Superman (2025)
Superman (2025)
Written by James Gunn
Directed by James Gunn
Runtime 129 min.
5 out of 5
Superman burst onto the scene three years ago and has been the world’s champion ever since, joining the other metahumans on the planet as the most powerful of them all. But one act of stopping a war to save lives suddenly puts Superman on the world’s radar in a new way, especially with Lex Luthor determined to destroy not only the Man of Steel’s reputation, but Superman himself. Using every resource at his disposal, Lex, along with the Boravian general, cohort to put the pain on Superman. Meanwhile, Lois and Clark have been seeing each other for three months and his being Superman, as much as Lois supports him, is causing strain on the relationship because Clark is doing good wherever he can but Lois thinks causing an international incident was going too far. Soon, as chaos is unleashed across the city, the Justice Gang appears and Green Lantern Guy Gardner along with Hawkgirl and Mr. Terrific come to assist the Man of Steel and his beloved super dog Krypto in finally putting an end to Lex’s attempt at domination. Oh, and Ultraman, who works for Lex, is Superman’s most dangerous foe yet and is not to be trifled with.
From kaijus to pocket dimensions, to aliens and Metamorpho, SUPERMAN (2025) is a superheroic sci-fi tale of one superpowered man finding his place in the world and as its protector.
Okay, first as a disclaimer: I’m very critical of recent Superman movies despite him being my favorite mainstream superhero. Lots of things have gone wrong and as exciting as it was walking into the theater, I admit I was a little worried.
Those worries were quickly quashed. What we have here is a nice, clean Superman story despite the large supporting cast. The film is indeed Superman-centric, which was a worry for most because of all the characters, and especially since this is Superman’s first solo movie in the new DCU and not team-up or Justice League thing.
On the vibe: This movie was indeed the hopeful and vibrant Superman everyone equates the character with. David Corenswet nailed it as the Man of Steel. He was gentle but powerful. Kind but firm. Vulnerable but invincible. Friendly . . . but don’t start a fight. I walked out of the theater with a Superman I could trust. For real trust. There was a sincerity and security to him that’s been absent for almost two decades in live-action Superman efforts. He was human, and he was Kryptonian, and his greatest power was love.
He was what Superman is supposed to be: A friend.
This movie drops you straight into the action from the get-go, and immediately you’re immersed in Superman’s world and lore. Starting things off this way immediately put on the suspension of disbelief and you bought everything that was to follow.
The cast is huge but not heavy. Again, they kept the focus on Superman.
Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. She was direct. Asked the very hard questions, and was what she is supposed to be to Superman: Both a security and a challenge. They even went so far as to not making her always the damsel in distress. Instead, in this one, she was Superman’s safe space, confidante, and ally despite slight romantic tension.
They way Superman and Lois looked at each other and the interactions between them was fantastic and they really seemed to have a chemistry going on.
Lex Luthor. Nicholas Hoult nailed Lex in a way that hasn’t been seen since Michael Rosenbaum on SMALLVILLE. He’s dark, self-obsessed, an intellectual superior, obscenely wealthy, and has no patience for anyone who is not human that he can’t use for his own purpose. Nicholas truly created the iconic Lex everyone loves—and hates—from the comics. You really do hate the guy as he goes about his mission to destroy Superman both in name and body.
Krypto. Obviously the big sell of the picture and since the breed was after James Gunn’s own dog and since he’s an animal-lover, I was concerned this would be a dog movie where the dog is the (sub)plot driver. Nope. Krypto served his spot alongside Superman as a Kryptonian’s best friend and not once did we get into dog movie territory. That was a relief.
Guy Gardner was obviously the biggie in terms of the supporting cast, the big part being he’s a Green Lantern (and the most jerkish of them all too). This was done well. Attitude was right. A respect yet disrespect for the rules. He might not be the greatest guy to get along with but he is the guy who gets things done. Looking forward for more from Nathan Fillion in the upcoming LANTERNS TV show.
Hawgirl. As a Hawkgirl fan, this was exiciting. She was in battle mode most of the time. The flight effects and wings were great. The only thing that got a little tiresome was the constant hawk screaming. A few lines of dialogue interspersed throughout the screams would have been great. Obviously it’s assumed Isabela Merced will be back and, perhaps, we’ll find out her true origin.
Mr. Terrific was good. I don’t know much about the character so it was all new to me for the most part. Edi Gathegi did a good job by cementing himself as credible in the scenes he was in while also, though he could have easily done otherwise, made sure the spotlight was on Superman. And who doesn’t like the T-craft? And from a costume perspective, they did well with that full-face T-shaped mask of his without making his mouth look out of place.
This movie was not only an exciting ride that brought you back into the warm world of a hopeful Superman, but you walked out of the theater wanting to be a better person yourself, and these days, well, this world needs Superman and it can start with us.
Go see it. Very recommended. It’s obvious why SUPERMAN (2025) taking the box office by storm.