Superman
Superman
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.
Alex | Pop Culture Brain reviewedJuly 11, 2025
You hear that sound? It's millions of movie fans and hundreds of studio employees unclenching their butts. I saw Superman, so here's the good and the bad without spoilers. Look, this movie should not work. It's aggressively all over the place, and yet James Gunn has actually done it. He's saved the future of superhero movies. How did he do this?
By kickstarting his DC universe with a wildly entertaining Superman movie that balances the new with the familiar. And what I'm most thankful for is that he didn't insult the audience's intelligence. Gunn dropped us square into this new DC universe en media res, with everything already happening. And then he threw the kitchen sink at us. Dozens of characters, histories, locations, relationships.
And he was just like “Strap in! You'll get it.” And the magic trick of the movie is that we do. With heart and humor, Gunn has invited us into his playground, and it’s as off center and quirky as you'd expect from him. Like this movie has genuine body horror throughout, but it's still relevant and evocative of Superman's grandiose canon.
I'm just really impressed he was able to marry these two tones. It's new and old, broad but specific, grounded but funny. Its central messages of doing good, being kind, and helping the disenfranchized are spot on. The villains are disturbing and compelling. Nicholas Hoult is so good as Lex Luthor. The supporting cast and many characters are defined, not just plot devices.
Oh, and did I mention Krypto, the very good boy? There's great use of the classic Superman theme, plus Gunn’s signature needle drops, and his action sequences are as thrilling and as well staged as ever. Plus, the CGI looks pretty good.
As for the movie's flaws, the plot is kind of rickety. Some of the techie sci fi nonsense in the script felt a little muddled. And like I said, there's a lot going on here, which worked for me, but I could see it frustrating others.
The bottom line, though this is a good time at the movies that actually gives me hope for the superhero genre.