It’s a bird, it’s a plane — well, you know how the saying goes. Perhaps no other fictional character could conjure up the same awe, inspiration, and wonderment as Superman. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in 1937, the Man of Steel has stood the test of time, serving as a symbol of American idealism not only within popular culture, but as an embodiment of hope that resonates with audiences across the globe.
On a metatextual level, Superman (or Superman, specifically), represents a symbol of hope for its parental studio, Warner Bros. Pictures. Following a string of box office disappointments on the comic book movies side of things, the legacy studio is putting all its chips on the critical and commercial success of the very first DC Studios entry. Spearheaded by James Gunn and Peter Safran, Superman is set to establish a new era of DC Comics adaptations on the big screen.
As such, it makes sense that Gunn himself would take the reins to direct this crucial, first chapter in DC Studios’ filmography. Fresh off the success of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, the pairing of DC and Gunn seemed like a no-brainer. As the creative architect of the franchise, Gunn has been given significant freedom and access in his creative sandbox, but the responsibility scales accordingly as well. As a famous wall-crawler once said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
Enter 2025’s Superman, which stars the poster child of DC Comics (though the same could be said about Batman). The third reimagining in almost two decades, Superman delivers in several, critical areas. Most importantly, David Corenswet embodies the titular character naturally, and the movie succeeds in humanising him every chance it gets. In an era when the “evil Superman” trope has dominated the genre, it’s incredibly refreshing to see an unapologetically earnest portrayal of DC’s most iconic hero. It’s important because you need heroes that audiences can relate to. In this movie, Superman gets beaten, hurt, manipulated. Damn it, he even gets pinned down by Krypto the Superdog, repeatedly.
Romance is in short supply these days, when it comes to tentpole releases, anyway. Coinciding with Hollywood’s “girl power” phenomenon over the past decade, writers seemed to be struggling with the idea of reconciling female empowerment and the characters having any sort of romantic inclination. In Superman, the romance is the highlight of the movie, with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane stealing the spotlight in every scene she’s in. Brosnahan’s Lois is caring, tough, and will go the distance for those she cares about. It’s a great take on a pairing that we’ve seen over and over again but never got tired of.
Conversely, much of the weaknesses of Superman boils down to the way the movie actually looks. From a cinematography standpoint, the movie looks flat, in part due to the way the production utilised lighting. As a result, the shots are more in line with something you’d see on television rather than in cinemas. Under such scrutiny, it’s difficult for the costuming to look flattering, although this distraction is somewhat diminished by the constant movement as expected in a movie filled with superheroes wearing tights. With Superman needing to be a guaranteed hit, Gunn went with the safe route to ensure mass appeal with the movie’s aesthetic (although I’m of the opinion that these two need not be mutually exclusive).
Narratively, the movie relies on several plot conveniences, but the central conflict works because it’s always in service of its characters’ development. It also helps that Nicholas Hoult’s unhinged take on Superman’s greatest nemesis, Lex Luthor, is highly entertaining to watch. Certain bold departures were taken with a few legacy characters, which will undoubtedly stir debate within the fandom. However, one could see the method behind the madness by the end of the film’s 129-minute runtime.
A cross between the Donner-era earnestness and the high-octane action sequences of Man of Steel, DC Studios’ debut takes off in heroic fashion. If the goal was to introduce a new universe with a cast of well-rounded characters to audiences, then Gunn and Safran have proven their salt in this first ambitious step into the foray. That being said, it’s of the utmost importance that DC Studios continues to prioritise a “filmmaker first” approach to truly stand out from the competition. 2025’s Superman might be a little old-fashioned, but in a world constantly at the brink of another World War, old-fashioned might just be what we need right now.
