James Gunn’s superman is a barmy boisterous romp of an introduction to this latest iteration of the DC universe. It’s fantastical, larger than life, and as lofty as they come. It’s also confident in its existence, unafraid to be weird, noisy and packed full of imaginative concepts.
Such confidence is also very much visible in the film’s decision not to dive into its own origins. There’s echoes of Marvel Studio’s and Sony Pictures’ 2017 Spider-Man: Homecoming in here; another feature that was calm in the knowledge that its audience were already familiar with the main character’s roots long before the feature entered into production.
2025’s Superman is no different in this respect. Gunn is certain that everyone who has bought tickets to this feature is more than aware of the significant plot beats which lead Clark Kent don the blue and red tights. The director himself even went on record to confirm as much, stating in an interview with The Times that he had no desire to retell this story from day one;
“I don’t need to see pearls in a back alley when Batman’s parents are killed, I don’t need to see the radioactive spider biting Spider-Man. And I don’t need to see baby Kal (Superman) coming from Krypton in a little baby rocket.”
Opting to jettison the Krypton prelude and the standard Smallville opening act allows Superman to crack on with the story Gunn intends to tell; diving headfirst into Clark Kent’s faceoff with Lex Luthor and fellow foes. By the time we as a viewer have entered this story, it’s already well and truly in motion. This results in a thrilling, albeit chaotic entry into this new iteration of the Man of Steel.
The opening of this movie is the equivalent to waking up in the midst of a rollercoaster ride. A handful of paragraphs of text get us quickly up to speed with the very basics of the plot. In this universe, gods and aliens exist. Humanity are very much aware of this. Superman has been active for three years by this point. He’s just stopped a war between two fictional nations. He’s also just got his butt kicked. The text has barely faded from the screen before Superman’s battered body is catapulted to the ground.
From this moment on, we’re thrust headfirst into the story. Battles with mech men, a fire breathing Kaiju, and nano-wielding meta humans floods the screen. This isn’t the nuanced, semi sci-fi adaptations of the Nolan years. This is high-fantasy DC; one where the impossible becomes possible.
The speed with which Superman throws us into the action has a logic to it. To start small, only to go big and ridiculous by the end risks compromising audience suspension of disbelief. It’s vital for a film to layout the groundwork for its fictional rules early in the plot so people buy into it. If you focus the first 30 minutes of a single Kryptonian alien, then a single Kryptonian alien is what viewers will come to expect. If you start throwing giant fire breathing reptiles and robots into the mix after that opening act, it runs the risk of feeling like it belongs in the wrong movie. Gunn is eager for us to buy into this heightened universe, so he throws all its entire fictional toolbox at us before we’ve even had chance to tuck into our popcorn. That way, we can’t complain when things get truly bizarre during the back half of the movie.
Adopting such a method does come with its drawbacks, however. The main one being that opening in the middle of a Superman story before the feature’s opening logo has had chance to grace the screen is the equivalent of having cold water splashed across our faces. The senses are overwhelmed with super-dogs, robot servants and mech villains. It’s a lot to take in. It’s a lot to keep up with.
The opening segment of the film is exhausting. A climatic battle sequence that makes one wonder whether it has overwhelmed us before the feature has even had time to wow us. Like a flash grenade that risks blinding us to the pending firework display. Fortunately, the film manages to climb back from this. As the runtime progresses, it becomes all too easy to buy into this world. It’s weird and bloated, but there’s a likeability to it. All the nonsense seems to make sense. There’s a cohesive glue that holds all the concepts together. Somehow, Gunn’s world doesn’t collapse under the weight of its own fictional baggage. The whiplash pays off, as it does indeed numb us into belief. This is a world of god and monsters. It works, and it’s fun.
Confidence aside, perhaps another reason this works so well is the characters at the heart of this story. Gunn has always been great at tapping into the heart of his lead characters, no matter how daft or zany his stories become. After all, this is the man who managed to make us cry over an anthropomorphic racoon and a sentient tree. He’s a master at garnering empathy.
Superman is no exception. The foundations of Lois and Clark’s relationship feels authentic and real. Every scene they share together is dynamite. There’s one scene in particular, in which Lois interviews Clark/Superman, that makes for exhilarating viewing. Clark attempts to maintain his Superhero persona for the sake of the interview, only for his inner emotion to bleed out and send the whole exchange descending into freefall. It makes for engaging and emotional viewing. It’s a flawless example of exposition presented to us in the form of engaging drama.
Ma and Pa Kent in this film are equally as beautiful. What’s so endearing about them is how utterly normal they are in their depiction. There is nothing romanticised or cinematic about them. They are a sweet, unremarkable mother and father duo who like to face time their son and give one another cute nicknames. Their very presence in this movie was enough to fill me with a flood of emotions; seeing my own, very real parents reflected back at me. They are so normal, so real, and so utterly human.
