Superman (2025) Movie Review

Superman (2025) Movie Review

After a turbulent 11 years since its inception in 2013 with ‘Man of Steel’, the DC Comics, Extended Universe, came to an end with ‘Aquaman: The Lost Kingdom’ in 2023. Director James Gunn hit a home run with his entry in this previous DC cinematic universe, with 2021’s ‘The Suicide Squad’, that the studio appointed him as their new Ceo, overseeing the launch of the new DC Cinematic Universe. It was announced that he would write and direct the first entry in this franchise, with ‘Superman’. The film would serve as the first entry of this new franchise, establishing the character of Superman. Given Gunn’s track record, it was safe to say that this film was in good hands, and the DC cinematic universe would be on track for great success.

The film was a monumental success at the box office, grossing more than $354 million at the domestic box office and over $615 million at the worldwide box office, with a sequel ‘Superman: Man of Tomorrow’ already slated for a July 2027 release date. The film also holds an impressive 83% critical rating, and 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars David Corenswet as Clark Kent/Superman & Ultraman, Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific, Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho (Rex Mason), Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl and Milly Alcock as Supergirl in a cameo.

The film takes place three years into Superman's heroic career and follows Clark Kent/Superman as he grapples with the tension between his Kryptonian heritage and human upbringing. After intervening in a conflict between the fictional nations of Boravia and Jarhanpur, Superman faces backlash from the global community and is framed by billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor. As Luthor unleashes chaos, including a monstrous kaiju and a clone of Superman named Ultraman, Superman teams up with the Justice Gang, including, Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho to defend Metropolis and clear his name.  As a fan of the character, I was super excited (no pun intended), for the re-launch of him in this new DC cinematic universe and I’m happy to report, the film is fantastic!

‘Superman’ 2025 is an absolute delight to watch. The film has the pulp, light-heartedness of Richard Donner’s original film, whilst incorporating social and political elements of the current climate, that feel natural, earned and important. The film has a whimsy, that I honestly haven’t felt whilst watching one of these big-budget superhero films, especially from DC, in quite some time. James Gunn gives a humanity to Superman, that makes him feel like a pillar, a real-life figure that inspires hope. Gunn also knows how to have fun with his films. There’s humour, great action set-pieces and world-building that enables the franchise to move forward, without ever feeling bogged down by these details.

The cast here are also brilliant. David Corenswet hasn’t led a film before, so there were questions around his casting as Superman, as there is any time a relative unknown is cast as a major character, but thankfully, Correnswet does a brilliant job bringing both Superman and Clark Kent to life. He has a boyish charm, with innocence about him, that feels refreshing and exactly like Christopher Reeves. I also loved Rachel Brsnahan and Louis Lane. She was amazing here, bringing a sense of realism to the film whilst also providing a believability to the character. When she gets involved in the action you really do believe it. Nicholas Hoult also brings a fun new take to lex Luthor. He’s menacing, conniving and fun, all wrapped into one. Special shout out as well to the Justice Gang, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced and Edi Gathegi are all terrific and I can’t wait to see more of them in future DC projects.

James Gunn’s first entry in the new rebooted DC Cinematic Universe is off to a good start. Superman leans into the wackiness of the comics, having fun with the more fantastical elements. The cast are all great with Corenswet, Brosnahan and Hoult all doing a fantastic job. Like Gunn’s other films, the film doesn’t let the emotional weight of some of the films more poignant moments breathe, opting for humour over more dramatical heft. I would have liked a few more moments with Clark and Louis as well rather than Superman and Louis. But these are all minor gripes in a rather enjoyable, albeit light Superman flick. I have to admit though; it is nice to see Superman actively saving people rather than participating in the destruction. This is a must-own for film fans. Be sure to pick-up your copy from Sanity on DVD, Blu-Ray or 4K Ultra HD, you won’t want to miss it!

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Christopher Pattison from Oz-Movie Geek wrote this blog post for Sanity. See more from Chris here