After years of DC’s cinematic missteps and tonal confusion, new DC Studios Head James Gunn steps into the writer-director role with total creative freedom. With the new DCU, Gunn faces the monumental task of launching an entirely new cinematic universe while honoring nearly a century of Superman mythology and the expectations of fans for their beloved son of Krypton. The film opens with a series of title cards explaining the origin of this powerful being as the last son of Krypton, but cleverly subverts expectations by showing us a Superman who has already lost his first fight as we start the film.
It wastes no time introducing Krypto, the super-powered canine companion with obedience issues, who drags an injured Superman back to safety in a moment that perfectly establishes Gunn’s blend of humor and heart.
Let’s dive into the full review after watching the latest trailer.
Thirty years prior, Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van (voiced by Bradley Cooper and Ayelet Zurer in brief appearances) sent their infant son Kal-El to Earth moments before Krypton’s destruction. They left Kal-El a video message which is damaged and freezes midway through (more on that later).
Before he was visiting his Arctic Ice Fortress (which now rises and falls like Aladdin’s Cave of Wonders), Clark Kent was raised by his loving, adoptive parents — Jonathan and Martha Kent (Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell. The Smallville, Kansas native found his Kryptonian DNA deriving incredible power from Earth’s yellow sun.
Working as a reporter for the Daily Planet in Metropolis alongside photographer Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and investigative journalist Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Clark (David Corenswet) has been operating as Superman for three years while maintaining a romantic relationship with Lois, who knows his secret identity.
The story begins three weeks after Superman intervened in a conflict between Boravia and the neighboring country of Jarhanpur, actions that have drawn criticism from the U.S. government. Billionaire industrialist Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) assures General Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo) and other officials concerned about Superman’s growing influence that he can eliminate the hero if necessary. When Superman suffers his first public defeat against the mysterious “Hammer of Boravia”—actually the villain Ultraman (also played by Corenswet) in disguise—public confidence in the Man of Steel begins to waver. Unknown to the world, Ultraman is under Luthor’s control through advanced drone technology and a hard-to-stomach verbal chess fighting style where luthor seemingly can beat Superman with a 3-4 second delay in delivering commands to the brainless superman clone.
After Krypto retrieves the wounded Superman and brings him to the Fortress of Solitude in Antarctica highly advanced solar radiation healing, Luthor secretly has the Engineer (María Gabriela de Faría) follow him and locate his base. They steal the decades old message from Jor-El and Lara while abducting Krypto the dog and destroying all the robots. The twist is Luthor is able to decode the full message, and it sets the stage for this Superman story to copy that of Omni-Man in Amazon Prime’s “Invincible.”
Superman struggles to accept his parents’ wish that he conquer Earth and breed with the human species. It would be more powerful if we lingered on this betrayal and identity crisis, but we’re immediately put on the trail of finding the kidnapped dog.
Before that reveal, Superman is joined by new heroes from the Justice Gang: Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). They all battle a large godzilla-type-monster released by Luthor as a diversion. This beat in the story holds little value and it is one of many side quests that take away from a Superman story.
The side heroes feel like a forced inclusion and take away from the agency of Superman saving his city. On top of that, the idea that the US Government would give Luthor full control of superman’s imprisonment with no oversight is laughable.
Yet they do — so Superman voluntarily surrenders to government custody, with Flag placing him under Luthor’s supervision and practically wiping his hand of it. Luthor imprisons Superman in an artificial pocket dimension alongside other captives, including Krypto and the reluctant metahuman Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan). Using Metamorpho’s infant son Joey as leverage, Luthor forces the shapeshifter to synthesize Kryptonite, rendering Superman powerless during brutal interrogation sessions.
The tide turns when Luthor’s assistant Eve Teschmacher (Sara Sampaio), who harbors feelings for Jimmy, reveals that Luthor has been secretly backing Boravia in exchange for territorial concessions in Jarhanpur. Teschmacher is referred to as “Mutant Toes” in Olsen’s phone, and it’s probably the lowest point of the script — having a journalist like Lois Lane on hand and your plot device is Jimmy Olsen having an old hook up deliver secret spy details on Lex Luthor’s highly secret plan.
In the pocket dimension, Luthor murders an innocent Superman supporter during questioning that’s right out of “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.” Seeing the evil in Luthor up close, Metamorpho decides to help the imprisoned hero. This scene is the highlight of the film and John Murphy (“Sunshine,” “28 Days Later,” “The Suicide Squad”) utilizes the John Williams Superman theme brilliantly throughout.
Meanwhile, Lois convinces Mister Terrific to assist in a rescue mission, and together they infiltrate the pocket dimension as Superman makes his own escape with baby in hand. It’s very CGI heavy and also very lame sequence after such an emotional powerhouse.
Superman is taken to the Kent farm to heal, but his folks just feel like random old folks instead of parents that instilled deep lessons to their future hero.