The core cast of characters is the best part about this movie. It’s just a shame their screentime is often overshadowed by the noise. I say this because as much fun as the bombast in this movie is, there are occasions in which the sheer volume of stuff going on in Superman drowns out the more poignant moments that make this feature so special. Lois, Clark and Ma & Pa Kent shine bright whenever they are on screen together. I just wish we got more of them.
I appreciate this to be a difficult task, what with the mission statement of this movie. Gunn is trying to get audiences to buy into this universe he’s intend on building. While this works as a standalone movie, it has also assigned itself the task of kickstarting an entire universe. The very fact that he manages to introduce so many characters and story elements without it compromising the general flow of the film is incredibly impressive. It’s an achievement that he manages to establish so much in such a cohesive and sellable manner. Yet there are areas that suffer and get pushed to the sidelines as a result; the lack of character moments being amongst those things.
None of which is to say the character moments don’t work. In fact, the total opposite is the case. This is a film packed with terrific characters and even more terrific performances. They shine brightly amidst the commotion, helping to anchor us into this far-fetched universe.
David Corenswet is excellent as Clark Kent/Superman. His approach to the character is to play him as a naïve yet kindhearted soul. He’s far from perfect, expressing frustration, confusion and even fury throughout. This is a Superman whose ideal persona often slips when push comes to shove. He throws tantrums, and gets upset when his morals are challenged. He just wants to save everyone, regardless of the consequences. The moral and political red tape that complicates something he considers to be such a simple values sends him into a state. Corenswet masterfully translates what could have quite easily been portrayed as a one-dimensional perfection into admirable character flaw. His version of Superman is wholesome, child-like god who just wants to be kind; and cannot understand why others fail to understand such a premise.
The antithesis to Corenswet’s puppy-like demi-god is Nicholas Hault’s Lex Luthor; a performance which masters the art of unlikability. This interpretation of Luthor is as clear cut as can be in its disdain for the character. He is a petty, twisted mollusk of a man who has a single-minded drive to psychologically torment Superman. Gunn and Hoult do a good job in channeling real-world toxic tech moguls through the character. There’s whispers of Bezos and Musk throughout this performance; emphasizing the film’s messages concerning the best and worst of humanity. While Kent represents the average folk on the street who dreams of a kinder world, Luthor stands in for the more corrupt members of our species who exploit and torment for their own gain.
Hoult delivers a delicious performance, inviting us to take pleasure in loathing his role. Nevertheless, there is a limitation to this depiction; he is considerably two-dimensional. There is no substance behind this Luthor’s eyes. His drive to torment Superman has no depth. We get no hint into his past, or what shaped him into the man he is. He’s petty and cruel because the story expects him to be. While there is nothing wrong with such villains, it does make it difficult to see him as anything but a generic baddie.
He’s not the only villain to lack a backstory or clear motive, of course. Heck, even the most successful DC villain in recent memory was cut from a similar cloth. After all, Heath Ledger’s Joker didn’t have a backstory propping up his greatness. Part of what made that character so interesting was his sudden and seemingly illogical insertion into the narrative at the opening to the Dark Knight. He was a trickster that caused chaos for 152 minutes, then vanished.
Yet Hoult’s Luthor doesn’t quite hold the same catalytic anarchy of Ledger’s Joker. Sure, Luthor is a lot of fun, but that’s about as far as it goes. He’s more aching to that of Billy Zane’s Cal from 1997’s Titanic; a mustache-twirling villain who is simplistic-yet-entertaining. He’s the fast food of bad guys; palatable, yet lacks nourishment.
Above all, Superman is a loud, proud and confident movie. It trusts its audience enough to skip the introductions and throw them headfirst into madness. It’s a weird film crammed with action, fantastical concepts and larger-than-life characters. Under the watch of a lesser director, this could have quite easily descended into a hot emotionless mess. Fortunately, Gunn manages to make it work for the most part. It’s a sweet, quirky movie with a heart of gold. It’s a film that celebrates the highs of humanity with a roster of characters who keep us invested throughout. While the folly occasionally overwhelms and detracts from it’s beauty, the final product is as poignant as it is entertaining.
Will this unite the entire DC fanbase? Highly unlikely. Those with an exclusive taste for the more pragmatic and broody iterations of these characters may struggle to buy into this one. Similarly, avid fans of the Snyderverse might find it difficult reacclimatising to this new version of the character. For those with a fondness for comic book adaptations that are fantastical and high-concept by design, then James Gunn’s Superman is a must. A movie that acts as an effective standalone, all whilst setting the stage for a new era of DC movies.
Amber Poppitt 
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