Superman (2025) - Review: A New Hope

 

In all the marketing leading up to the release of writer/director James Gunn’s (“Guardians of the Galaxy,” “The Suicide Squad”) “Superman” film, the first in a new cinematic universe for DC and Warner Bros., there has been heavy use of John Williams’s theme from the 1978 “Superman” film. While some could view this as a nostalgic ploy, in reality it seems to have been something much different. While nostalgia may be an element, it's clear that the use of that music was a sign more than anything; a signal that this new version of the Kryptonian and this latest film is far closer to Christopher Reeves’s first adventure in red and blue spandex than we could have thought.

Set three decades after the destruction of Krypton and his arrival on Earth, the film follows the titular Superman, played by David Corenswet (“Pearl,” “The Politician”), as he attempts to balance his desire to help humanity with increasing efforts from Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult (“Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Nosferatu”), to turn public opinion against him. Meanwhile, he attempts to keep his relationships with fellow Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane, played by Rachel Brosnan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “I’m Your Woman”), photographer Jimmy Olsen, played by Skyler Gisondo (“Licorice Pizza,” “Booksmart”), and the budding Justice Gang made up of Green Lantern corps member Guy Gardner, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific, played by Nathan Fillion (“Firefly,” “The Rookie”), Isabela Merced (“Instant Family,” “Dora and the Lost City of Gold”), and Edi Gathegi (“X-Men: First Class,” “The Harder They Fall”), respectively. Oh, and also there’s Supe’s beloved mangy superpowered dog, Krypto.

Gunn’s vision of this new universe is immediately refreshing for numerous reasons, but the best of them is the immediacy. He understands that we know who Clark, Lex, Lois, and the rest of the gang are. We don’t need to see the death of Krypton all over again, and it means that the film we get has a greater sense of momentum right away. We can just jump straight into a tale virtually while its being told, and it makes for a more interesting story as a result. We’re forced to piece together the reality of these characters and their world, allowing us to engage with the material more easily. It also means that, put simply, Gunn can use some of the more fun elements of this world and these characters that require those built out relationships from the start.

Corenswet simply fades into the role, keeping the bright, cheery persona of the son of Krypton present, but allowing a more frustrated and emotional side to shine through. He’s a delight, and there’s a physicality and expressiveness in the action sequences that feel particularly bright as well. He has an almost cartoonish ability to seem like an impenetrable wall while also maintaining a lightness that makes you believe he cares enough to prevent a stray dog from being crushed by a building. His chemistry with Brosnan is excellent as well, and a scene between the pair of them involving an impromptu interview is one of the best in the entire film. Brosnan’s charm and attitude makes her Lois a fantastic one, and she slots right into a modern-day version of the character without losing any of her 60s go-getter charm.

The Justice Gang are an excellent bunch of cohorts to play off of Superman, given their markedly different position compared to him, and the trio of actors are excellent portrayals of them. Fillion and Merced are great, so much so that it’s disappointing they aren’t used more than they are. Gathegi completely steals the show as Mr. Terrific, full of quips and brutal smarts that means he continues Gunn’s streak of turning lesser known characters into fan favorites. Like Gathegi, Hoult is an absolute scene stealer and arguably the highlight of a film full of highlights. He makes Lex a refreshingly simply villain, someone you love to hate and who hates just because he can. There’s clearly a complexity under the surface, but he relishes playing him as a cut and dry villain with glee.

Despite having plenty going on and a game cast here to do it all, the biggest weakness of Gunn’s film is just having so much going on. It isn’t that it all feels overstuffed, as the runtime and pacing are remarkably smooth for a modern blockbuster. Rather Gunn has written himself a double-edged sword: his characters are written in such a charming way that the handful that don’t get as much screen time sting more. You want to spend more time with them simply because they come off so well. It’s not hard to see a version of the film with an extra half-hour added on simply to spend more time with Gisondo, Merced, Fillion, or other characters like Pruitt Taylor Vince (“Lady in the Lake,” “Gotti”) and Neva Howell (“Ghosts of the Ozark”) as Ma and Pa Kent, respectively, Wendell Pierce (“The Wire,” “Selma”) as Daily Planet editor Perry White, or Sara Sampaio as surprise comedic standout Eve Teschmacher, the on-and-off girlfriend of Lex Luthor.

