Review of Superman (2025) by James Gunn
Superman is back! Zack Snyder is a nice and muscular guy, but James Gunn gets him down to his fundamentals
Do you remember when you saw Man of Steel (2013) and Superman (Henry Cavill) was forced to murder Zod at the end of the movie in a Metropolis fight that killed millions before that moment?
Well, I don't. I had to give up on the film when Pa Kent got sucked into a hurricane in front of his super powered son. That was almost enough to make me want to give up on DC superhero movies. Once I was forced to see Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I completely quit watching DC superhero movies, including Justice League and the 4-hour Justice League Snyder Cut. I loved 300, though, Zack Snyder!
James Gunn's Superman (2025) is a different beast altogether. It feels more Superman than the older Superman by holding onto some of the goofy. In this film, Superman has been out and about in "a world of gods and monsters" for three years. All the ladies love Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) are the Justice Gang "not our name," and Krypto the Superdog is already causing problems. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is... Lex Luthor. He's super duper Lex Luthor.
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The fun part about a character from 1938 is that nobody needs the origin story. Superman is always on TV. The cartoons and live shows haven’t stopped in a generation. Kids love Superman, and they don't need comics to prove it. Everybody knows where Supes is from, though the reason why he's on Earth changes in every iteration. The thing that doesn't change is Superman's rocket crash landing in Kansas to be taken care of by Ma and Pa Kent on their farm. Superman or Clark Kent's got them strong midwestern values. That's why Superman has always been devoted to fighting for the little guy. Superman isn't the type to take over the world. He just wants every person to live in peace. I wish the rest of us humans thought that way.
WHAT'S SUPERMAN (2025) ABOUT?
That's easy... It's about Superman!
He's got Krypto. He's got the Fortress of Solitude. He's already dating Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and working at the Daily Planet as a journalist who is extremely good at interviewing Superman (wink wink). Clark Kent and his midwestern charm have it going on. Superman, on the other hand, lost his first fight in three years. That might be one of the best parts of this movie. Superman is SUPER, but not quite that super. Superman needs help, and for me, that's what makes this movie win.
Superman loses often in this film. He loses in ways that affect him the most. His reputation, his ancestry, and his body are all at risk. That does not get in the way of him doing the most Superman thing of all... saving the beings of Metropolis from everything, including giant monsters and falling buildings. Sometimes Superman even stops wars, though that's not always the best idea.
SHOULD I SEE SUPERMAN (2025)?
Golly, I assume you've seen it already. If you haven't yet, go see this film ASAP. This new Superman is interesting, fun, and... pure. James Gunn, the director of all three Guardians of the Galaxy movies, is a master of taking a down-and-out character and breathing new life into them. He did it with Starlord, he helped with Harley Quinn (The Suicide Squad, the second film), and he's doing it again with Superman.
Zack Snyder's version of the character was hard to get behind. Despite the wealth of Superman television shows, the movie version is the one people wanted to improve the most. Many people love the previous rendition and enjoy the added violence. That's why Warner Bros. put the DC characters in Mortal Kombat games. Some people get off on fatalities.
Superman (2025) made me tear up a bit by the end. I'll let you guess which scene. I love that Guy Gardner is an asshole in the movie. I love that Mr. Terrific made it to this movie at all. Hawkgirl is my cartoon girlfriend, so it's always nice to see every version of her I can. This movie feels more "Superman" to the point where I expect to see people in the future fighting over whether Christopher Reeve or David Corenswet is the best Superman actor. People loooove fighting about superheroes fighting on the internet. I always say the writer of the story decides, but then they all start yelling at me.
So... I don't like giving out scores for movies, but Superman (2025) gets a 9 out of 10 from The Dynamoverse. I'd give it a higher score, but I'm too woke and DEI for all the principal characters to be so white. Regardless, James Gunn is a genius director, and we're lucky to be around to see this Tromaville alum's work at re-arranging the DCEU
Get up and get to a theater to see Superman (2025).
You, too, will believe a man can fly… or not. It’s your money.
Also, superhero fatigue is a myth!