Movie Review: Superman (2025)

Superman (2025) written and directed by James Gunn

I think Superman needs no introduction and so does this film. It starts with a few lines over a snowy landscape explaining in very broad strokes that the Earth has a bunch of metahumans (i.e. superheroes) that have been here for years and that Superman (David Corenswet) came thirty years ago, made himself known three years ago, and just lost his first fight three minutes ago. Then he crashes into the snow like everyone has seen in any of the trailers. Superman had interceded to prevent a war between two eastern European nations (aggressor Boravia tried to invade Jarhanpur). The Hammer of Boravia beat Superman in a battle over the skies of Metropolis. Krypto drags Superman to the Fortress of Solitude (though they never call it that in the movie) where his robots fix him up, exposing him to extra doses of yellow sun by way of elaborate magnifying lenses while he watches a recorded message from his Kryptonian parents that encourages him to be a hero for the people of Earth. Only half the message made it to Earth. Once he's better, he goes back to Metropolis to continue the fight. Viewers then discover that Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is managing the fight for the Hammer, giving him moves to best Superman. The Hammer is secretly Luthor's henchman Ultraman. Superman loses again and the Hammer leaves saying he will do even worse next time.

Clark Kent reports in to the Daily Planet where he is lauded for his front page article on Superman's actions. He interacts with editor Perry White (Wendell Pierce), cub reporter Jimmy Olson (Skyler Gisondo), and ace reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Later, he's at Lois's apartment where he makes dinner for their three-month dating anniversary but it devolves into an argument over the ethics of what he did as Superman in Europe. Lois already knows his secret identity.

Luthor unleashes a kaiju on Metropolis, drawing the attention of Superman and the "Justice Gang," a new group of metahumans with Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). They fight the kaiju while Lex goes to the Superman's arctic base, where he, Ultraman, and The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria) break in and find the message from Krypton. The Engineer is able to reconstruct the second half of the message, which ends in a more sinister way than anyone expects. They use this to drive a wedge between Superman and the rest of humanity. Lex is authorized to use any force he can to capture and contain Superman, leading to a lot more conflict for all of the characters.

The plot is fairly elaborate for a superhero movie. It moves along at a good pace and establishes most of the characters very well, even minor ones like Jimmy or Lex's current girlfriend Miss Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio). And yes, that's the same girlfriend as in Superman: The Movie from 1977. The plot borrows a lot of elements from the other Superman movies beyond the iconic movie score and the "flying through space" credits, like a bit in a baseball field from Superman Returns and other things that are spoilers. These borrowing come off more like homages than a lack of originality because Gunn integrates them smoothly into the larger story. Even though I guessed a lot of surprises while I was sitting in the theater, they seem perfectly natural and work very well. Some bits are not so good, like the lack of any character development for Hawkgirl, but they are far outweighed by the good parts.

Corenswet nails it as both Superman and Clark, though he is stronger in the Superman role. He has the integrity and honesty needed for the Man of Steel, along with the sense of justice that sometimes leads him into angry outbursts and difficult situations. Hoult is good as Luthor, portraying him as a scheming fellow whose main motivation is jealousy and fear of Superman. Brosnahan is very good as Lois, who thankfully already knows Superman's secret identity and is an intelligent and motivated woman on her own. The rest of the cast is good, especially Fillion as the jerky Guy Gardner and Gathegi as the cool and collected Mr. Terrific. 

The movie has a lot of heart, intelligence, humor, and drama that make it a fun adventure. This is easily the best DC superhero movie in a very long while.

Recommended, highly for superhero fans.