solemnity. He plays Superman as if the character has always been his, and the result is refreshing.

How can you not love this guy?

But what about everyone’s favourite Daily Planet reporter? Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is every bit the equal of Superman, a fearless reporter with sharp wit, iron will, and a heart that cuts through Clark’s occasional self-doubt. Gunn wisely avoids turning Lois into a mere romantic interest. She’s integral to the story, a partner in truth and justice whose tenacity grounds Superman in humanity. Brosnahan sparks instantly with Corenswet, and their chemistry gives the film an emotional core. When Lois calls out Superman for being too idealistic or pushes Clark to trust in humanity, it feels like more than banter—it’s a philosophy of partnership.

This is the heart of the movie.

If Superman is the embodiment of hope, Lex Luthor is the counterweight: human ambition curdled into obsession. Nicholas Hoult’s Luthor is neither the campy huckster of Gene Hackman nor the ice-blooded corporate predator of Jesse Eisenberg. He is something more layered—and, arguably, more frightening. Hoult plays him as a man whose genius is undeniable but whose psyche is paper-thin beneath his cultivated confidence. There’s always a gleam of mania in his eye, the sense that he’s orchestrating three different schemes while delivering a smooth soundbite. His hatred for Superman isn’t just rivalry—it’s an existential crisis. To Luthor, Superman’s existence invalidates everything he’s built, every achievement he’s clawed for. That insecurity festers, calcifies, and becomes weaponized intellect. Gunn and Hoult together make Lex less of a caricature and more of a chillingly modern villain: an influencer of minds, a manipulator of power, a man whose genius is matched only by his capacity for malice.

Corporate evil personified, and he’s also a tad smug.

But what truly sets Superman apart from its predecessors isn’t just plot or casting, it’s tone. Gunn threads the needle between grandeur and sincerity with remarkable precision. The film has spectacle—plenty of it—but never loses sight of its emotional compass. Truth, justice, and the dream of a better tomorrow aren’t ironic slogans here; they are the narrative’s heart. This is not to say Superman is syrupy or naive. Gunn peppers the script with humour, humanity, and a recognition that the world is messy and complicated. What makes Superman heroic isn’t that he ignores the world’s darkness—it’s that he insists on shining through it. The film respects this balance, never collapsing into cynicism but never blinding itself with rose-coloured glasses either.

Even in darkness, we find light.

Visually, the film pops with colour, rejecting the muted palettes of recent superhero cinema. Metropolis feels alive, vibrant, a city worth protecting. Gunn also leans into the comic book strangeness that defines Superman’s world: alien beings, bizarre science, even a touch of the surreal. Yet he balances this with grounded, emotional storytelling. As for the score, it swells with heroic motifs and undercurrents of tenderness, tying it together. Composers John Murphy and David Fleming allow it to be bombastic when it needs to soar, intimate when it needs to comfort. The cinematography frames Superman not as a god above humanity, but as a beacon among us, a hero who flies not to rule, but to lift. It helps that Gunn, unlike some of his predecessors, understands the tonal elasticity of comic books. He allows for weirdness (aliens, bizarre tech, larger-than-life villains) alongside earnest drama, recognizing that Superman’s mythology thrives best when it embraces both the cosmic and the intimate.

Balancing it all with grounded, emotional storytelling.

In conclusion, James Gunn’s Superman succeeds not by reinventing the character, but by restoring him. It’s a reminder that earnestness isn’t a weakness, that idealism isn’t outdated, and that sometimes the bravest cinematic choice is the simplest one: to let Superman stand for something good. Corenswet wears the cape with dignity and warmth, Hoult gives us a Lex for the ages, and Gunn orchestrates it all with a clear affection for the source material. The result is a film that’s as bold as it is heartfelt, a Superman for today that honours the Superman of yesterday.