Superman (2025) Review

[Note: Spoilers for Superman (2025) near the end of the review.]

Superman (2025) is a BIG summer blockbuster with BIG fights, even BIGGER foes, and attempts to tackle BIG ideas. The wheels on this vehicle don’t stop for the full two hours and nine minutes duration. While this makes Superman an incredible action romp for the whole family, it is a bit of a detriment to our cast of characters.

Superman’s primary focus is on the conflict between Superman (David Corenswet) and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) over the duration of three days. An opening text dump establishes that Kal-El/Clark Kent dawned the blue and red three years ago. Since then, Lex Luthor has studied Superman’s every fight to unleash a devious plan to kill The Big Blue Boy Scout.

Instead of crafting a familiar origin story, James Gunn treats Superman like our hero’s sophomore outing with all the bells and whistles of our hero already established to better service the break neck pace of the reboot as we journey from one action set piece to the next. It’s an exciting experience that enraptured me from the very first scene. Especially in a world where blockbuster filmmaking progresses in a fashion so linear that the audience never needs to trouble themselves with even basic set ups and pay offs. 

Scene to scene you see the evolution of Gunn’s craftsmanship as Superman navigates these various battles. From Guardians of the Galaxy to The Suicide Squad to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 it’s incredible to see how far Gunn has come as an action director. Looking back on Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 we can glimpse the type of action we would later see in Superman.

The entire cast of Superman deserves celebration, especially the core three. Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor is a dream come true. Hoult perfectly embodies everything that Superman isn’t as Luthor. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan are incredible for Clark Kent/Superman and Lois Lane. They have a chemistry that is sorely lacking from other on screen superhero couples. 

Unfortunately, Clark Kent and Lois Lane have very little romantic development throughout the duration of Superman. Early on conflict arises between the young couple. Lane can never quite turn off the reporter within herself and Kent is adverse to any sort of conflict. Can they navigate this relationship together? Can the couple overcome these flaws? Just as quickly as these arcs begin, they are cut off when Superman has a crisis of character. As a result, these conflicts are rendered null. Now the only question becomes how can he navigate this crisis and whether or not he will save the day.

What makes Superman such a compelling hero is never due to being laser focused on his heroic deeds, the characters that surround Clark Kent deepen who he is. This is why it’s important to make Lois Lane equally as important in any adaptation and why it’s such a shame that we see so little of their romantic tension.

Despite the film really emphasizing Superman over Clark Kent, it is able to weave together a tale worthy of being told. Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) join the ensemble who feature their own heroic arcs of their own as Superman and Lois Lane pursue Lex Luthor and foil his grander plans.

(If you haven’t seen Superman (2025) yet, stop reading here. I want to get into some of the finer points that enter spoiler territory. If you have even a fleeting interest I wholeheartedly recommend seeing the film in theaters now.)

(Spoilers from here on out!)

Superman’s crisis of character speaks to broader ideas which are executed brilliantly. Within Superman’s fortress is a message from his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El (Bradley Cooper) and Lara (Angela Sarafyan), he plays on repeat to soothe himself. Only a portion of the original message for the rest was damaged on his arrival to Earth. Eventually, Lex Luthor, Ultraman, and The Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) break in to uncover the damaged portion of the message with The Engineer’s nanites. Upon extraction, Luthor discovers that Jor-El and Lara chose this planet for Clark because they wanted him to rule over humanity for being “weak” and “simple”.

Superman believed that what drove him to be a good person and protector of Earth came from the first half of his parent’s message. When Luthor releases the second half to smear Superman, he has a crisis of character.

Within the last week or so, James Gunn has made comments on Superman being an immigrant story. Specifically by stating that “Superman is the story of America” and “mostly a story that says basic human kindness is a value and is something we have lost”. Indeed, Superman is an immigrant with no knowledge of his home planet other than half a message that inspires him to do good on this new world. In this new world, he was raised by the Kents who made him the man he is today. As an immigrant he is raised by the best of American culture and values. 

Yet, another half of the message from Jor-El and Lara exist, just as there are two sides to American culture and values. The second half of the Kryptonian message alludes to this idea that his parents wanted Superman to colonize Earth, which itself is a piece of American history as well. The message from Krypton isn’t too far off from the writings of Christopher Columbus when encountering the natives of the American continent. Essentially illustrating how the natives might be used to further the interests of the Spanish Empire. America has a dark history that is still embodied today. Within the context of Superman, Lex Luthor is this embodiment. Going so far as to embolden the fictional country of Boravia to colonize the fictional country of Jarhanpur under the guise of “liberating” Jarhanpur from their oppressive government. 

The message from Krypton represents what the best and worst of their culture might have looked like while the Kents and Lex Luthor represent the best and worst of American culture.

Superman’s crisis of character comes to a head when he comes face to face with the true identity of Ultraman, a clone of himself. A clone described by Luthor as “dumber” and “stronger”. One who has embodied the worst of what Luthor is and furthered his goals. Superman is face to face with a literal version of himself that represents what he could have been. Son of Kent versus Son of Lex Luthor. Superman no longer fears he is in danger of embracing the worst of Krypton or America, he realizes he already represents the best of both. 

In the end, when Superman is finally allowed to rest in his fortress, he sits within the home that his Kryptonian parents gave him while watching memories of his life with Ma and Pa Kent. Remembering the good that his parents did that afforded him the opportunity to lead him to being who he is today.

Perhaps I’m some sort of sucker who is too soft on any media that can make me teary eyed, but I loved Superman (2025).