Superman

Superman (2025) aims high but ultimately falls flat. While it offers a few flashes of visual spectacle, the story feels disjointed and the pacing drags. Characters lack depth, and the emotional beats never quite land. It’s a disappointing entry that struggles to capture the magic fans expect. Sadly, it’s more forgettable than fantastic. 4/10.

Just a fun time watching this iteration of Superman. David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan were absolutely wonderful together and Nicholas Hoult played a great Lex Luthor. Not perfect by any means, but a solid start to the DCU. This was a delightful time with crowd-pleasing moments. Also my first time watching a movie in one of those D-Box seats, pretty nice but don't need to do it again. 4.0/5

Well, I enjoyed it.

The writing felt a bit all over the place but most of the jokes were on point, the action was very enjoyable, and I think giving Superman a more classic comic feel and less of the apocalyptic Snyder vibe was a good change.

Everyone here does a great job with the acting. Lois and Jimmy are, in my opinion, the standouts. Nicholas Hoult wasn't a great choice for Luthor, with his more manic energy. Personally, I enjoyed Hackman or Cryer's cold, cunning version more.

And, y'all, Krypto is in it. Finally we got a dog!

TLDR: It's good but not great. With that said, I still think you'll have a great time watching it. Also, DEFINITELY SEE IT IN 3D.

SPOILERS BELOW

I have two complaints.

They give us two of Superman's coolest villains: Lex Luthor and Bizarro, but lame versions of both. I was expecting something on par with Iron Man vs Ironmonger circa 2008, but Lex never dons his suit. I was pretty sure the masked villain was Bizarro, and later he's revealed to be, but it would have been so much better if the authentic version had been written in.

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://talkingfilms.net/superman-review-james-gunn-gives-the-man-of-steel-a-soul/

"Superman isn't perfect. It struggles with pacing, has too many characters, and offers some clunky narrative solutions. But as the official cinematic introduction to the new DCU, it succeeds where it matters most: establishing the central pillars of the saga, giving us a worthy protagonist, and showcasing a filmmaker with a clear vision.

David Corenswet is the Superman this generation needs: a symbol of kindness, hope, and - above all - conviction-led action. Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult round out a high-quality central trio, and even with its flaws, it's hard not to leave the theater satisfied.

James Gunn delivers a clear statement of intent: DC's future is in good hands. Bring on the rest of Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. If this is the path forward, maybe - finally - DC can fly as high as its greatest hero."

Rating: B+

Considerable chatter has been devoted in recent years to the question of whether the movie industry is producing too many superhero/action-adventure films. Much of that talk has specifically focused on whether certain franchises/mythologies have been overdone. That’s particularly true where the “Superman” mythos is concerned, a body of work that has assumed multiple forms on TV and the big screen since the 1970s. And, after viewing this latest iteration involving this storied and much beloved character, I can’t help but concur with the opinion that the man from the planet Krypton needs to be given a serious rest for a while. In my opinion, what has been called the biggest disappointment of this summer’s blockbuster season is an assessment that’s, unfortunately, right on target. In short, writer-director James Gunn’s latest is a hot mess that strains viewer interest not long into its overlong 2:09:00 runtime (a duration that honestly feels even longer than the official tally) and never manages to get it back. The biggest problem here rests with an overstuffed narrative that at times becomes challenging to follow, thanks to a screenplay that’s loaded with incongruities, rampant assumptions and a noticeable lack of back story; film editing tediously in need of much-needed snipping; overreliance on comic relief that grows progressively tiresome (especially with Superman’s annoyingly overzealous canine pal, Krypto); and an overall production whose vision is both tedious and not particularly original (especially in the rather ho-hum action sequences that we’ve seen so many, many times before in better films, most notably those from the Marvel Universe). In addition, the picture’s attempts at updating the nature of the Superman mythology for the present day are uneven at best, including some elements that are sufficiently contemporary with others that are woefully anachronistic (e.g., why are elements involving The Daily Planet newspaper portrayed in much the same way as t...

First of all i would like to say that this isnt a bad movie by any means. In fact there's actually a lot to enjoy here and is easily the BEST live-action Superman movie since the Christopher Reeve era.

Corenswet as Superman/Clark is fucking amazing and the characterization of Supes would've been perfect if it weren't for that one plot twist (more on that later). I also like that thay made a point but its more on his ACTIONS that define who you are. Hoult is also spectacular, you can just feel his hate and anger and those nasty little evil smirks everytime he wins against our boy in blue. Rachel Brosnahan is also fucking perfect as Lois Lane and her interactions with not only Clark but also the Justice Gang is pure comic Lois. And to top it all of, the action, score, and visual imagery are all very much comic book-esque and just straight up fucking beautiful to see. (Mr Terrific and Metamorpho are both so good and entertaining).

BUT there is one big twist here that 90% of the general audience won't care about, but as a comic fan the twist just brings this movie down from like a 8-9/10 to a 6-7/10. That twist is just that BAD atleast for someone like me who is a big big Superman comic fan.

SPOILERS FROM NOW ON:

Now for the big plot twist. Making the House of El (Jor El and Lara) evil and Superman believing himself to be more human than alien was a really really bad choice. As i mentioned before, i know that the whole point is that Kal or Superman or Clark is more defined by his ACTIONS rather than his heritage. But to make them completely evil and have clark reject his heritage at the end (completely replacing his krypton parents with footage from his earth parents) just really sucks.

FIRST OF ALL the decision to make them evil just ruins the immigrant allegory. If you've read the comics you would know that Clark is a deeply lonely guy. Having to grow up knowing you're an alien, is different from everyone else and would constantly need to hide his power...

