Superman
Superman is no stranger to the big screen, immortalised in 1978 by Christopher Reeves’s Man of Steel with Henry Cavill’s latter version leaving a more mixed reception in 2013 as part of the DCEU. The DC brand and Superman have now been rebranded once more, with Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn tackling a new take on Superman, launching a new shared universe. This version, played by David Corenswet, has been acting as the symbol of peace for three years but has finally lost his first battle. We meet him battered and bruised, dragged to his fortress of solitude.
This is a world already populated by metahumans, including Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and the aptly named Mr Terrific. Superman, in particular, has caught the attention of the masses with his acts of heroism and attempts to bring peace as the last son of Krypton. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) sees Kal-El as a threat to his own ambitions and seeks a way to remove him from the table.
Gunn’s Guardians films were bright and breezy fare, with plenty of popping visuals and a strong colour palette. He employs much of the same style here, visually shying away from the darker template adopted by Zack Snyder on Man of Steel. It can at times be a jarring level of brightness, and the quip-heavy tone can also reduce moments of much-needed tension. Krypto the Superdog, seen for the first time in live action, will delight many and looks set to feature heavily in the future.
The storyline and script can feel cobbled together, skipping the characters tried and tested origins to have us follow him well into his journey and with key events depicted in the story already having taken place, leaving the audience to play catch-up. It is a frenetic opening, bombarding us with information and key details about this version of Superman.
The cast, however, makes up for some of these shortcomings. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is a true delight, wisecracking, smart and more than a match for Clark Kent/Superman. Corenwset looks every inch the part, dashing, heroic and, importantly, vulnerable. He demonstrates what true heroism is about, and it feels like a performance tailored for the current time; he embodies much of what the character has always stood for – an outsider searching for a home, with his humanity at the core of who he is. Hoult’s Luthor is a diabolical menace, scenery chewing, and clearly having a blast. Of the other metahumans, Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific is a real scene stealer, bringing plenty of humour and having some standout sequences.
It may be uneven, but there is a sense of hope at the heart of this take on Superman, delivering plenty of fun and thrills with spot-on casting that overcomes some issues with the script and plot. It is one of the stronger big-screen efforts for the Man of Steel and launches a new corner for DC in stable fashion.
Christopher Connor
Superman is released nationwide on 11th July 2025.
Watch the trailer for Superman here:
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