David Corenswet absolutely nails it. His Clark Kent is awkward, kind, and endlessly endearing. His Superman is powerful but gentle, confident but not cocky. He’s the guy who smiles when he saves you. Who helps clean up after the fight. Who tries to save the monster he is fighting because he knows it's just an animal. He feels like he belongs in both the cape and the glasses. And then there’s Lex Luthor - and oh man, he’s perfect. Finally, a Lex that isn’t just bald and angry. This Lex is charismatic and chilling, the kind of villain who is obviously evil but also kind of makes sense when you think about it. He’s not just an evil genius billionaire. He’s a persuasive evil genius billionaire.
And then there’s Krypto.
I didn’t expect to fall so hard for Superman’s super dog, but here we are. Krypto steals every scene he’s in. Maybe it’s because I kept thinking about my own dog at home, but something about seeing that chaotic floof fly into battle because he thinks it's a game hit me right in the soft spot. Gunn knows how to make weird stuff work, and Krypto is proof.
Speaking of Gunn: this is absolutely a James Gunn movie. You feel it in the music choices, in the offbeat humor, in the ensemble cast that (mostly) works, and in the wonderfully creative action sequences. The flying scenes in particular are standout. There’s this fantastic visual energy to them - they feel like there's a guy with a jetpack and a camera doing his best to keep up with Superman as he zips through the sky. It’s fast, immersive, and completely thrilling.
And props to Gunn for skipping the origin story. We know who Superman is. We don’t need to see the planet explode again. Gunn respects that and jumps straight into the good stuff. It’s refreshing. So many reboots waste time trying to re-tell the same beats. This one just gets going and trusts the audience to keep up.
Now, not everything lands.
Let’s talk about the politics for a second. Gunn himself said this was going to be a political Superman movie, and… yeah, it is. Very much so. But here’s the thing: none of the political stuff felt necessary. At least not for the story being told. The heart of this movie is about identity - Superman wrestling with what it means to be both Clark Kent and Kal-El. Is he the alien from Krypton or the farm boy from Kansas? Is he defined by his powers or by the values his parents instilled in him? Does Lois love the reporter or the man of steel? That’s the core. Everything else is just noise.
Unfortunately, Gunn seems to have grabbed every hot-button headline from the past five years and thrown it into a blender. The result is a swirl of themes that don't really tie into the main story. It’s not that I’m anti-politics - it’s just that I want my 90 minutes of superhero escapism to be escapism. Especially when it doesn’t connect to the story’s emotional arc.
Also? Hawk Girl. What even was that? She’s there. She exists. She says lines. And then… nothing. I honestly forgot she was part of the movie until she popped up again near the end looking confused. She deserved better. Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern is as funny and wonderful as he always is and Edi Gathegi as Mister Terrific is… say it with me - Terrific. I just don't know what happened with Hawk girl.
Still, the good outweighs the bad. Way more than I expected.
This movie is a promising start to the new DC Universe. It reminds us that Superman doesn’t need to be gritty or tortured to be compelling. He just needs to be good. He needs to inspire. He needs to care. And thankfully, this Superman does all of that and more.
If this is the foundation, I’m excited to see what’s next. Just, please - leave the politics out of it next time. Let Superman be Superman. Let us escape for a bit, believe in something pure, and hum that theme song all the way out of the theater.
Final score - 8.5/10
