I have been long anticipating James Gunn’s Superman since he announced it and the rest of his plan for the DC Universe back in 2023. But before I get into my review of James Gunn’s Superman, I want to share my relationship with the character.
The first Superman movie I ever watched was Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh. The movie was released just after my birthday, and I had just turned 12. While a lot of that movie is now cursed, I’ll never forget that eye-bullet shot, the Golden Age style, and how taken I was by him being a loverboy™. Without understanding that it was an homage to the Richard Donner Superman films, it set me on a path to discovering those films much later on, after I’d seen every reinterpretation, a big part of that involving Routh’s later involvement with The CW’s Arrowverse.
I invested early on in the Arrowverse, despite never watching Smallville. The CW was starting the superhero game again, this time away from Superman and Batman (reserving them only for big-screen appearances anyway). As a result, with Arrow and The Flash, I was exposed to paranormal and metaphysical rogues with heroes fighting personal demons and the limits of physics. It was trendy to be gritty.
Then, Supergirl debuted on a much sunnier CBS, away from the Arrowverse, but quickly made its way over after season one. I fell in love with Kara, her optimism, her search for the truth, and her friends and family, recognizing that she and this show’s tone is an extension of what a Superman project could also feel like. I also watched Krypton on SyFy before I watched Superman, enjoying getting to know Kryptonians in their own time before its demise. The CW eventually found its Clark and Lois (Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch), but sparingly used them in the annual Arrowverse crossovers until giving them the exceptional Superman & Lois at the DCTV era, but not before The CW announced that Arrowverse was finally doing Crisis on Infinite Earths, which allowed for every Superman The CW had on hand to make an appearance. And by golly, they used them all.
The Crisis crossover is where I am tickled by the big-brained synergy of Warner Bros. and The CW, which has never been shy of casting from Superman’s cinematic history (Annette O’Toole, Jon Cryer, and Helen Slater all taking on new roles in these second- and third-generation stories; Teri Hatcher and Eric Durance blessing the TV landscape again). Hoechlin was the Arrowverse’s Superman. Routh had been playing genius tech billionaire Ray Palmer, but now got the chance to reprise his underrated Superman Returns role from another universe. Arguably, the most exciting part was getting Tom Welling to reprise his role as Clark for the first time since the Smallville finale.
So, wanting to be contextually fully prepared for all of that, at the end of 2019, I finally watched the first two Donner Superman films. I also started watching Smallville, and everything clicked for me on why and how Superman and Clark remain so timeless: the simplicity of Superman as an all-powerful being and his mild-mannered nature allow for it. He has come off as the same self-assured man in every era. Affirming this read, it became a greater pleasure to watch older Clark and Lois on Superman & Lois, and younger in their careers in the animated My Adventures with Superman. And with James Gunn’s Superman, you get the same sense of who this man is, no matter when you meet him in your life (or his!).
Now, for my review of Superman (2025)!
Superman has a lot going on, but it is confident yet surprisingly accessible in establishing the scope of James Gunn’s new DC Universe. It feels like a comic book brought to life, from the nature of its storytelling to character selection, costume designs, and action sequences. However, Gunn still injects his humor with quippy dialogue, awkwardly lingering shots, and real human moments.
Without an origin story to tell, we’re dropped right into a day of Superman operating in an increasingly tense geopolitical world that billionaires, for better or worse, are manipulating around him. It’s early days in Superman's and Clark’s respective careers and lives, and he is a popular dude. Clark is publishing front-page articles for The Daily Planet (unethically?), and Superman is a reliable, if unchecked, hero on an international stage. Clark and Lois just started dating, and Lex has developed a full-on, research-based obsession with Superman.
Superman's popularity is the only thing really stopping the government from doing anything meaningful around him. Of course, Lex’s whole thing is that people don’t like him enough to let him do whatever, so he does all he can to change this sentiment and remove his most significant obstacle. Superman’s popularity, allowing him to have free rein, also puts Clark against Lois morally, as intent versus impact comes into question. It’s a dynamic triangle that examines Superman from those who hate and love him. It’s no wonder that Superman clings so hard to a mission assigned to him at birth to protect and serve humanity, and has a slight crisis of faith when that and his reputation are questioned.
What could have followed is an introspective journey for Superman away from this life he’s built, but he doesn’t become weighed down by it. He continues to keep his head up and do the necessary work, positively impacting those around him despite concerns about his intent.
