James Gunn’s Superman (2025) arrives with the confidence of a filmmaker who knows exactly what this character has been missing. Not grit. Not grimacing. Not another lecture about gods among men. What Gunn gives us instead is sincerity, which in today’s blockbuster ecosystem feels almost rebellious.
David Corenswet’s Clark Kent is the film’s quiet triumph. He plays Superman not as a burdened demigod but as a fundamentally decent man trying, sometimes awkwardly, to do the right thing. This is a Superman who smiles, who listens, who looks genuinely pained when he fails. Corenswet’s chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane crackles with intelligence and warmth. Brosnahan’s Lois is sharp without being smug, driven without being shrill. Their relationship feels lived-in rather than mythic, which grounds the movie when it threatens to float away on capes and ideals.
Visually, Gunn resists the washed-out solemnity that plagued recent DC entries. The color palette pops. Metropolis finally looks like a place worth saving. The action sequences are cleanly staged and often playful, though Gunn occasionally indulges his tendency to cram in one too many characters. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is compellingly petulant, less grand mastermind than insecure technocrat, but the script does not always give him room to fully breathe.
Tonally, this Superman feels closer to Richard Donner’s original than Zack Snyder’s operatic brooding, but filtered through Gunn’s affection for oddballs and outsiders. You can feel echoes of Guardians of the Galaxy in how the film treats heroism as an emotional choice rather than a destiny.
This is not a reinvention of Superman. It’s a reminder. And honestly, that might be exactly what we needed.
RHFC Rating: 7.5/10 🍿
