Superman (2025) Review That Shrinks In Freezing Weather!

As of this writing, yet another iteration of Superman drops not just to take your money, but, to paraphrase from Spaceballs, to take a f*ckload of your money. As your comic book movie loving friends know because they won’t shut up about it, the new Superman is helmed by Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy director James Gunn, who will be overseeing another version of the DC Universe because the other one was trash.

You’re grateful for Superman because it’s been an entire 15 minutes since a comic book movie’s been released (no!) and we can’t have movies with midlevel budgets IN THEATERS because how would that f*cking look. An IP is the only P to B.

Instead of going into the runtime-wasting preamble about Superman coming from Krypton and learning about his powers we’re hip deep into the world of metahumans and Superman (David Corenswet) has just gotten his ass kicked. There’s a first time for everything. Luckily, his faithful canine companion Krypto (Justin Long) is there to save the day take him to the Fortress Of Alone Time. There, robots lovingly oil him down and tell him nurturing things while showing an old-timey video of his parents (Art the Clown and Bradley Cooper).

Superman’s been a part of an international incident involving two warring countries and how his “interference” that saved the lives of innocent people may have negative political ramifications for Supes and the United States.

It’s during this part of the movie that you hope you’re not tested because listening to all this exposition on geopolitics feels like homework when all you wanted was to see a guy in tights fly and beat people up.

Hairless billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has connections with one of these factions and has a bone to pick with Superman we might wonder about until the final act. It turns out Luthor was the one behind the attack that pummeled Supes in the first place.

Since it’s 2025, people are REALLY sensitive and are letting it be known online that Superman may have overstepped his bounds. In order to set the record straight Superman literally puts it on the record as he’s interview by his girlfriend and ace Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Things are not so black and white as they were before. Good intentions could lead to catastrophic consequences. With great power comes great…something. Glasses over your face are a very effective disguise.

Luthor’s not done with Supes by a long shot. He and his hangers-on invade The Fortress of When The Sock Is On The Door Don’t Come In, try to destroy it, and steal…something. By the time Lex Luthor is done revealing his plan, Superman could be destroyed from every conceivable angle.

But since this is a comic movie that’s a launching point for the new DC Universe you can be sure that nothing of any real consequence will occur, the stakes will never be as high as everyone makes it out to be, and no one of any consequence will die. Especially that dog.

• The scenes between Rachel Brosnahan and David Corenswet are the best in the movie because of their off-the-charts chemistry. When they’re together, it’s the only time Superman truly soars instead of just ticking off boxes. Who’d expect the one scene that doesn’t feel like a comic book movie retread is a simple “interview”.
• James Gunn’s script is intentionally earnest bordering on goofy at times, undercutting the laughable and unearned seriousness of Zack Snyder’s slo-mo mast*rbation. I’ve always liked what Gunn has done within the comic book genre, peppering the required tropes with at least a sprinkling of originality before reverting back to corporate studio guidelines.
• You know you’re not supposed to take anything seriously when you care more about a CGI dog than you do any of the human or metahuman characters.

• James Gunn’s 2006 horror comedy Slither is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. Nathan Fillion’s haircut playing a Green Lantern is both as terrifying and has funny as anything in Slither. Long before yet another superhero movie disappears from your consciousness in order to make room for the next one, that haircut will be at the forefront of your nightmares for a while.
• Since this *is* a superhero movie, you know you’re in for your share of weightless CGI battles and well-rendered but ultimately empty action sequences that fulfill the requirement of the genre. You appreciate that Gunn at least tries to make them visually interesting, but you always feel you’ve seen it all before and will see it all again when the next superhero movie opens in 15 minutes.

Make that (fantastic) 4 minutes.

Superman is an entertaining standalone movie that fulfills all the requirements for a superhero movie and nothing more. Here’s hoping James Gunn doesn’t allow another Suicide Squad to happen. Or another Wonder Woman 1984. Or another Batman V Superman. Or another Justice League. Or Shazam. Or another Shazam sequel. At least The Suicide Squad was good (thanks James Gunn).