James Gunn has always seemed like a strange choice to bring Superman back to the big screen. Superman is a squeaky-clean character who fights for truth, justice, and always doing the right thing. Gunn got his start with Troma Entertainment, known for their gory horror-comedies, went on to direct movies like Slither and Super — a superhero parody about a vigilante who beats people to a pulp with a wrench — and even his own takes on superhero films (which he says aren’t actual superhero films) have been extremely unconventional. The Guardians of the Galaxy films expanded the MCU off our world with a strange group of “heroes,” while 2021’s The Suicide Squad took DC’s villains and made them into an unorthodox team (and found a way to improve one of the most maligned films in the DCEU in the process).
Thematically, nothing about Gunn screams “Superman.” For years, it seemed like this combination could be a real miscalculation of filmmaker and project, and potentially get the new DCU off on the wrong foot. But what makes Gunn such a perfect choice for Superman is his ability to look at a project or character and present it in an entirely new fashion that is wholly his own, but still fits in line with that world. We’ve seen so many different iterations of Superman for almost 90 years, to the point that he’s a character that needs a new perspective, like Gunn can provide. This combination of Gunn and Superman might seem like a wild choice, but Superman proves that this is a tremendous collaboration, creating one of the most optimistic, playful, ludicrous, and downright fun Superman films in decades, maybe ever.
‘Superman’ Throws Viewers Right Into the Action
Right out of the gate, Superman does away with any semblance of an origin story, hitting us with the facts right away. We’re in a world where metahumans have existed for centuries, and three decades ago, a Kryptonian who now goes by Superman (David Corwenswet) landed on Earth. Three years ago, Superman made himself known and has been helping mankind ever since. But as Superman begins, he has just lost his first fight.
Even though Superman always has the best of intentions, the world’s perception of him has been changing. After involving himself in the country of Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur, questions have started to arise about Superman working unchecked in the world. This hasn’t been helped by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who is actively trying to sully the name of Superman, and who feels like the world hasn’t been right since the superhero showed up on the scene. Meanwhile, Superman’s alter-ego, Clark Kent, is a reporter for The Daily Planet, and has been dating Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) for three months now. Lois knows about Clark’s double life and also questions how the world will see him when he decides to take matters into his own hands without any oversight.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg of everything Superman has going on. Superman also introduces several heroes that occasionally aid Superman in battle: Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and the cocky Green Lantern, Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion); as well as Clark’s coworkers at The Daily Planet, like reporter Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), editor-in-chief Perry White (Wendell Pierce), and sports writer Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett), just to name a few. Superman has everything from smear campaigns, pocket dimensions, two pairs of parents, gigantic monsters, and the cutest super dog you’ve ever seen in Krypto. Superman is throwing a lot at the audience, but for the most part, it all comes together in a way that surprisingly works.
James Gunn Creates a Modern Take on the Man of Steel
With Superman, James Gunn is dismantling a lot of the preconceived notions we’ve always had about the titular character. He’s often seen as the boring ideal of a superhero, an infallible god on earth who becomes our protector. But Gunn hacks away at these ideas, pinpointing the aspects that have held back previous films from making Superman intriguing, and breathes new life into a character that has become the standard for what we expect a superhero to be.
Under Gunn’s supervision, Superman is fallible. We meet him as he’s losing his first fight, and just because it’s nearly impossible to kill Superman doesn’t mean he can’t get his ass kicked badly. He might do his best to save everyone he can, but he doesn’t think of the larger worldwide implications of taking matters into his own hands. Superman often doesn’t work as an interesting character because he’s seen as flawless, but Gunn puts those imperfections front and center, reconfiguring this hero in a way that makes him more compelling, more vulnerable, and yet, with the same desire to do good and fight for justice that has made him such a classic icon.
Gunn also leans into the fact that Superman is an alien, which, for a writer-director like Gunn, is a perfect way for him to put his stamp on this character. Unlike any previous live-action Superman film, Gunn entirely leans in on the absurdity and the possibilities of the strangeness of Superman’s world. Yes, Metropolis is the kind of place where giant kaiju-like figures just seem to fall out of the sky. But it’s also a world where there are other metahumans like Superman, and that allows Gunn to play with the more unusual, over-the-top, and ridiculous angles that are right in Gunn’s wheelhouse. In many ways, this is the Superman we know and love, albeit one who is still trying to make sense of his place in this world. But it’s also distinctly Gunn’s take on this world that almost didn’t seem possible in taking on such a clean-cut, stoic hero.
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Gunn takes care to make Superman a modern hero, rather than a relic, and his screenplay seems like it could’ve been written yesterday. The way that Luthor utilizes the internet to help take down Superman makes complete sense in our modern world, shifting the public’s perception with just a few clever online videos. It’s also hard to watch the invasion of Jarhanpur and not think about current conflicts. Gunn’s decision to focus on the fact that Superman is an immigrant who came to this world years ago and showed his importance to Metropolis is yet another smart angle through which Gunn finds the humanity and modernity within this story.
In terms of direction, Gunn does quite well balancing everything he has put on his plate, and many moments scream of his handiwork. Some of the best action sequences feature one character facing off against impossible hordes with ease, and it’s always so fun to watch Gunn craft those types of scenes. At times, especially when Superman is flying and Gunn keeps the camera tight on Corenswet, the action isn’t quite as effective, but these moments are few and far between, and considering everything Gunn is trying to accomplish here, the result is more than impressive.
