It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s another Superman movie, and the first reviews are in! James Gunn kicks off the new DC Universe with the new blockbuster, with David Corenswet making his debut in the titular superhero role. The movie is being praised for Corenswet’s performance, his chemistry with co-star Rachel Brosnahan (as Lois Lane), and the comic-book-y plot and colorful visuals. If there’s any problem with the movie, though, it might be too overcrowded with characters and ideas.
Here’s what critics are saying about Superman:
Easily the best Superman movie made in my lifetime.
It falls short of the top tier of superhero cinema. I’d characterize the film as next-level good (a roster that includes Iron Man, Thor, Batman Begins, Captain America, and the hugely underrated Iron Man 3).
So far, this has been the century of the comic book film, and… while Superman isn’t one of the best films of the 21st century, it represents the genre well.
Gunn and his team deliver a Superman film that feels worthy of the character’s legacy.
Superman has always been an idealist, and this film embraces that part of his character.
This isn’t your grandparents’ Superman, but it’s also truer in method to his on-page adventures than anything we’ve seen on theater screens thus far.
A breath of fresh air… In an era saturated with dark anti-heroes, Superman is refreshingly idealistic — not in a saccharine way, but in a way that feels rebellious, even radical.
Gunn knows that the world has grown weary of comic-book film culture, and in the new Superman he’s out to reset not just one studio’s fortunes but the very idea of what a comic-book movie is.
There’s a satisfaction in a superhero movie that’s happy to be this freewheeling and ludicrous.
Perhaps its biggest strength is that it sidesteps all the revisionist murk of superheroes onscreen in the last decade or two and reverts almost to an enchanting state of child-like wonder.
The color doesn’t feel [like] just an aesthetic choice. It’s a visual promise that this time, we’re going to have some fun.
Superman is deeply rooted in a sense of escapism and wonder, without fully shedding the issues of our time.
Does this reboot from writer/director James Gunn rekindle my love of comic book movies? Not really. It’s weighed down by a lot of been there, done that.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
It genuinely feels like a comic book come to life, which is why it treats Superman’s powers as the most spectacular and least interesting thing about him.
What makes Superman work is the same thing that has made Gunn’s other adaptations so beloved: as a filmmaker, Gunn is unafraid to embrace the comic book elements at the heart of the source material.
Gunn has created what may be the single most Silver Age comic book saga ever put to screen.
The film feels like an old school comic book… This Superman brings back the colorful visuals, the humor, the clever quips in the midst of battle, the lightheartedness of the vintage comics.
It’s rather a marvel how much it resembles an old school comic book, or more specifically Superman: The Animated Series (for my fellow ‘90s kids out there).
Gunn takes the vast canon of Superman lore — from various iterations of the comics to TV shows like Smallville to the Donner films — and treats it like a grab bag, plucking elements from many sources.
Much like opening a random issue at your local comic book store, Superman drops you straight into the action, counting on the audience to already be familiar with the characters and world.
It reveals an obvious love for Richard Donner’s 1978 event movie headlined by Christopher Reeve, and for 1981’s arguably even better Superman II, without sliding into reverential self-seriousness.
The 1978 film was partly a romance… Corenswet and Brosnahan’s final scene (that I won’t reveal here) captures that same magic.
Reeve played the character as two distinct personas, wearing his cape and trunks with iron confidence. Corenswet’s Superman is pretty much Clark in costume. This isn’t a bad thing, and actually makes the protagonist more relatable.
If you like Gunn’s style and previous films, then Superman will fly high.
This is a Superman movie, but it’s maybe even more so a James Gunn movie: the character’s base sensibilities are filtered through a roguish filmmaker with an eye for visually distinct, flashy spectacle.
Gunn has given the new DC Comics Superman the energy of his first Guardians of the Galaxy movie without the total sarcasm, but still stressing profundity about the character and his self-appointed mission in life.
From a directing perspective, Gunn is working out of his comfort zone here, and it leads to some of his best work.
The tone tends to spread all over the place, or dare I say, jarring, going from something familiar to downright out-there eccentrics that the word “coherence” doesn’t seem to apply in Gunn’s filmmaking vocabulary.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
The script is layered with political subtext — immigration, power, and the misinformation of the media. But it never feels preachy.
As much as I enjoy Superman to a certain degree, I just can’t help but find Gunn’s screenplay lacks the much-needed emotional depth and, above all, a substantial clarity in his storytelling.
When Gunn is challenging himself to go outside his comfort zone and being as earnest as possible with Superman, the film is at its absolute best… When Gunn goes back to his comfort zone, showcased particularly in this film with the Jimmy Olsen subplot, the film falters, and that leads to an uneven tone.
Superman is a thrilling and emotionally rich new beginning for the DC Universe.
The DCU is in great hands if this is what they were able to deliver out of the gate.
Superman is the first comic-book movie in a while that teases a cinematic universe not by forcing needless subplots and unrelated cliffhangers, but by enriching its own story with so many interesting and amusing supporting characters that you want to watch them in other projects.
It’s the best possible way to relaunch a franchise, at the end of the day: Screw the table-setting, just make a movie people will actually enjoy watching.
As both a story on its own and a prequel to a whole bunch of others, this movie must introduce us to a variety of characters we’ll meet later, and it does it without feeling too much like fan service or exposition.
