Superman Movie Review: Heroic Hit or Kryptonite Flop?

James Gunn wanted a retro-style Superman that looked true to its comics roots. And here we are with the iconic red briefs on the outside. We get the hang of where Gunn wants to take his new Superman and why he wants us to realize the superhero is different this time. 

And yes, it is, for sure. This is our version of Superman movie review that will help you decide whether to get a cinematic experience of James Gunn’s reboot of the DC Franchise with the new Superman 2025.

 

Plot details of Superman (2025)

Superman (played by David Corenswet) needs to prove to the world that he is their protector rather than a destroyer, which they believed after hearing his Kryptonian parents’ message. The tech billionaire Lex Luthor (played by Nicholas Hoult) does not want people to love Superman and does not want him to succeed in stopping the war between Boravia and Jarhanpur. 

Superman is Clark Kent, who works at the Daily Planet alongside his friend Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and his future love interest, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan).

Superman, with the help of his super-dog, Krypto, and his friends, apparently Justice Gang, including Green Lantern, Mister Terrific, and Hawk Girl, fight against Lex Luther to save the people of Earth, especially Jarhanpur, where Boravia tries to invade. 

Whether or not Superman’s Kryptonian parents wanted him to destroy and rule the planet Earth, or their message was real or fake, Superman is purely human. He is who he is, particularly because of the parents who raised him and accepted him as Kal-El, but gave him a human name afterwards.

Superman’s humanity is the bigger message than any narrative of the film- simply, doing what is right! Watch this exclusive clip from the movie as an evidence: 

Actors’ performances in Superman

To be honest, we had doubts dor Corenswet’s Superman after we had seen the charismatic Henry Cavill in the role. But now, we believe Corenswet wasn’t that bad after all. 

James Gunn had clarified before that he wanted to show every character’s human side, even Superman himself. He is hurt, he is scared, he gets angry- he isn’t any fictional comic hero who is only here to fight. He loves and cares for his relationships, which we have seen Corenswet’s Superman doing for Lois, his Earth parents, and even Kryto, not his pet but a loony alien dog of his cousin (we’ll explain later), whom he knew would be scared when Lex had abducted him to his Pocket Universe. 

Nicholas Hoult is the villain we had been expecting, and he did better than that. He left no stone unturned to get his hands on Superman- even thought of making his clone who was good at taking Lex’s orders. It was interesting to see Lex ordering his metahumans to perform certain tasks, such as kicks or punches, with certain codes. For example, 12C and 18A, etc.   

Rachel Brosnahan was excellent as Lois, too. She tried everything to bring Superman back with the help of Mister Terrific, despite resistance from Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. 

Although Hawkgirl and Green Lantern did not get much screen presence but they were fine when they did. It is one of the criticisms that the film has been facing: that too many characters are compressed into one film. However, every character had a meaningful part, we imagine- whether small or big. 

What do critics add to Superman movie review?

The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes shows positive review of Superman 2025. It says,

“Pulling off the heroic feat of fleshing out a dynamic new world while putting its champion’s big, beating heart front and center, this Superman flies high as a Man of Tomorrow grounded in the here and now.” [Source]

Kindness is the moral human trait that Superman exhibits profusely in the entire feature, the critics agreed. Pairing Rachel Brosnahan with the newcomer David Corenswet was a smart decision by Gunn that gave a good start to the rebooted DC-verse by Gunn and Peter Safran. 

Now we know, Superman is not about superpowers- he is about vulnerability, just like normal human beings and living in a brutal world with empathy and selflessness. 

Fans reaction

Fans are overjoyed to see Krypto stealing the show alongside Superman, who adds to the classic Superman history and is rooted in the comic’s inspiration. Fans called David Corenswet “the second greatest actor to don the cape of Superman”, which is a great compliment in the very first reimagining of Gunn’s Superman. 

Fans found the movie fun, and Krypto was an absolute love! Although it was totally opposite to what we had been watching in Superman movies, people found David Corenswet uniquely different as compared to the Snyder-verse. 

 

 

 

 

 

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Is it worth watching?

You bet, it was! We do not claim that this was the best Superman movie we have ever seen, but when we keep Gunn’s DC reboot in mind, it surely was a fresh start. And of course, Krypto was a cute and crazy little addition to the Superman world.  

The first half of the movie was quite haphazard, and everything was happening abruptly. We weren’t prepared for how all the dots would be connected once Superman was brought to the Pocket Universe and his almost impossible escape with the help of Mister Terrific and Lois. 

The plot started to take a better shape, and a stronger version of Superman, with his element of kindness still intact, was loudly evident. Lex was brilliant in his villainous role, his manic metahumans, and Superman’s clone, which we certainly weren’t ready for- everything started to look better in the bigger kind of picture during the latter half. 

Brains beat brawn is the gist that the last part of the flick is based on. Lex wants to beat Superman with all the physical strength that he shows with his metahumans, while Superman, with all of his battered being, still amazes us with his mighty whistle. It changed the game altogether!

And you know what’s more? Gunn turned the tide by introducing Supergirl at the end. It was a sort of drunk version of Superman’s cousin for whom Superman says, “That’s why the dog has behavioral issues”. Krypto was actually Supergirl’s dog, which sets a surprising narrative for Gunn’s upcoming project, Supergirl (2026). 

What we liked

• David Corenswet’s emotional and relatable take on the character 
• Gunn stays true to retro and aesthetic roots, honoring the comic and longtime fans
• Krypto! Our hero!
• Strong moral message of humanity 
• A surprise ending with Supergirl

What could be better

• Less overcrowding of characters
• Pacing of the first versus the second half
• Possibility of plot confusion for casual viewers

Our rating: 7

Is Superman (2025) available for streaming?

Warner Bros. distributes Superman (2025) (PG-13) theatrically and is not available for online streaming right now. 

Genre: Superhero action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi

IMDb rating: 7.6

Rotten Tomatoes: 83 percent on Tomatometer (critics’ score) and 92 percent on Popcornmeter

Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan

Director: James Gunn

Writers: James Gunn, Joe Shuster, Jerry Siegel

Producers: James Gunn, Peter Safran

Release date: July 11, 2025

Movie runtime: 2 hours 9 minutes

Have you watched Superman yet? Do you agree with the review here? Share your thoughts here.