Those characters don’t feel as though they’ve been given less time as an excuse for future installments however. Gunn’s script keeps making sure everyone ties back around to Superman’s own arc. It all comes back to Supes, and it's a remarkably focused film in that way. However, that doesn’t mean things don’t get to be just as rollicking and fun as an episode of the titular hero’s early-2000s animated television series. The gorgeous locals pop with candy-colored glee, and nothing feels drab. It’s colorful without being garish, and the entire film is lit with almost hyper realism. It feels like a living comic book in the best possible way, shot with varying calmness and excited glee by cinematographer Henry Braham (“The Suicide Squad,” “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”). Even the action sequences seem to be ripped straight from the thin pages of a monthly serial, with an elasticity and buoyancy that’s fitting of the superhuman nature of its lead. All the while, John Murphy (“28 Days Later,” “The Suicide Squad”) and David Fleming’s (“The Last of Us (2023),” “Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2024)”) score rocks along with equal parts emotional strings and shredding guitars.

What’s most interesting is that, in a Hollywood film which is meant to be the launching point of a brand-new cinematic universe, with hundreds of millions of marketing dollars pumped into it, and utilizing one of the most recognizable characters in media history, Gunn has somehow gotten away with making an exceptionally politically minded film. Plain and simple, there are pertent themes and identifiers that make this a Superman film for this exact moment, and it doesn’t appear that any of this was reined in by executives. It becomes a refreshingly honest piece of media and makes those themes stick even more than they would if Gunn had decided to dance around it all. He seems to remember that, regardless of whether the viewer is a child or an adult, the audience doesn’t like being talked down to and can recognize themes like this if they’re handled correctly. The material doesn’t dampen the morals or empathy or hope that sits at the core of the film or Superman’s character either. Rather it enhances it and makes it that much stronger, like a sweet piece of candy at the end of a long and savory meal.

Those added themes and effort to make it more than just surface level heroism speak to the extra effort Gunn puts into his projects that makes them that much better. It isn’t just that Clark and Lois’s romance is present; it's that it feels romantic and real. It isn’t just that Superman has that sense of duty and hope; it’s that it feels earnest and real. It can be easy to throw these characters on screen and call it a day, for someone to say, “I put a man in red and blue spandex and made him fly, isn’t that enough?” And for a cursory glance with half attention paid on a cable channel on a Tuesday evening, maybe that is enough. But Gunn knows that to most, these characters are real. Putting that effort in, even if the film as a result might feel like it's bursting at the seams, is the right thing to do. It feels real.

There’s a phrase that’s come about recently to describe a subgenre of media that, while it’s always existed, has become more prevalent in recent years. “Hopepunk” has been used to describe works as recent as “Free Guy,” “Wall-E,” “Mad Max: Fury Road,” and “Isle of Dogs” and as timeless as “The Lord of the Rings” and “Star Wars.” The idea that, against radical violence and hate, sometimes hope is the punk rock response. James Gunn’s “Superman is, if nothing else, the perfect embodiment of this. It doesn’t wear its heart on its sleeve so much as it has armor made of it. The film’s central message of hope and empathy beats true throughout a fun and fantastic adventure that keeps things just campy enough without sacrificing any sense of self-seriousness. Corenswet is a perfect Clark and a better Superman, and Gunn’s entire ensemble is electric. The script is packed tight with nuance and timely themes that nevertheless feel right out of the golden age of Superman’s best comic book years. There’s a lot here, maybe too much, but it's clear that every character, moment, and fight are there for one reason: to further Superman’s arc and journey. You will believe a man can fly. 5/5