'Superman' brings a lighter, funnier tone to the DC line

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Superman…. getting beaten up, repeatedly, for over two hours? Well, not quite. And if this is the review you heard from someone who “likes Superman but…”, then definitely do yourself a favor and see Superman (2025) just to formulate your own opinion. Because in the words of TikTok (or some other Gen Z media source), “that ain’t it.”

Written and directed by GOTG (Guardians of the Galaxy) mastermind James Gunn, this new iteration of Superman made the bold move to cast relatively unknown David Corenswet as the new Man of Steel. Alongside Corenswet are Rachel Brosnahan, the almost equally iconic Lois Lane, and the always outstanding Nicholas Hoult as Superman’s classic arch-nemesis Lex Luthor. And we cannot go through a cast listing without mentioning Krypto the dog, who brings delight and lovable charm throughout the entire film. While most recent DC titles have a dark and somber feel (see Batman, the Penguin, and the Joker), Superman comes at you with humor, heart, and a much lighter (and brighter) contrast. Almost as if they are purposefully showing you the visual difference between Gotham City and Metropolis.

The movie starts with our late-twenties (or early-thirties) Superman getting launched into the other side of the planet, apparently after losing his first fight. No school-aged-boy-finding-himself Clark Kent. No learning-how-to-use-his-powers-for-good-from-his-dad teenager Clark Kent. Just full-on adult Superman full-on losing. But that is the only spoiler I will give you. And I feel it is an important one based on the direction of this character and why losing is one of the most important teachers of growth. From here, conflict comes at him in all forms, ranging from an international crisis between countries to the evil intentions of the puppet master Lex Luthor behind the scenes. Through it all, Superman must navigate his emotions and his relationships, and figure out who he is in a world full of humans who are seemingly nothing like him.

Despite being a little over two hours, Superman has no true origin story embedded within it. Instead, we have James Gunn’s slightly chaotic yet still somehow charming cinematic style of storytelling to drive the movie forward and keep you locked in as he fully embraces the “larger-than-life” mythology of Superman with top notch visual effects and fight sequences. Yet none of this compares to the bigger message Superman delivers to its audience by the end of the movie but … sorry, no spoilers. With all of this blended together, Superman may be the summer movie to beat in 2025.