David Corenswet is a perfect Superman and Clark Kent. He’s tall and strong. Entirely selfless and endearing. Sensitive and curious. Compassionate. A little dorky and well-intentioned. A good man with good values. He does the right thing without an agenda. The film makes a point to show just how odd (punk rock, even) Superman is in our culture compared to everyone who is powered by cynicism, envy, or fear. Even when the other heroes are clocking in only to complete an objective, Superman acts with integrity and extreme compassion. There is a resting ease and assuredness in the presence of Corenswet’s Superman or Clark. He does not have all the answers to complicated questions, as he is consistently questioned throughout the film, but he is still guided to do good.
Nicholas Hoult has been playing a little shit for as long as I can remember (see Skins, The Favorite, and The Great). He delivers a fantastic little shit performance as Lex, hamming it up for the in-universe cameras while displaying very little humanity behind the scenes. He is a Grade A hater. He projects a fear onto Superman that he feels everyone should have and uses his wealth, resources, and a flawed, vulnerable system to establish significant operations and government contracts in truly big-brain ways to destroy Superman. It’s helpful to see just how expansive his operations are, showing the workforce unknowingly dedicated to a misleading agenda. It reveals just how
Lois Lane is genuinely one of my favorite non-superpowered characters. Rachel Brosnahan demonstrates the relentless drive that makes Lois so iconic and formidable. Clark, a trusting optimist, and Lois, a cynical realist, may have different approaches to life, but they both value justice, truth, and a better tomorrow. While this story finds them at a stress point in their fledgling relationship, we see that they are still able to challenge each other’s perspectives with respect and care for each other.
A big issue I can see people having is that there are too many characters and there isn’t enough time spent with each of them, especially in a movie meant to kick off a whole new DCU. As singular and without equal as Superman is, Gunn reminds us that Superman (and Clark) is defined and characterized by those around him. Gunn succeeds in his goal to flesh out Superman’s interconnecting worlds at the start as the DCU expands. Superman literally has two lives, it makes sense to sprinkle in all the various people he’d meet in the various spaces. No need to create new side characters as familiar, fan favorites are right there. The packed cast never feels cramped, and acts as a testament to the long history of Superman and comic book characters.
Every minute or so, you’re meeting major comic book heroes as well as the tertiary characters of this world, but Gunn doesn’t overcomplicate the appearances of these characters the way early MCU movies do. If you’re a comic book fan and catch a reference before it’s explained, it’s fun, and if you’re a casual, it’s explained and nothing is lost on being either type of fan. We meet them now, so it’s nice to see them next time they appear in another project. He’s already done this for this film with Frank Grillo’s Rick Flagg Sr. (first “appearing” in Creature Commandos) and John Cena’s Peacemaker (returning from The Suicide Squad and his self-titled series, where he’ll also be visited by Flagg and the Justice Gang in season two of Peacemaker).
Speaking of, including a whole team of heroes in a Superman movie was my biggest concern in terms of screentime, but it fit with the comic book feel Gunn was aiming for. Gunn stays true to creating teams of sarcastic, wry characters with the Justice Gang (not their name), featuring Guy Gardner, Hawk Girl, and Mr. Terrific. They provide a much-needed contrast to Superman to show how some non-godlike metahumans are utilized in American society. Compared to Superman, they are contractors, strictly clocking in for their job, and even they need a reminder from Superman and Lois about doing what is right above all.
A Superman movie should always be about hope; that pretty much is the deal when you make a Superman movie. You have every other comic character to make any other movie with any other message; Superman is about hope.
To recap my short and immediate Letterboxd review, Superman (2025) is a stylish, funny, wholesome, yearning, and absolutely bonkers tribute to the Superman that writer/director James Gunn fell in love with. During a time when the news and reality for many citizens around the world are bleak, this film serves as an uplifting and relevant reminder and argument for why Superman has endured for so long as a symbol of hope and will continue to do so.
Want to check out more of my Superman coverage?
Here’s my news hit on the day the first official image dropped.
I contributed reporting to this larger feature How Smallville Birthed the Arrowverse Without Even Knowing It. Here’s a small news break-out from those interviews with Smallville’s Tom Welling and Michael Rosenbaum about an animated Superman series they’re working on (TBD?).
I interviewed Superman & Lois’ Elizabeth “Bitsie” Tulloch at San Diego Comic-Con about the Kents.
Lastly, not related to the Superman IP, but I also got the chance to interview the cast of For All Mankind, featuring Edi Gathegi (Mister Terrific), who plays a tech billionaire genius again.