David Corenswet makes an outstanding Superman/Clark Kent, his performance loaded with self-irony, charm, and poignant vulnerability.
Corenswet was an inspired choice to anchor the DCU. He does great work in a nuanced performance that’s extremely physical and emotive.
Corenswet’s portrayal brings an earnest transparency in his portrayal and will win the hearts of fans.
Corenswet handles the duality of playing Clark Kent and Superman with genuine warmth. There’s an earnestness to his performance that evokes Christopher Reeve without mimicry.
Unlike every other live action actor since 1980, I wasn’t watching some guy playing Superman. I was simply watching Superman.
Corenswet proves to be the right pick for the role… The only gripe I have about Corenswet’s character is that I wish Gunn could bring equal focus on him in a Clark Kent mode.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
Rachel Brosnahan is an absolute force as Lois Lane. Sharp, confident, and unrelenting, her portrayal reclaims the essence of Lois: a woman who can go toe-to-toe with gods and still get the story first.
Rarely has anyone stepped into a role so assuredly. Brosnahan injects Midge Maisel’s propensity for wisecracking into a modern-day woman who already knows the answers before they’re asked.
The best onscreen Lois we’ve ever had.
Possibly the sharpest and most captivating interpretation of the ace Daily Planet reporter since Margot Kidder.
The film would have been a bona fide disaster if not for the self-possessiveness of its cast, Rachel Brosnahan chief among them.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
A Superman film lives or dies by the chemistry between Clark and Lois—and this one absolutely works… Their banter sparkles, and their emotional connection rings true.
James Gunn’s long-anticipated Superman has the best special effect I’ve seen in a summer blockbuster this year… I’m talking about the electricity that blasts off whenever David Corenswet and Rachel Brosnahan share a scene.
Corenswet’s funny, scrappy rapport with Rachel Brosnahan’s whip-smart Lois Lane makes their every scene together a delight.
The goofy but swoony Corenswet and the all-American but sexy Brosnahan have so much chemistry that they leave the audience wanting more — which we’ll no doubt get.
The chemistry between Brosnahan and Corenswet crackles — romantic, yes, but built on mutual respect and admiration.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
Nicholas Hoult absolutely owns this film as Lex Luthor.
Lex doesn’t necessarily fall into the canon of Hoult’s other great monster boy roles but the same energy is present — specifically Hoult’s complete lack of fear when it comes to bringing out the ugliest sides of his characters.
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is perhaps the most fascinating interpretation since Gene Hackman.
He chews every piece of scenery, twirling an invisible mustache, adding in bits of Gene Hackman and even a little Mike Myers’ Dr. Evil. He’s just right at being menacing and self-absorbed to the point of distraction.
Hoult’s Lex feels like a mix of Michael Rosenbaum’s calculated portrayal in Smallville and even has some shades of Jesse Eisenberg’s performance in Batman v Superman… While some of the narrative beats with him can get a little silly, the core of Hoult’s character is great.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
Let’s talk scene-stealer: It’s not a person—it’s Krypto the Superdog… Absurd, adorable, and very on-brand for Gunn.
Edi Gathegi surprises me the most in his scene-stealing supporting turn as the hilariously deadpan Mister Terrific.
Edi Gathegi is the standout human performance in the film…it’s like he was born to play the part.
Mister Terrific [is] likely to be your kid’s new favorite hero.
Gisondo [as Jimmy Olsen] in particular steals the show every time he’s on screen.
The action feels larger than life, and dazzlingly superhuman, especially when Superman’s rival vigilante team, the Justice Gang, gets involved.
Gunn once again proves himself uncommonly skilled at juggling large casts of heroes and villains, and balancing large-scale action sequences with quieter moments that strengthen the relationships (and tease out the comedy) between his characters.
[Gunn] has an eye for spectacular comic-book action… One of the movie’s most memorable set pieces: a one-man fight against Luthor’s army seamlessly shot in a continuous long take from a unique perspective.
(Photo by ©Warner Bros.)
What sets Superman apart is its deeply emotional core.
The result is very much a comic-book action-adventure but one with a warm human heart.
Gunn’s heart is so plainly on his sleeve that he writes in dialogue to describe kindness as “punk rock” in all earnestness.
Gunn embraces the bright colour palette that ideally reflects the movie’s overall fantastical vibes.
The cinematography and color grading are a step down from previous Superman films.
There are a lot of plates being kept in the air, and it is a testament to Gunn’s command for writing and worldbuilding that it never feels overwhelming.
To say there’s a lot going on here is a vast understatement. Superman has a packed narrative with multiple subplots establishing the new DCU. Those worried that Superman gets lost in his own movie can rest easy: Superman is critical to every plot line, and drives how each character reacts.
For all the geeky and colourful vibes that [Gunn] injects into Superman that may please comic-book fans, the movie overcrowds itself with too many things going on at once.
The film ends up overstuffed with super-powered supporting characters, to the point that Superman’s own ethical quandaries feel too easily resolved.
The super-busy quality of Superman works for it and, at times, against it. The movie rarely slows down long enough to allow its characters to meditate on their shifting realities.
There’s at least three DC heroes in Superman not named Superman that I can’t wait to see again.
With the upcoming Milly Alcock-led Supergirl already wrapped filming and set for next June release, here’s hoping the second movie in the DCU would be a marked improvement by then.
Superman opens in theaters on July 11, 2025.
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