Review - Superman (2025)

       Alright guys, here we go. My number one most anticipated movie of 2025, Superman, is finally here. Produced by DC Studios as the first film of the new DC Universe franchise, Superman is written and directed by James Gunn, and stars David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicolas Hoult, Maria Gabriela de Faria, Edi Gathegi, Isabela Merced, Frank Grillo, Anthony Carrigan, and Nathan Fillion. 

      Now, one major thing to note about this particular Superman movie is that is doesn't retell the origins of Superman, as this is a version of Superman who's been active for three years. While we do some text at the beginning to set up events that most fans already know, James Gunn was smart enough to take into account how much the origin of Superman has been told and retold on screen, and opted to avoid repeating it again. And, I genuinely appreciate that, as it would be thoroughly tedious to have to revisit something that is universally known. 

       So, when it comes to the performances, they were, all around, thoroughly entertaining and fantastic. David Corenswet truly embodies the role of Superman in a performance that takes the best of the classic Christopher Reeve version of Superman and combines it with the best of the '90s animated series version of Superman. And, Rachel Brosnahan gives, quite possibly, the best on screen Lois Lane since the '90s animated series, and I thought that Rachel and David worked off each other exceptionally well. And, I genuinely liked seeing more of the core Daily Planet crew in this movie, with Wendell Pierce as Perry White, Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant, Christopher McDonald as Ron Troupe, and Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard. And, for the most part, they all have opportunities to shine. 

       Now, it's pretty much known that Superman isn't the only DC superhero in this movie, as we also see the trio of Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, and Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, in addition to Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho. And, each one of them gets their chance to show off their unique skills, and they all get a chance to stand out. Heck, this movie got me even more excited to see Nathan Fillion return to screens as Guy Gardner next year in the HBO series Lanterns. But, of these four additional superheroes, it's Edi Gathegi's Mister Terrific that gets quite a bit to do. But, even with these other superheroes, all of whom make their big screen debuts here, Superman is still, very much, the key protagonist, and is, very much, front and center for the majority of the film. 

        Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor is easily the most despicable that Lex Luthor has been portrayed on screen, in a stark contrast to the obnoxiously neurotic version of Lex previously portrayed by Jesse Eisenberg. Hoult portrays Lex as a truly vile and spiteful man who has the utmost animosity towards Superman. And, of course, Lex has his entourage, which includes girlfriend Eve Teschmacher, who is portrayed by Sara Sampaio as this vapid and shallow girl obsessed with taking selfies, as well as Otis, who is one of Lex's tech crew. Lex, in this movie, also has two superhuman lieutenants: Angela Spica/The Engineer, portrayed brilliantly by Maria Gabriela de Faria, and the mysterious assailant Ultraman. And, I will say that the Engineer was a neat character with an interesting power set, as her body is imbedded with nanotech, and I am looking forward to seeing her in the planned film The Authority. 

      But, the biggest standout of the movie, aside from Superman himself, is the dog Krypto. Krypto is a lot of fun, exceptionally playful, and is easily going to be a highlight for a number of audiences. However, Krypto, while certainly a welcome presence, does feel like his main purpose is in adding elements of levity, specifically the patented "James Gunn humor," in moments where it's a bit unnecessary. In fact, there a a number of moments where James Gunn's style of humor does undercut the seriousness of certain moments. And, if that's something you're not a fan of, then I got nothing for ya, because I enjoyed the heck out of it. 

        What I enjoyed about this movie is that it is unabashedly a comic book movie. While it does come off as an attempt to go in the polar opposite direction, both tonally and narratively, from the cinematic deconstruction of the Superman character as depicted in Man of Steel, it also shows it's unafraid to go there in terms of the more silly and cartoonish elements that made the Silver Age and Bronze Age eras of comics so memorable. And, it just has a ton of fun with itself, almost to a fault. 

        Overall, Superman was a ton of fun, and a really entertaining entry into the all new DC Universe franchise. I think that James Gunn, Peter Safran, and their team at DC Studios are absolutely going to shepherd in a new era for DC film and television that I am absolutely enthusiastic about. I cannot recommend this movie enough. If you have an opportunity to see Superman on the big screen, then I say that you should, as you're in for quite a few surprises, and a really fun time. 

       Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you guys in the next review.