Superman (2025) review

 

And so it begins a new chapter for DC on the big screen. And what better way to kick it all off than with the most iconic superhero of all time Superman. Written and Directed by James Gunn this is not just tonally a James Gunn picture right down to the tiniest detail it is also that in terms of him having a superpower of his own in the ability to handle so many characters at one time. So where to start?? well that's with the new Superman / Clark Kent. A relatively unknown actor named David Corensweat who had been in such things as Pearl and last years excellent Twister movie. He is good as Big Blue but there's just something missing here, he really shines as Superman with a fantastic understanding of the characters morales and what he truly stands for but when he is Clark Kent it just doesn't work and the same can be said for Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane who I just really did enjoy pretty much at all. Her performance was pretty by the numbers which is a shame as I relly did have high hopes for her as Lois.The same can be said for the whole Daily Planet crew if I'm being honest they all just don't gel together at all. No banter between Clark and Jimmy, no real boss employee rift between Clark and Perry White it looks to have all happened off screen more of less which I don't really care for. 

As for the villain or 'villains' well they come in plenty of shapes, forms and sizes (quite literally) as we not only get Lex Luthor who I will get to in a moment but The Engineer who really did impress me quite a bit and Ultraman who did not impress me at all honestly feel like he didn't need to be here at all and unless something happens in the future with the character it's a major bust. The Engineers is great like I said with her ability to transform, shapeshift and basically become one with technology. She pales in comparison to Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor however who is the real standout here. He is petty, he is smug, arrogant and everything else you'd expect Lex Luthor to be. His hatred for Superman drives him to extreme lengths of not just trying to stop the Kryptonian but even go as far as to kill him. The scenes him and David Corensweat's Superman share especially in the final act quite easily the best scenes of the movie. As for Krypto the Super Dog he is absolutely adorable but really hampers so many scenes that could've been really impressive, I can see what they were going for but by the 10th time I was over it. 

So in summary is Superman actually any good?? well yes and no as you see I really did not like what they did with Superman's Kryptonian parents and the message they left with him, once it's fully deciphered it totally changes the whole opinion on Superman and they could've easily fixed it with just a little tweak but for the average movie goer nothing of that will truly matter as deep down Superman is a big, at times bloated first entry into the new DC Universe that hits some big highs but also has some low, lows with so many jokes and quips just not landing at all as my theater was silent for the majority of the movie. I'm sure this movie will be loved by lots of people and that's fine but for me personally as a big fan of the source material there was too much wishy-washy going on from Clark's temper tantrums to Jimmy Olsen being somewhat of a ladies man tonally it's all over the place but the third act does save it from becoming a total disaster. Superman is sure to entertain and has put forward a somewhat solid first foot what comes next however remains to be seen and as of right now I'm not entirely convinced it'll be anything extraordinary.

★★