Upfront confession: I am not a huge Superman fanatic. Clark Kent has never been a super (pun intended) interesting character to follow, with my few cinematic experiences being 2006’s Superman Returns and beyond, and on the small screen, WB’s excellent series, Smallville. Before now, Man of Steel was my favorite of the bunch. That said, James Gunn brings a delirious, cartoony energy to his take on the man of steel. This is the best cinematic Superman movie to date! David Corenswet—somehow flying under the radar since stealing the show in buzzy Ryan Murphy shows The Politician and Hollywood—finally gets elevated to leading man status. The Clark/Lois of it all works on every level, forming a believable and altogether iconic romance thanks to the chemistry between Corenswet and Marvelous Mrs. Maisel charmer Rachel Brosnahan. Even Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor understands the assignment by way of his compelling, maniacal take on the character. Buzzing with the energy of an exciting comic book, Superman takes to the skies as a vibrant, charming action flick complete with Gunn’s outrageously entertaining take on a familiar story.
Instead of wasting precious minutes on the same tired origin story we have seen a thousand times, Gunn’s fast-paced script dives straight into the action. We follow Superman in the aftermath of battle, aided by his robots and revived to almost-full power by the sun’s energy. The earlier scenes establish many things about the titular hero by showing instead of telling. This is a great move on behalf of whatever comes next out of the DC Universe. Where we could have spent an entire movie establishing all of these factoids, we learn them organically through the plot. Metahumans are commonplace. Clark is “fostering” the absolutely adorable super-dog Krypto. Clark has a secret relationship with Lois Lane, whom he works together with at The Daily Planet alongside their pal, Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo). Lois knows Clark’s true identity. Lex Luthor also has already engaged in an intense fight with Superman, and the world is aware of the crime fighter’s alien status.
Without the setup doing any of the heavy lifting, what remains has an arguably even more difficult job to do. It needs to make us care about what happens onscreen, establish a specific tone, and leave enough of an impression that audience superhero fatigue does not set in. That Gunn manages to do even a fraction of this without burning out is a small miracle. In his hands, the DCEU has undergone a full reset. As the first true movie of the new cycle, Superman needed to standout in a major way. In Gunn’s hands, a potential redux of a title truly soars. He understands what works about these characters, and allows them to play in a sandbox of Easter eggs and trademark Gunn humor. A crowd-pleasing popcorn flick without the bite would not have been nearly as impactful.
Despite featuring a minimal amount of Clark and Lois in their journalistic element, their relationship feels genuine. This could be due to an early scene where Lois interviews Clark as Superman, bringing to the surface compelling moralistic arguments and a handful of relationship ones as well. We root for them even before he says “I love you.” Their charms echo off of one another to create a near-perfect dynamic. As both Clark and Superman, Corenswet’s tousled hair, dimples, and chiseled jawline speak nothing of the sheer acting starpower he brings. Sure, the fact that he’s quite easy on the eyes is notable, but Corenswet’s naturalism makes his take on the titular role an easy one to love. Nearly as charismatic is Brosnahan’s Lois, determined to help once Superman ends up off the grid in a pocket universe. The Emmy-winning actress understands Lois on a level that moves her past traditional damsel in distress status, even if her power lies mostly in her metaphorical pen. When Lois and Clark kiss or even banter back and forth, the movie slides into peak form.
As the foil to Clark, Lex Luthor might be the only Superman villain I truly remembered from years back. It was a wise decision to go with this nemesis for our introduction into the world. At the state we find Lex, he reigns over LuthorCorp with an iron fist. He utilizes every tool in his box when it comes to dismantling Superman’s thrall over the general populous. Essentially, Lex wants to get Superman cancelled so he can activate his own sinister plan, with an entire country of innocents being the cost. Lex has been depicted many times before, but Hoult’s performance adds a clinical, tech-driven edge. The rest of the cast is just as great as the main trio. The team of supplementary metahumans somehow already have better chemistry than the Justice League ever did in their one-and-done team outing. Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) of the Green Lanterns may be the de facto team leader, but Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) actually steals the show when he branches off with Lois. Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen becomes a ladies man in this iteration; his relationship with Eve (Sara Sampaio) got the biggest laughs in my sold out crowd. Even smaller roles—and at least one great cameo—matter in Gunn’s take on this universe. Lovingly depicting the bond between Krypto the dog and Superman goes a long way. Much of the runtime establishes their connection. Where it would have been easy to make Krypto feel shoehorned into the plot, he comes in handy on more than one occasion, and looks adorably cute in the process.
From a visual standpoint, these action scenes hit hard. They are choreographed in a manner that always showcases the great strengths of its characters. Superman in particular has quite a stunning superpower. Gunn never backs down from showing off the scale of his particular set of skills. One of the best action scenes involves Mr. Terrific systematically taking down a bunch of goons in a truly spectacular manner that will no doubt leave fans buzzing about a potential spin-off. The film’s climax displays the greatest showcase of everything Superman himself can do, and it truly could not be more exciting to watch unfold. Even just the way he is framed in scenes makes our big hero into a stunning sight that emphasizes his grandiosity.
Driven by the sheer power of its ensemble cast, Superman becomes one of 2025’s best films to date. With the help of auteur James Gunn, his newest submission to the DC cinematic landscape never forgets to have fun with its concepts. Its colorful, bubbly visuals, clever humor, and rapid pacing promise to win over skeptics and fanboys alike. Even despite obviously being a starter for what’s to come, Superman never feels like merely an appetizer to a greater unspooling universe. Instead, the man of steel arrives with a fresh coat of paint in a pointed exclamation mark.
Swoop into theaters and catch a screening of Superman, now playing worldwide.
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