Review: SUPERMAN (2025)

Heart. Humour. Heroics.

These are the three things you need to make a successful superhero film, and I’m pleased to say that SUPERMAN has them all in spades!

Director James Gunn kicks off his DC Universe in bold fashion with a character-first version of Superman that’s never been seen before on-screen. Truly, this is such a different version of Reeve’s Superman and a complete 180 from Cavill’s, but in a great way. This is an incredibly refreshing take on a character that has permeated through culture for 9 decades. David Corenswet is an outstanding find by Gunn and Co, as he plays his Supes with so much earnestness and heart that truly makes you want to root for the guy. I think there was a massive uphill battle for Gunn here, because making a bright and hopeful version of this character is a vintage idea, but here it’s done very well.

I thought that the moments where the film slowed down to really revel in the drama and character beats were where the movie was strongest. There’s some outstanding sequences between Superman and Lois, and Superman and the Kents that really locate the soul of the movie.

But stealing the show for me? Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor. Holy moly, Hoult truly swung for the fences here and his Lex is someone truly despicable yet you can’t take your eyes off him. 

John Murphy’s score is outstanding because he understood the assignment, and that assignment was “let’s take what John Williams did and modernise it”, and it works to great effect. I love Williams’ original, classic score, but here Murphy plays with certain motifs that work really well within the scope of the movie. I’ll be humming the theme for days. 

While it doesn’t offer anything truly groundbreaking that you haven’t seen from a comic book film before, and it takes a little time to get going, it’s still a fantastic ride to go on once things get moving. 

See it on the biggest screen you can with the loudest sound system!

RATING: 4/5