Superman (2025) Review

Superman (2025) is arguably the most anticipated film of the year, with James Gunn rebooting one of the most iconic superheroes and starting a new DC Cinematic Universe.

Three years ago, Superman (David Corenswet), revealed himself to the public and became the most popular hero in the world. Superman controversially stops a war between the US ally, Boravia, and their poorer neighbour, Jarhanpur, upsetting the American government. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) sets out to turn Superman into public enemy number 1 and have him arrested, allowing the war between Boravia and Jarhanpur to resume.

The DCEU was a hot mess. There were some good films in the form of Wonder Woman and Shazam!, Zack Snyder’s films were divisive, and Suicide Squad was a disaster. The tone varied widely, from dark and serious (Man of Steel and Batman v Superman) to lighter affairs (Aquaman and Shazam!). In the early 2020s, audiences lost interest because they knew the end was nigh, so there was no point getting too invested. When James Gunn came aboard as one of the heads of DC Studios, he pushed the restart button.

For most superhero fans, Gunn would have been a great choice because of his work on the Guardians of the Galaxy Trilogy, The Suicide Squad, and Peacemaker. He helped turn the obscure Guardians of the Galaxy into a blockbuster success and guided the cosmic wing of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Zack Snyder’s DCEU films were seen as downers. Superman (2025) went in the opposite direction by being a lighter and colourful affair. This was more fitting for a Superman movie since Superman has always been one of the more optimistic and inspiring superheroes, and always has a sense of decency.

One of the best features of the film was the characterisation. Corenswet’s Superman was a genuine hero who did everything he could to save people. Even when Superman was in the middle of a big battle, he would go out of his way to save civilians. People who hated Man of Steel for the lack of heroics will see Superman (2025) as the perfect counterweight. This version of Superman was earnest if a little naïve. Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult also deserve a lot of praise for their roles as Lois Lane and Lex Luthor. Brosnahan had presence and spunk as the no-nonsense reporter whose independent streak gets questioned by her relationship with Clark/Superman. Brosnahan and Corenswet had fantastic chemistry together. Hoult was the best cinematic version of Luthor since he was a genius industrialist who could command a situation, and remain calm when threatened, but was envious of the Kryptonian. Luthor was used as a thinly veiled criticism of tech billionaires who developed a cult following.

Other notable characters were Guy Gardner/Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Krypto. They were brilliant comic relief. Green Lantern was wonderfully arrogant and annoying everyone around him, even his allies in the Justice Gang. Krypto was a superpowered, naughty dog that was adorable and hilarious.

This Superman movie does owe a debt to the Richard Donner original. Tonally, it was closer to the well-regarded film, and there was imagery that was inspired by Superman: The Movie, like the Fortress of Solitude. Superman (2025) even used a new version of the John Williams theme. The 2025 had the benefit of modern visual effects, making it much more action-packed than the Christopher Reeve films. The film had some great action and set pieces, with the highlight being the battle with the Kaiju.

Gunn has been known for having a certain sense of humour, and he brought that to Superman (2025). There was some comic misdirection, the cold frankness of Superman Robot #4 (Alan Tudyk), and character animosity toward each other. There are more outlandish jokes involved, Luthor using online outrage: it was funny and pointed.

There has been some backlash from the ‘anti-woke’ mob. Gunn has even antagonised this group by calling Superman an immigrant.  Anyone using “woke” as a criticism lacks any critical thinking skills. They only complain about a film or TV show being political if it goes against their beliefs. Superman (2025) wasn’t afraid to be political. Luthor was an Elon Musk stand-in because he was a vain, arrogant, and thin-skinned megalomanic who couldn’t stand someone being more admired than him. The difference between the comic book character and the real-life man is that Luthor is a genius.

The political commentary also extended to the war. The conflict felt like a parallel to the Gaza War, where an American ally armed with modern military equipment was against a nation of civilians. The filmmakers had to use workarounds, considering Hollywood is averse to criticism of Israel, and pro-Palestinian actors have suffered consequences for speaking out, like Melissa Barrera being fired from Scream VII. The cinematic conflict does have parallels to other recent wars, namely the Ukraine War, where a big ‘powerful’ nation attempted to conquer their neighbour, and the President of Boravia (Zlatko Burić) wanting to bring about regime change, like George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin, and Benjamin Netanyahu.

Superman (2025) skipped the origin story, similar to The Batman in 2022. The origin story had been done in Superman: The Movie and Man of Steel, and it’s so well known that redoing it would have been redundant. However, Superman (2025) felt like it was starting in the middle of the story. It began with writing explaining the situation, and starting with Superman facing his first defeat at the hands of the Hammer of Boravia. It was an established universe that was populated with superpowered characters, and it felt like the DC cinematic universe was being rushed, again. The film was overstuffed and unnecessarily complex. The screenplay was messy.

For the most part, Superman (2025) was a success. It was a colourful and entertaining romp that got the characters right and plenty of spectacular scenes. It was let down by its overstuffed nature, but audiences will still be able to sit back and enjoy the ride.