'Superman' is the best Supes film that I've seen - and I highly enjoyed 2013's 'Man of Steel', so that is actually saying something. I was surprised at how great this 2025 edition is, like at no point was I ever doubting what I was seeing - it's a fab 2hrs.

I had seen snippets from a few trailers for this and, in truth, wasn't really vibing with it back then. The lead actor seemed a bit underwhelming, the dialogue felt lousy and Lex Luthor came across over the top. I'm pleased to say, none of those things are true.

David Corenswet is an ace Superman, he fits the role to perfection. Again, I did like Henry Cavill's stint as the eponymous Kryptonian, though I do reckon Corenswet does ever so slightly outdo him. It's silly of me to even compare to be honest, given my appreciation for both.

For me, Nicholas Hoult is just as big a plus. This is the best of him I've seen, given I've never been fully convinced. Don't get me wrong, I've liked performances from him, but almost always with an asterisk of sorts attached in my mind. No such issues here, he is fantastic as Lex.

Rachel Brosnahan and Edi Gathegi also dazzle, the latter's character is especially interesting as I never knew he existed before this - hope to see more! Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced also manage to stick out, which is impressive. All those onsceen are good.

The story is a surpremely entertaining one. I like how they skipped over the origins of Superman, the vast majority of viewers already know the backstory so it's not needed - and for those that don't, a simple short overview, as seen here, is more than enough to get the point across.

As for everthing else? The pacing, the visuals, the special effects, the music... all excellent. I, somewhat unexpectedly, have zero issues with this one, I thoroughly had fun with it and would happily revisit it at any time.

Putting all else aside, James Gunn's "Superman" succeed's because it adopts a comfortably familiar, wholly "likeable", approach.

This film borrows heavily from the 70's Superman franchise. Its look, its feel, right down to costumes, harks back to that era. As does, the very simple, down to earth main character, capably played by David Corenswet. I personally, could not but recall Christoper Reeve, in his performance.

This is Superman as he was mean't to be. No cynicism, no divisive woke politics, just a good guy doing his best. Its this innately appealing character and those around him, that make this film function. Because lets be honest, whilst its an entertaining romp, the script is, in my estimation "chaotic". Its literally all over the place, doing too many things at once. That said, if you view those scenes in isolation, a good portion, are both enjoyable and amusing. For example, Lex Luthor, getting his comeuppance, from Superman's cousins, kooky Superdog.

In summary, no "Superman" 2025 is not a perfect film. That said, in a world that's become cynical and divisive, the simple, honest, likeability of this film shines though in a way that's impossible to ignore. For my money, well worth a look.

I know I’m swimming against the tide here, but I just didn’t really rate this. I suppose it was only a matter of time before “Superman” got dragged (literally) into the multiverse. This time it is the DC one that’s being used by the evil “Lex Luthor” (Nicholas Hoult) who has quite a grudge against our red-caped hero. That’s because “Soop” (David Corensweet) recently intervened in a war to assist a small agrarian nation from being invaded by it’s nasty militarised neighbour. With access to his enormous resources, “Luthor” manages to penetrate the secret Antarctic fortress of our well-meaning protector to find not only his deepest secrets but also to kidnap his energetic dog “Krypto” - thus luring his quarry into the aforementioned “pocket universe” where the ultimate super-max prison contains many whom the planet doesn’t know what do do with any more, and a few ex-girlfriends. What chance he can escape through a complex sequence of portals (think “Stargate”)? Well that is largely down to his tenacious on/off girlfriend “Lois” (Rachel Brosnahan) who is entirely aware of her beau’s double identity, and to a tech whizz (Edi Gathegi) from another group of meta humans called the “Justice Gang” run by the “Green Lantern” who occasionally help out when the relentless stream of aliens descend on Metropolis. Now the scene is set for a really weak, repetitious and entirely derivative series of thwack and pow adventures that had me looking at the ceiling just once too often. Gene Hackman was always going to take some beating as “Luthor” but why use a British actor at all, and then make him use an entirely unnecessary American accent before giving him lines that make him sound like a frenzied bingo-caller? What’s with the dog? Aw, bless, but really? It just goes to show how remarkably ordinary “Superman” has become in a world so completely dominated by technology and people with far greater superpowers. Corensweet tries quite hard, is easy on the eye and he has some charm to him...

The version of Superman in James Gunn’s film differs from past film iterations of the character. In other films, Superman is a one-man powerhouse. He is the only one who can save the day, and there is no plan B if he happens to lose. Maybe other heroes exist in that cinematic universe, but a major team doesn’t come together until a later film, and those other heroes are busy keeping people safe in their neck of the woods.

In the 2025 version of Superman, the film begins with Superman losing for the first time. The story Gunn wants to tell is how Kal-El faces the challenge of not only losing, but continuing to lose nearly everything that he holds dear. Superman gets his ass kicked throughout the film and barely scrapes by in fights.

Superman reintroduces color to superhero films after what felt like an eternity of a more serious comic book movie era, where everything tried to be serious and washed out in color. Superman feels like opening an old issue of Action Comics or a Superman comic from the 90s. Colors are bright and radiant to an extent that feels almost cartoonish, like a comic book.

Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) has a plan that results in the entire world turning on Superman and Luthor being in control of the United States when it comes to interacting with metahumans (humans with superpowers) and whether they pose a threat or not. Superman disappears after being taken captive, and it’s up to Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) to save him.

I’ve never been a huge fan of Superman. The original 1978 film, Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel, and Superman: The Animated Series from the late 90s are the highlights of the character for me. In Gunn’s film, David Corenswet doesn’t specifically add anything new to the character that we haven’t seen before. That’s not ragging on Corenswet’s performance, but it seems to be how the Superman character is.

He is a god among men, and the thing that makes him special is that he not only cares a...