Superman (dir. James Gunn)

by Jack Martin | Jul 9, 2025

Certificate: 12A

Running Time: 129 mins

UK Distributor: DC Studios

UK Release Date: 11 July 2025

WHO’S IN SUPERMAN?

David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Neva Howell, Wendell Pierce, Skyler Gisondo, Beck Bennett, Mikaela Hoover, Christopher McDonald, Sara Sampaio, Terence Rosemore, Frank Grillo, María Gabriela de Faría, Sean Gunn, Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Grace Chan

WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?

James Gunn (director, writer, producer), Peter Safran (producer), David Fleming and John Murphy (composers), Henry Braham (cinematographer), Craig Alpert and William Hoy (editors)

WHAT’S IT ABOUT?

Clark Kent/Superman (Corenswet) struggles to save a world that isn’t as hopeful as he is…

WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON SUPERMAN?

Superman is, and always has been, iconic. A mere mention of his name and everyone knows everything there is to know about him: where he came from, what his powers are, how colourful his suit is, and so on. But for a while, at least in movie form, it’s been difficult to pin down exactly who Superman truly is. He’s been portrayed as a bland superhero, a stoic god-like figure, and even a nihilistic force of nature (depending on how you view the mercifully now-defunct DCEU) – but few have captured the true essence of the character, and it’s really not as complex as some may think. He’s just a good person trying to do good in a world that doesn’t always share the same outlook on life, and when he’s down he gets himself back up and tries again, because he believes strongly in the power of doing good.

James Gunn, in launching his newly revamped DC Universe, clearly recognises this about Superman and has constructed a ferociously busy entry point entirely around this fact, and while the film itself is a little rough around the edges, it is perhaps the most Superman movie to exist in years, based purely on its firm understanding of who he truly is.

For those expecting yet another origin tale, Gunn – who directs, writes, and produces – immediately sidesteps all that with opening text that briefly fills the audience in on how this is a universe where superpowered “metahumans” have existed for centuries, and that Superman himself (portrayed by David Corenswet) has already been around for a few years. In fact, when we first meet him, he’s in the midst of a fight with yet another underling of his arch-nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), and later – as Daily Planet reporter Clark Kent – is seen piecing together yet another exclusive interview with the Man of Steel, much to the frustration of fellow reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). But that’s far from all, as Luthor’s seething hatred of Superman inspires him to raid the Fortress of Solitude, unscramble a rather damning message from his native planet Krypton, and perhaps most evil of all kidnap his rambunctious but utterly lovable dog Krypto. There’s also stuff going on with a war between two neighbouring European nations, a team of metahumans known (prematurely) as the Justice Gang, and pocket universes where actual monkeys type out troll comments.

Put simply, there’s a lot going on in this movie. Gunn really is laying out the blueprints for this new universe while still making it as much of a Superman movie as he possibly can, and it can be overwhelming to comprehend at first since there is so much exposition about things that we should have seen in a previous movie that doesn’t exist. It’s also easy to lose sight of what the main focus of the plot actually is, because so much is going on all at once that you’re not sure if it’s meant to be about Superman struggling with his identity or stopping Luthor in his latest scheme or fitting in with these other heroes or anything. For the casual moviegoer, who may know just the basics about Superman but not much else about general DC lore, initial feelings of confusion and frustration might be prominent here.

But what sets this film apart from, say, The Mummy in terms of establishing a whole cinematic universe in one movie is that Gunn, for as messy as the final product may feel at times, introduces a world that you genuinely do want to see more of in the future. It’s fun seeing how giant monsters attacking cities are so commonplace that they are literally relegated to the background, and there are interesting developments with certain legacy characters that might cause some division amongst fans but could well be explored more in future movies. Most of all, this is a world that, more so than even the MCU, feels lifted directly from a comic book, with plenty of intentionally cartoonish designs and imaginative set-pieces filled with as much colour and energy as your average Joe Shuster illustrated panel, which some vibrant visual effects and stylish cinematography bring to life with full awareness of its larger-than-life identity. With all that on his side, Gunn really does capture the awe and excitement of being a kid reading these comics for the first time, particularly ones where Superman is doing what he does best.

Speaking of the man (of steel) himself, this is the first time since the Christopher Reeve movies where Superman has felt just like, well, Superman. Corenswet brings a lively presence to the character that’s beaming with dorky charisma, but more importantly nails the character’s defining humanity and core sense of goodness, to where he has compassion and respect for just about every living thing, from a local street vendor to even a squirrel. His relationship with Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is strong, as is his much more antagonistic one with Hoult’s Luthor, who here is fully embracing the shouty and somewhat brattish comic book villain persona that has made this villain enjoyable in previous iterations. Even when interacting with other superheroes, most notably Edi Gathegi as a pretty cool ally known as Mister Terrific, you can feel the natural camaraderie which can only mean great things once a certain Caped Crusader enters the picture. In all, it’s just nice to see a screen version of Superman that has an actual personality and solid understanding of the actual character, especially after all that DCEU malarky where Henry Cavill was really given nothing to work with throughout his short-lived tenure.

As for what this movie sets up in terms of the future of this new universe, it’s probably too early to tell. There are hints of where things could go from here, as well as a few surprise cameos that link directly to other upcoming films and shows, but for now Gunn is more focused on welcoming his audience to a comic book universe that is, once again, unashamed to be a comic book universe. And what a glorious, if imperfect, universe it looks to be.

SO, TO SUM UP…

Superman ignites the all-new DC Universe with a fun new take on the iconic superhero that nails his optimistic personality and good nature, and while the world-building is a bit messy at first, writer-director James Gunn nonetheless introduces a world that you want to see a lot more of in the future.