'Superman' Review: It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a fresh perspective!
James Gunn's latest in DC's restructure of their cinematic universe hits far more than it misses, despite an unbalanced story and some minor weak aspects rearing their heads
James Gunn knows how tired you are of seeing things you’ve already seen. In the superhero movie explosion of the past 25 years (and prior), we’ve seen so many origin stories. In fact, we’ve seen mostly origin stories. When establishing an entirely new universe with beloved characters, motivations, locations, and ideas, like any adaptation, filmmakers and writers have to start from the ground-up when assembling the details necessary to please rabid fanbases. However, let’s face it: so far this century, regular filmgoers are so familiar with superheroes’ origin stories. We know the highs and lows of our favorite heroes’ humble beginnings. They almost feel like they should come with trading cards so we can read their stats. We know what happened to Batman’s parents. We’ve all seen how Peter Parker’s Uncle Ben died. And, most importantly, the vast majority of us know where Superman came from prior to landing on Earth. We know his only weakness. We know where he works, who he loves, what motivates him. This was well-established beginning with Richard Donner’s groundbreaking Superman (1978), and Gunn doesn’t want to waste time re-iterating what we already know.
Fortunately for us, Gunn takes full advantage of the superhero zeitgeist when adapting his own iteration of Superman (2025), writing and directing as part of a total overhaul of DC Comics’ cinematic universe. With diminishing returns from film fans over the past decade or so, and much of the focus radiating towards Zack Snyder’s grittier style, it’s no surprise that Warner Brothers wanted to take a break from glum and try for an approach with more appeal. Gunn, coming off the heels of wrapping up his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy (2014-2023) puts himself in a unique position: to have complete creative control not just over a series of films, but an entire universe of possibilities. Gunn’s first entry into the DC Universe with The Suicide Squad (2021) made waves as a promising new direction, and thankfully the same can be said for Superman. While the film, admittedly, has some pacing issues in the middle of the film, caused by an unbalanced story that clunks along, Superman ultimately makes up for it in its stellar, action-heavy second half that more than makes up for any shortcomings.
Like I alluded to earlier, Gunn admirably cuts the bullshit and gets right into the story with a brief, 30-second on-screen explanation of Superman’s origins. In fact, if you go to the Wikipedia summary, the first paragraph-and-a-half is explained in that 30 seconds of text and I’ve never been so thankful to see exposition doled out in my life. More recently, however, Superman (David Corenswet) finds himself at the losing end of a battle with the “Hammer of Boravia,” a mysterious figure representing Boravia, a country allied with the United States at odds with the neighboring country Jarhanpur. Krypto, a superpowered dog that Superman is currently looking after, brings Superman back to the Fortress of Solitude to heal, as Superman uses his time to continue decoding a farewell message from his parents that was damaged in transmission. Meanwhile, billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) wants nothing more than to see Superman destroyed as part of a secret collective effort with Boravia to invade Jarhanpur. At the perfect moment, Luthor uses his resources to secretly invade his fortress and decodes the message himself. While distracted fighting a kaiju placed by Luthor, along with the Justice Gang of Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Luthor broadcasts the message to the world. Unbeknownst to Superman, his parents encourage their son to conquer Earth and take as many wives as possible to ensure the Kryptonian race survives. As public opinion sways sharply against him, Superman decides to turn himself into the United States government for questioning, causing a massive rift and setting Luthor’s greater plans in motion.
So, yes, this is a lot of plot in a movie that is set up to eliminate excess plot. However, what makes Superman (2025) ultimately work as an efficient next iteration of the DC cinematic universe is its elimination of unnecessary plot. Gunn’s ability to tap into the sheer volume of superhero lore the general public has been inundated with this century is worth complimenting on its own. However, some of the awkward act breaks work against the film’s structure and the momentum it builds, especially during an extended sequence when Superman is held in an artificial pocket universe. While the film is always working towards the next major set piece, even if Superman isn’t at the source of the action, there’s definitely a lull felt in setting up the next phase of the story. The same can be said for the sheer breadth of the Boravia/Jarhanpur conflict and how much is going on behind the scenes, even if the film’s establishment does work as an ingenious parallel to the Israel/Palestine conflict, which conservative critics have made clear they’ve taken notice of.
Regardless of some of Superman’s weaker elements though, the focus is always where it needs to be, directly on Superman and the many players in his life, all charismatically portrayed by a terrific ensemble. Rachel Brosnahan absolutely soars as Lois Lane, perfectly capturing the character as a strong romantic foil for Superman’s alter ego while never losing her journalistic integrity. The same can be said of Fillon, Gathegi, and Merced as the members of Justice Gang, who serve as strong tentpoles in the film’s second half. And, man, as someone who’s been a longtime member of the Nicholas Hoult hype train (look no further than his terrific work last year in Juror #2 (2024) and Nosferatu (2024) for proof), it’s great to see him fully embody Lex Luthor in a way that simultaneously pays homage to his comic origins while also providing a fresh characterization. Add all of these strong supporting performances with Corenswet’s star-making portrayal of Superman, a loveable canine companion, and a strong visual style that translates well to IMAX, and you’ve got a terrific next iteration for the future of DC’s cinematic universe. As long as Gunn keeps shooting from the hip with the creative direction for this franchise, then the future will continue to shine.
B
Feature image credit to Warner Brothers via USA Today
