Superman (2025) review

    SUPERMAN (2025) by James Gunn is a work that you certainly don’t need me to tell you to go see. Virtually the entire response to the movie has been nothing but positive and I’m not going to be a naysayer. After the controversial choices of Man of Steel, Batman vs. Superman, and Justice League, it’s interesting to see something go the other way to embrace goofy fun as an alternative.

    Of course, goofy fun is misleading because there’s a lot of darkness underscoring the wackiness in a way that James Gunn is a master of threading the needle for.mixing of both comedy as well as tragedy. This is something that I think will contribute to the longevity of this new incarnation of the DC Cinematic Universse as it is able to do incredibly dark stuff with Creature Commandos and Peacemaker but also moments of hilarity.

    The premise is that Superman has just lost his first battle fighting against Ultraman/The Hammer of Bulgravia after successfully preventing a war. James Gunn starts us in media res with the kind of comic book serialized storytelling that was the case when I was a child. Specifically, you picked up Amazing Spider-Man 203 and had to figure out what was going on as well as who was who. Superman has been a hero for three years at this point and it is a world full of superheroes.

    Basically, this movie is created with the explicit goal is making a world that can be built upon for future movies. We get seeds for the Green Lanterns, Supergirl, and possibly the Justice League as a whole. Characters like Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrific, and Hawkgirl not only make the world more lived in but they also answer an obvious question of: “what can threaten Superman?” In this universe, he might be the strongest superhuman but he’s not that by an overwhelming amount.

    The movie also jumps past the majority of typical drama with Superman’s supporting cast in a way that is very smart. Superman conceals his secret identity from the world as a whole but he doesn’t keep it a secret from Lois, Jimmy, or the Justice Gang. We also get a nod to the hilarious “Superman hypnosis glasses” that were a Silver Age explanation for why Superman couldn’t be recognized.

    The movie is surprisingly political but in a way that isn’t necessarily going to be noticed as such. The invasion of Borvaria, a United States ally, to a smaller “imperfect” country is something that occupies a lot of the movie’s conflict. Superman also has his immigrant status brought forward and his citizenship is revoked as an excuse by the government to imprison him without trial or rights. If you think this is against Superman’s values, well, you’re probably Dean Cain. I had a small issue with the handling of Jor-El and Lora-El but that’s mostly because I think it conflicted with the message.

    The handling of Lex Luthor is one of my favorite parts of the movie as they manage to elevate him to a malevolence that simultaneously feels believable but also grandiose. Ironically, this is the most human and least “savior”-like Superman but Lex Luthor does a good job as being a metaphor for Satan with his own underworld-esque Hell universe as well as an insane pride-driven motivation that will destroy the world if it means that Superman doesn’t get to save it. Given he’s a tech bro, that’s sadly also realistic.

    In conclusion, Superman (2025) is a fantastic movie and a great start off to the new DC cinematic universe. The movie “gets” Superman and the fact that it embraces its sillier side while also touching on darker themes (like Lex Luthor’s abuse of his girlfriends, threatening innocents, and the lack of respect for due process), makes it a Superman entry with something to say as well. I hate that the Engineer was used as a villain here but I think I’m probably like two or three who care about the character in the audience.