Superman (2025)

"People were going to die!"

This is a different kind of Superman movie. I spent the entire drive home trying to figure out how I felt about it, specifically if I could point out any negatives I had with the film. Besides a couple of minor quibbles, which I will talk about later, I couldn't think of anything bad to say. Just a whole lot of good.

As the first major entry in the new DCU steered by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy), it has his fingerprints all over it. That's not a bad thing. He clearly understands comic books in a way that I haven't really seen on film before. First and most importantly, this is a Superman film, he is the star, he is the central character, he has the most screen time and it is a near perfect Superman adaptation. Add to that David Corenswet's excellent performance, who manages to give Christopher Reeves a solid challenge as the best of the best, and the core of the film feels absolutely right. He gets Clark right too, but with limited screen time as Clark I didn't get the feeling that part of him was a priority.

This version of Superman isn't just a big dour hero who broods and looks good in the suit. He is more like a big guy from Kansas with superpowers. He is a symbol for good and hope who inspires almost everyone around him. He takes the time to save people, and tries not to cause excessive damage. His entire personality is to be a servant of the people, and it forms both the conflict of the narrative and his relationship with Lois. That struggle to be a good man in a world that doesn't always believe in him is at the heart of the film and David Corenswet is up for that task, giving us one of the more human versions of Superman. I also loved his chemistry with practically everyone he interacts with, especially Lois. Their energy as a couple practically crackles off the screen.

I had a lot of expectations for Rachel Brosnahan's take on Lois Lane, and I gotta say she is as good as I hoped she would be. After her turn as Mrs. Maisel you would be forgiven for expecting her to give that kind of performance. Yet as Lois, Rachel seems to inhabit the role effortlessly, acting as both a foil and a support for Clark and Superman, and tackling the underlying mystery of the story with tenacity and very Lois-like determination. She argues and snarks, and pushes at pieces set before her until they line up. She elevates and compliments David's performance as well as the rest of the supporting cast. I couldn't be happier with Rachel in the role, and I hope she eventually gets to don the S herself down the line (Lois has been Superwoman in the comics on more than one occasion).

Next is Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, who is again more like his animated or comic counterpart than anything we've seen in live action. He has a singular intensity and demeanor, almost literally chewing the scenery as this easy to watch presence. He isn't a frustrating villain like many can be; he is not funny or sympathetic. He is evil in a way that is easy to compare to real world individuals I will not name, leaning into his intelligence and charisma to carry him and gain a large base of loyalists whom he exploits. It is a nuanced and interesting character and performance, and a great new Lex Luthor for a new era.

The secondary cast were quite secondary but no less important, and there were a lot of them. The stand outs for me were María Gabriela de Faría as the Engineer, a powerful and oddly sympathetic presence as one of the central villains; Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, who was picture perfect as the biggest ass in the Green Lantern Corp; Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher, Lex's dutiful assistant who might be more than a pretty face; Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, who turned out to be a surprisingly competent and endearing version of the classic character; and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan Kent, who made the most of his limited screen time. They weren't the only good performances in the film by a long shot. I actually liked everyone, but they were the ones that lingered with me. These characters almost managed to steal each scene they were in, with Jimmy and Eve somehow being MVP characters.

However, the best secondary character is Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific. He has this great, almost snarky monotone line delivery dotted with dry humor. Coupled with the character's incredible abilities and heroic choices, it makes him not just a stand out character, but possibly one of the most important characters in the film. I'm also a fan of Edi and it is great to see him get a chance to shine. I hope he gets to come back as Mr. Terrific in a format that can explore this interesting and engaging character.

Of course I would be remiss not to talk about the biggest scene-stealer in the entire film: Krypto the dog. When I heard they were going to include Krypto in the movie, I actually groaned. The character has always felt like this artifact of an era of Superman where they were forcing the idea of a perfect family. Yet here, the dog is not only important but plot relevant, impactful and fun. There are moments where Krypto literally saves the day. Yet this isn't a Lassie; this is a problem dog, with all the best and worst qualities of a hyperactive puppy... that has superstrength and can fly.

All of that good character work is supported by a quick snappy pacing, perfunctory dialogue that feels like it was lifted right off the pages of a comic (in other words it fits very well with the style of the film), and special effects that never seem like they are taking away from the experience. It can be a bit overloaded, and some of the humor doesn't always land. This is not a funny film; it isn't even an MCU style quip-fest. For a packed film with a near constant state of forward momentum, it doesn't feel exhausting; there are several quiet moments interspersed between the action beats. But the action itself is creative and fun, and even takes its time on occasion to give the audience a sense of geography for fun or important dialogue.

Bits:

Years ago there was a fan casting for Nathan Fillion as a Green Lantern, just a different one. Here he is perfect as Guy Gardner who is kind of the last hero you want coming to save the day, but you'll take him if you have to.

Isabella Merced as Hawkgirl was perfectly fine, but didn't get a lot to do.

Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho was both an incredibly accurate page to screen adaptation and a fun character. He wasn't front and center, but I really liked him.

Ultraman and the Hammer of Boravia were more of a physical presence than important characters. Both had good screen presence and their individual scenes were important, but that's about all I could say without spoilers.

I liked the rest of the Daily Planet crew, but outside of Jimmy and Lois they didn't make a huge impact. Perry White may be the exception, but his screen time was very limited.

There were a couple of fun cameos, and one of them will likely be incredibly impactful down the line.

This was a great start to a new franchise that feels fresh and exciting. The world James Gunn has created feels faithful to the comics and almost pops off the screen with color and dimension. The world feels lived in and alive, with a rich history we have only just started to explore. I cannot wait to see where things go from here.

3 and a half out of 4 Shiny Flying Toys For Krypto

Samantha M. Quinn spends most of her time in front of a computer typing away at one thing or another; when she has free time, she enjoys pretty much anything science fiction or fantasy-related.

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