The DCU takes flight, and it’s more than worth looking up.
After years of darker, more cynical takes on the superhero genre, James Gunn’s Superman arrives like a breath of fresh air—or perhaps more accurately, like the whoosh of a red cape cutting through clouds at impossible speeds. This isn’t just another superhero movie; it’s a love letter to everything that made Superman the template for heroism itself, wrapped in the kind of crowd-pleasing spectacle that reminds you why you fell in love with comic book movies in the first place.
A Hero Who Remembers How to Hope
Superman has always been pop culture’s most enduring symbol of truth, justice, and unwavering optimism—concepts that can feel almost quaint in our complicated modern world. Rather than shy away from these seemingly old-fashioned ideals, Gunn doubles down on them with the confidence of a director who understands that sometimes the world needs reminding that heroes can be genuinely good people who do the right thing because it’s the right thing to do.
David Corenswet doesn’t just wear the cape; he becomes Superman in a way that feels both fresh and timelessly familiar. His Clark Kent is endearingly dorky, letting slip “good gosh” and “what the hey” instead of harsher language, while his Superman radiates the kind of confident swagger that comes from knowing exactly who you are and what you stand for. The brilliance of Corenswet’s performance lies in how seamlessly he blends these personas—this isn’t the bumbling Clark/confident Superman divide of previous iterations, but a more integrated character who wears his Kansas upbringing on his sleeve whether he’s in a suit or a cape.
Smart Storytelling That Trusts Its Audience
One of Superman’s greatest strengths is how it respects both comic book history and audience intelligence. Instead of belaboring origin stories we’ve seen countless times, Gunn drops us directly into a world where Superman has already been operating for months. Lex Luthor has been studying him, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) already knows his secret identity, and the existence of metahumans is simply accepted reality.
This approach allows the film to focus on what really matters: character relationships and moral complexity. The early scene where Superman grants Lois an interview quickly evolves into a verbal sparring match that perfectly establishes both their romantic chemistry and the philosophical tensions that make their relationship compelling. When Clark insists he had no choice but to intervene in a foreign conflict, Lois challenges him on the real-world implications of his actions—and the film doesn’t offer easy answers.
The Joy of Krypto (and Other Perfect Touches)
Let’s be honest: giving Superman a super-dog could have been a disaster. Instead, Krypto becomes one of the film’s greatest assets, providing both comic relief and emotional depth. Watching this interstellar rescue trash the Fortress of Solitude is hilarious, but Gunn uses the dog’s raw, unfocused power as a mirror for Clark’s own struggle with responsibility and restraint. It’s the kind of smart, layered storytelling that elevates what could have been a simple crowd-pleaser into something more substantial.
The film’s smaller moments are equally well-crafted. Superman suggesting breathing exercises to a panicked civilian, remembering a street vendor’s name, even saving a squirrel—these brief interactions paint a portrait of a hero who genuinely cares about every life he touches. These scenes last mere seconds but carry enormous emotional weight, grounding the cosmic stakes in human-scale compassion.
A Villain Worth the Hero
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor strikes the perfect balance between genius and pathetic obsession. His Lex is simultaneously impressive and deeply insecure, a billionaire inventor who can’t understand why his achievements don’t earn him the same adoration that Superman receives simply for existing. Hoult brings excellent comedic timing to the role, punctuating his character’s tantrums with petty jabs that are funny only to himself (and to us), while never losing sight of the genuine threat he represents.
The jealousy driving Luthor feels authentic and dangerous—this isn’t a villain seeking world domination for its own sake, but a man whose ego simply cannot accept that someone else might be better, more beloved, or more important than he is. It’s a very human motivation that makes his increasingly desperate schemes feel both logical and terrifying.
Building a Universe Without Losing Focus
Superman faces the enormous challenge of launching an entire cinematic universe while still telling a complete, satisfying story. Gunn navigates this brilliantly by introducing characters like Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) without feeling obligated to give each one a full backstory. They exist naturally in this world, contributing to action sequences and adding visual variety without pulling focus from the central Superman-versus-Lex conflict.
This restraint—learned from Gunn’s experience with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy—allows the film to feel both epic in scope and intimate in character development. The supporting heroes bring their own unique abilities to the spectacular action sequences, ensuring that even with Superman’s incredible power set, the fights never feel repetitive or visually stale.
Action That Serves Character
The film’s action sequences are masterfully crafted, using dynamic camera work that follows Superman’s perspective as he races through the air and crashes through buildings. But what makes these scenes truly effective is how they serve the character development. When Superman gets his ass kicked by a dog in the opening scene, it’s not just funny—it’s a reminder that for all his power, he’s still figuring things out.
Gunn wisely puts Superman through genuine physical and emotional trauma throughout the film, understanding that invincibility doesn’t mean invulnerability. The secret to challenging Superman isn’t finding something strong enough to hurt him—it’s attacking his heart, forcing him to make impossible choices between competing moral imperatives.
A Score That Soars
John Murphy and David Fleming’s score deserves special recognition for how it honors John Williams’ iconic themes while establishing its own identity. The guitar-heavy compositions give the action sequences weight and the emotional moments genuine power. Like the film itself, the music trusts that audiences will recognize the familiar elements while being excited by new interpretations.
Minor Turbulence
If there’s a weakness to Superman, it’s that the film occasionally becomes too dense for its own good. The global political subplot involving the fictional nations of Boravia and Jarhanpur can be difficult to follow, particularly when the Daily Planet staff’s rapid-fire exposition sometimes obscures rather than clarifies the stakes. Some viewers might find the sheer volume of characters and plot threads overwhelming, though this feels more like growing pains than fundamental flaws.
The Hero We Need Right Now
In an era when superhero movies often feel obligated to be gritty, cynical, or “realistic,” Superman dares to be genuinely heroic. It’s a film that believes in the power of kindness, the importance of hope, and the idea that sometimes the right thing to do is also the hardest thing to do. Gunn has created a Superman who feels both mythic and human, powerful and vulnerable, alien and deeply American.
This is the Superman movie we’ve been waiting for—one that understands that the character’s greatest strength isn’t his ability to fly or his heat vision, but his unwavering commitment to doing good in a world that often makes goodness seem impossible. It’s a spectacular launch for the new DCU and a triumphant return to form for the Man of Steel.
David Corenswet’s Superman doesn’t just save the day; he saves our faith in heroes themselves. In a world that often feels short on hope, that might be the most super power of all.
Final Verdict: A soaring success that proves Superman is exactly the hero we need right now. Welcome back, Big Blue.
★★★★☆
