Superman (2025) gives us the umpteenth incarnation of the popular superhero this time being David Corenswet as the Man of Steel courtesy of writer-director James Gunn and producer Peter Safran. Mercifully we’re spared the origin story movie instead we get some on screen text explaining the 300 year old history of the metahumans that takes us up to three minutes before the film begins and we now see a battered and bruised Superman plunge to earth and seemingly on his last legs. It’s all because he had flown in to help out the people of Jarhanpur fighting off the evil armies of Boravia (the Russia / Ukraine parallel is obvious) only to find that behind all of this was Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) who has his own ulterior motive for wanting his nemesis discredited and destroyed.
This latest film sees the superhero alter ego Clark Kent already working at the Daily Planet and the only reporter who ever gets interviews with Superman. He’s also three months into a relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). But in superhero mode he finds himself him battling not only Luthor but his own existential angst with the revelation of what his parents Jor-El & Lara Lor van had intended for him on Earth.
Into the mix gets thrown Mister Terrific (a suitably terrific Edi Gathegi), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion joyously nonchalant) and Hawkgirl (an under written Isabela Merced ) and together they are most fun when squabbling over ether to call themselves The Justice Gang. And then of course there is Krypto the super dog and the worst trained house dog since Meghan Markle married into the Royal family.
After the success of his Guardians of the Galaxy films (Marvel’s quality consistent trilogy) James Gunn was the right choice for this latest Superman film but it’s a film that will split audiences. For the hardcore fans it may be too comic in tone which at the same time might please the casual viewer. It’s not without its issues – fans might want a bigger climatic where Superman uses all his powers (his power ray vison is only fleetingly glimpsed) and with so many actors having played the superhero Corenswet pales in comparison to Christopher Reeve in the role (and in fairness Henry Cavill too) and as newspaper editor Perry White there’s a criminally underused Wendell Pierce with barely enough lines to cover the back of a stamp. And we’ve seen the city scape of sky scrapers toppling like dominoes once too often also.
But there’s enough here to engage audiences and Krypto is endearing rather than annoying. Superman’s parents on Earth are touchingly played by Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell whose scenes give the film real heart amongst the bombastic set pieces. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor, who it feels has more screen time than Superman, holds his own with previous greats Gene Hackman & Kevin Spacey’s versions and his social media obsessed girlfriend Eve is endearingly daft as played by Sara Sampaio. It’s a breezy and often inventive two hours but quite whether yet another Superman film so soon after Zack Snyder’s Justice League in 2021 is enough to relaunch DC films which has had such a wildly fluctuating back catalogue is still in the lap of the gods.
related feature : James Gunn and Superman’s red pants…..
related feature : Superman The Christopher Reeve story – directors Ian Bonhote & Peter Ettedgui takes us BTS
Here’s the Superman trailer…..
 gives us the latest incarnation of the popular superhero this time being David Corenswet as the Man of Steel courtesy of...){kind=link}