As Green Lantern, Metamorpho, and Hawkgirl work to repel a second Boravian invasion, Superman and Mister Terrific engage in a desperate battle against the Engineer and Ultraman while the expanding void threatens to destroy the city. After defeating the Engineer, Superman discovers that Ultraman is merely an unintelligent clone designed to discredit him.
So consumed with destroying Superman that he refuses to shut down the black hole even as it literally splits Metropolis in half, Luthor represents the dangers of unchecked obsession and corporate power. Superman ultimately defeats Ultraman by sacrificing the clone to the black hole, then works with Mister Terrific to reach Luthor’s headquarters and manually shut down the reactor, saving the city. Jimmy and Lois tag teaming the Lex Luthor’s conspiracy story and posting online was not something that felt earned to even exciting, and the two-dimensional writing for the Daily Planet writers and chief Perry White (Wendell Pierce) didn’t help things.
Then, we have a blink and you miss it scene with Hawkgirl where she executes Boravian President Vasil Ghurkos (Miloš Biković) by dropping him from a fatal height. The portrayal of Hawkgirl felt like stunt casting an influencer and not someone whose taking their craft to the next level like a Chloë Grace Moretz in “Kick-Ass.”
With Luthor and his associates arrested and the Justice Gang celebrated as heroes—with Metamorpho as their newest member—Superman and Lois share a kiss midair. In the film’s epilogue, Superman rebuilds his Fortress of Solitude, his cousin Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock) arrives in an intoxicated state to retrieve Krypto, setting up future adventures. The film concludes with Superman finding peace by watching archived footage of his childhood with Jonathan and Martha, grounding the cosmic hero in very human emotions.
David Corenswet delivers an excellent performance as a younger, flawed, but good-hearted hero. Yet the script insists on dragging him through brooding, hunched-over moments of self-doubt that undermine the very optimism Gunn aimed to restore. We needed more of Corenswet’s natural charisma and less of the down-in-the-mouth Superman the film forces upon us at every turn.
The supporting ensemble could have been better, with Nathan Fillion winning the award for most unbearable one-dimensional portrayal of a character. Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific is a scene stealer, but feels far too active in a movie titled Superman. Great turns come from Anthony Carrigan as Metamorpho’s arc, and Rachel Bronsnahan even though she’s short changed with scenes — one images there were several drafts of this film with more Lois Lane.
The central problem lies in Gunn’s inability to balance his massive ensemble of characters within a coherent narrative framework. Most glaringly, ladies’ man Jimmy Olsen inexplicably outstages Lois Lane as an investigative reporter by seducing Eve Teschmacher to extract crucial information. This plot development not only undermines Rachel Brosnahan’s sturdy, confident portrayal of Lois but highlights the script’s tendency to prioritize convenient plot mechanics over character integrity. Whatever chemistry exists between Corenswet and Brosnahan feels under-explored and lacking the Reeve-Kidder charm.
Nicholas Hoult does his best with Lex Luthor, but the script saddles him with a villain whose master plan—orchestrating a real-life chess match using a Superman clone—stretches all believably. Luthor proves frustratingly careless, risking far too much in his obsessive game to destroy the Man of Steel while offering very little in the way of memorable dialogue or genuinely threatening moments. His ultimate motivation—simple envy—feels disappointingly reductive for such a supposedly brilliant antagonist.
Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane demonstrates admirable strength and intelligence throughout most of the film, but her characterization falters during a crucial scene where she rattles off her inner monologue to Mr. Terrific while planning Superman’s rescue and mentions planning to dump him. This exposition-heavy moment feels completely at odds with the sharp, intuitive reporter established elsewhere, reducing her to a mouthpiece for plot advancement rather than maintaining her established voice.
The film’s tonal inconsistency becomes increasingly apparent as it lurches between cosmic spectacle, intimate character drama, and broad comedy without finding its identity. Gunn’s attempt to service both franchise-building requirements and character development results in a scattered narrative that never quite justifies its own existence beyond corporate mandate.
John Murphy’s soaring musical score pays homage to John Williams’ iconic themes while establishing its own emotional identity, particularly during Superman’s moments of doubt and overcoming evil. The sound design makes every punch feel impactful while ensuring that quieter dialogue scenes maintain their emotional weight. Despite competent technical craftsmanship from cinematographer Henry Braham and solid production values, the film lacks the distinctive visual personality that made Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy films memorable. The action sequences feel interchangeable with any recent superhero blockbuster, missing opportunities to create the iconic moments this Superman desperately needs.
Superman represents a missed opportunity—an entertaining affair with great casting undermined by a script that can’t decide what story it wants to tell. While it succeeds in restoring some optimism to the character, it fails to justify why this particular Superman story needed to be told when a nearly 50-year-old film still flies where this one leaps tall buildings in a single bound.
Letter Grade: B-