Superman (2025) Review

Title: Superman
Year: 2025
Director: James Gunn
Country: US
Language: English

First and foremost; I hated Man of Steel and Justice League - and I'm including the Zach Snyder cut. I thought Henry Cavill was a decent actor for the role of Superman, but the writing & directing really ruined the character. Christopher Reeve made Superman an inconic mythical figure that stood for hope and justice; whereas Snyder's Superman was a crying emotional mess that didn't really stand for anything. Thankfully James Gunn is a competent director who has reintroduced a sense of joy, hope, and optimism to the character. This is Superman. 

In this entry, Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

Superman has an intriguing premise; how would the hero's unshakable morality fit into our politically intense world? In the film Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) questions our hero as to why he intervened in another country. She confronts him with the complex geo-political bureaucracy - and he can't help but see things in black-and-white, "People were going to die!". It's a different take on the a character, adding a lot of depth to a genre that rarely goes so deep. 

The relationship between Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman feels very grounded in realism; both actors have great chemistry and the stakes in their relationship feel very tense. Gunn does a great job at giving each side character a good amount of emotional depth. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is the definition of a hater; I appreciated that he was an actual despicable villain & I wanted to see Superman defeat him in the end. Too many films nowadays make the bad guy cool; Luthor is just a pathetic hater. 

Despite the themes and relationships being very grounded, Gunn's Superman often deviates from reality and embraces the unorthodox. That part is a little hard to get into without spoiling some of the plot. I did also appreciate the unique cinematography - by Henry Braham. Many of the shots do a great job at enhancing Superman's mythical stature. Overall I was very happy with this entry.