James Gunn’s Superman (2025) boldly reinvents the iconic hero for a world weary of darker superhero fare, delivering the most emotionally resonant and thematically mature portrait of Superman in years. Departing from origin retelling, the film thrusts audiences into a universe where Superman’s presence is already established, grappling with profound moral, political, and philosophical challenges rather than mere physical foes.
David Corenswet’s portrayal of Clark Kent stands out as a soulful and relatable Superman, evoking the kindness and earnestness of a farm-raised boy with godlike powers, a performance that some critics hail as the best since Christopher Reeve. Unlike Henry Cavill’s incarnation, Corenswet’s Superman is charming yet vulnerable, experiencing setbacks and resilience that humanize him deeply. Throughout the film, he repeatedly faces defeat but unyieldingly rises, underscoring a persistent hope and joy that resonates strongly amid contemporary chaos.
James Gunn smartly eschews the typical hero’s origin story, instead starting the narrative midway—Superman has just suffered a major defeat and is under assault by Lex Luthor, portrayed by Nicholas Hoult, who wields misinformation and massive weapons in a campaign to discredit and emasculate the hero. This approach injects immediacy and freshness, appealing to fans fatigued by prior darker interpretations in the “Snyderverse” and offers a relaunch of the DC Universe with sharper focus and leaner pacing.
Thematically, the film grapples with modern issues such as media weaponization, public trust, social media misinformation, and geopolitical dilemmas posed by metahumans, intertwining sharp, timely commentary without feeling preachy. However, some reviewers consider Gunn’s ambitious inclusion of eccentric sci-fi elements—clones, dimensional imps, a kaiju rampaging in Metropolis, and alternate universes—overstuffed and frenetic, resulting in a movie that races through its ideas too quickly for them to fully land emotionally. The visual effects sometimes evoke a video game-like quality that detracts from the gravity of key moments, even with John Williams' iconic score lending familiarity.
Despite its flaws, including an abundance of characters that disrupt narrative cohesion and moments that depart from the traditional heroic tone (such as the appearance of Superman’s dog Krypto), the film ultimately feels fun and fresh with a modern edge. The chemistry between Corenswet’s Superman and Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane provides necessary warmth, although parts of the ending reportedly feel tacked on to soften the film’s more unconventional turns.
In sum, Superman (2025) offers a hopeful, emotionally grounded hero for the present age—a man who happens to be a god, rather than a god who overlooks his humanity. While it occasionally stumbles under the weight of its ambitious scope, it marks a significant and welcome reboot for DC’s beloved icon and sets a new tone for the franchise’s future. |