Similar to fellow DC Comic mainstay Batman, the character of Superman has had his share of big screen iterations (one could argue too many at this point) over the years, with no less than four different actors across as many intended franchises; disregarding the Superman serial series of the late 1940s and early 1950s with Kirk Alyn in the role, George Reeves originated the character on screen in Superman and the Mole Men (1951), followed by Christopher Reeve in the four-strong film series (1978-1987), Brandon Routh in the non-starter Superman Returns (2006), before Henry Cavill’s mixed bag of fabric as the Man of Steel across his solo feature and the much maligned Justice League outings (2013-2017).
Take into account animated series, Lego film appearances, the infamous Nicolas Cage vehicle that never was, and such television productions as Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993), Smallville (2001), and Superman & Lois (2021), and we’ve looked up to the sky to not a bird and not a plane for almost 8 decades now. Begging the question whether or not another film about the Man of Tomorrow was absolutely necessary.
Necessary? Perhaps not. But in the hands of James Gunn (who is no stranger to making magic in the comic book genre across both Marvel with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy and the previous DC umbrella with The Suicide Squad), the flying boy wonder is the most earnest and likeable he’s been on screen in a great while. Yes, it would appear that Superman is truly super, man, and with Gunn and DC familiar Peter Safran (Aquaman, Shazam!) now spearheading the DC Universe – something of a soft reboot of the DC Extended Universe (home to the aforementioned Cavill, as well as such embodiments as Ben Affleck’s Batman, Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman and Jason Momoa’s Aquaman) – Superman‘s handling was always more than just proving its worth as a standalone film, but the start of a connected series.
Clearly aware that audiences don’t need another origin story, Gunn’s script wisely catches up to speed with some screen scroll exposition about what brought Superman to Earth some 30-years ago, and that, for the first time in his years as Earth’s protector, he’s lost a significant fight in a raging war. David Corenswet effortlessly fills the shoes of the big blue boy scout, injecting an “Aww, shucks”-like kindness into the character that we’ve seldom seen on screen. A blend of Christopher Reeve’s calm nature and specific posture with Henry Cavill’s classically handsome features, Corenswet proves charmingly vulnerable throughout, which allows both his Superman and his Clark Kent to appear as two separate entities; if there’s immediate criticism to be aimed here, it’s that Corenswet as Kent isn’t given as much time to shine.
Gunn’s penchant for leaning into the material’s quirkiness and theatrical comic book nature is there from the near-get go, with Superman calling on his super-powered canine, Krypto, to take him home to safety so he can rehabilitate and return to Earth; home being a hidden, icy lair – the Fortress of Solitude – where a collective of emotion-less robots (voiced by Gunn regulars Alan Tudyk, Michael Rooker, Pom Klementieff and Jennifer Holland) operate on him and power-charge him with direct sunlight. The raging war on Earth is, naturally, being manipulated by the reckless, power-hungry Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who has bided his time by studying Superman so innately that he can credibly fight him; “Brains over brawn”, as he so maniacally reminds the fallen superhero.
Luthor already having his end goal in sight means there’s a legitimate terror to how he operates, and Hoult – who allegedly took inspiration from both Michael Rosenbaum’s portrayal in Smallville and visionary billionaire Steve Jobs – throws himself wholeheartedly into the melodrama of it all. There are some truly silly visuals across Superman‘s 129 minutes, as well as a share of exposition-heavy dialogue, but everyone is so game for the cartoonishness of it all, especially Hoult, who’s all too aware what is required of such an assignment as “comic book villain.” The lack of grit may disappoint some audiences who have come to expect a more adult-aimed approach to such material, but Gunn, fittingly, complements Superman’s good nature with a film that’s colourful, inclusive, and just a wee bit goofy.
That being said, there are some moments that lean into a more mature darkness throughout (Luthor literally takes no prisoners during a round of Russian Roulette), and some of the thematics Gunn touches on regarding war and the dangers of people in positional power feel a bit more grown up than what the hoards of youngens attending may be prepared for, but it’s never enough to detract from the overall fun of what the director is aiming for. And what he’s aiming for is to clearly set up a pre-planned narrative of sorts that extends beyond Superman, with the Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion and his wonderful bowl but), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi, a standout) all swanning in and out of the film as the tentatively named “Justice Gang”, whilst a chaotic cameo from Supergirl (Milly Alcock) clues us in on the Super family dynamic; Gunn has already confirmed that the Supergirl standalone feature will be the next in this first block of DC properties, dubbed “Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.”
It does have a slight air of “too many cooks” in this first kitchen – something that plagued the original DCEU line-up, with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice feeling like it rushed to introduce the Justice League before they had time to properly ruminate – and, despite assembling a fun crew of Daily Planet alum to offset the metahumans, Gunn never really gives many of his supporting players much thought until they’re somewhat needed; a real shame when Wendell Pierce, Beck Bennett and Mikaela Hoover are all giving enjoyable, occasionally campy performances as, respectively, Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, reporter Steve Lombard and columnist Cat Grant. The human it does give its flowers to – and rightfully so – is Lois Lane, with Rachel Brosnahan‘s interpretation giving the character a feistier, more collaborative edge that wasn’t always afforded to her in other writings. Her chemistry with Corenswet is organic and infectious, and the film allowing the two to bounce off each other as both journalists fighting their instincts and a couple working out their differences is a real treat to view; again, something the film needed more of.
With “superhero fatigue” constantly being thrown around in this current climate of comic book-themed movies and the pressure placed on them to perform well in a bid to justify their oft-hefty price tags, Superman, as a film, has, unfortunately, more to prove than merely being both an enjoyable product and a worthy start to a new franchise-in-waiting. It is both of those things, and it would be a shame if it didn’t get the chance to continue on, given the exciting assortment of character creations Gunn has already cooked up for this rebooting. It’s wholesome and frivolous (which is exactly what a movie about a grown man who wears underwear on the outside of his attire should be), and the type of heroic, good-for-the-sake-of-being-good representation we need right now.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Superman is screening in Australian theatres from July 10th, 2025, before opening in the United States on July 11th.