David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult Are a Fantastic Lead Trio
While David Corenswet doesn’t have many credits to his name, primarily known for his roles in Pearl, Twisters, and 2020’s Netflix series Hollywood, he’s a phenomenal choice for both Clark Kent and Superman. Corenswet has to handle quite a bit in taking on this character, whether it’s his frustration at this world he’s trying to save, the struggles of dealing with the ramifications of his choices, or the fact that he might have met his match in Luthor. He’s also just as great as Clark Kent, and we buy that he could also be a fumbling goofball who couldn’t be further from what we know of Superman. Corenswet brings a bit of a “gee whiz/aww shucks” attitude to both of these characters, but he never overdoes it, as if he’s simply a country boy who is letting these reminders of his hometown slip out here and there.
Corenswet also has fantastic chemistry with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, and some of the best scenes involve them simply talking to each other, or occasionally, arguing the impact of Superman’s choices. Brosnahan’s version of Lois certainly feels like an homage to previous takes on the character, particularly Margot Kidder, but she also makes this role entirely her own. She’s a badass journalist first and foremost, and that matters more than her love life, and thankfully, it simply wouldn’t make sense for her to be a damsel in distress.
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is effectively modern as well, and it’s not hard to see a rich maniac using the internet for his own purposes as that much of a stretch. Hoult brings a fury to this character that speaks to a person who has never been told they’re not #1, having to deal with someone taking the spotlight from him. Yet Hoult does this by making Lex a character who believes himself wholeheartedly to be in the right, that he’s doing the world a favor, while also enacting his nefarious means to stop Superman at any cost. It’s always hard to introduce superhero characters that began with such classic performances as 1978’s Superman provided, but the combination of Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult is a great triumvirate that grounds this story and gives us some of the best takes on these characters we’ve seen so far.
Gunn Has Packed ‘Superman,’ for Better and for Worse
Gunn is trying to do a lot with Superman, and it shows, and part of that is that there are so many storylines and characters that not all of them can get the time they deserve. The scenes we get at The Daily Planet are delightful, but beyond Brosnahan and the fantastic Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen, the rest of the team is mostly irrelevant — a shame when you have actors like Beck Bennett, Wendell Pierce, and Mikaela Hoover. Gunn makes The Daily Planet a fun place to experience in this world, as the team is used to the sort of monsters that terrorize Metropolis on the regular, but beyond one major scene, we rarely get to see Clark Kent interact with this team.
For the most part, almost everyone gets a few moments to shine, despite how crammed this film is. In particular, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific and Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho get their time in the sun with some great action sequences, but too much is going on to focus on any of the secondary characters. Another duo that would be great to spend more time with is Ma and Pa Kent, played by Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince. They also help ground Superman into a story about the titular superhero just trying to do what’s best and doing what’s right in all the tribulations. The Kent family gets a few nice moments together, but again, it would’ve been great to have even more of them.
But the abundance of ideas is the biggest flaw of Superman, and it’s especially felt in the third act. Gunn is spinning so many plates, and making them all interesting, but there’s still a ton going on as the film is trying to wrap up. Rarely does it feel like Gunn isn’t doing justice to any of these plotlines that he’s exploring, but there’s a lot to balance, and the audience can certainly sense that. However, despite all these characters and all these story elements, it’s never as though Gunn is directly trying to set up what’s to come. Everything is in service of this story, and while it’s entirely likely that Gunn is leading up to future projects, Superman manages to never become a setup for other stories down the line, which is a welcome change from what we expect from modern superhero cinematic universes.
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“They will join you in the sun.”
Yet it’s also incredibly impressive how Gunn not only makes this very much of the present, but also like it’s a timeless take on this story. There are plenty of homages to the Christopher Reeve era of Superman, from the opening credits that are a direct reference to the Richard Donner films, to the use of John Williams’ score in key moments, and even a cameo from Reeve’s son, Will Reeve. But again, what makes this such an effective take on Superman is the desire of Gunn to craft something that is nostalgic for the past and throwing in those homages to the earlier days, while still doing his own thing that feels right in line with this world. It’s a delicate line to balance, but Gunn does it incredibly well throughout.
Superman is a magnificent feat, a film that makes the Man of Steel fascinating in a way we’ve rarely seen on film, with a take on the hero that is trenchant, clever, and delightful. Gunn is paying tribute to the past while also making a very clear mark on this world’s future, crafting an introduction to the DCU that inherently makes the viewer want to know where this world goes from here. At this point, it’s rare for superhero films to give a sense of wonder and a reminder of how beautiful these films can be when executed well. But Gunn has brought optimism, hope, and care back to Superman. It ends up becoming one of the best DC films in years, and one of the best movies of the summer. This universe could be great, and Gunn has the light to show the way for where the DCU could go.
Superman
James Gunn’s Superman is a delightful, fun, and clever take on the iconic superhero that feels both classic and modern.
- Release Date
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July 11, 2025
- Runtime
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130 Minutes
- Director
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James Gunn
- James Gunn is a perfect fit for Superman, and presents him in an entirely new way.
- David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, and the entire cast are fantastic.
- The hopeful, optimistic tone is a breath of fresh air for superhero films.
- There are a lot of characters and stories to follow, and it becomes almost too much in the third act.
- More Clark Kent and The Daily Planet would be welcome.