Superman (2025)

• Director: James Gunn
• Screenplay: James Gunn
• Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced
• Cinematography: Henry Braham
• Score: John Murphy, David Fleming
• Genre: Superhero
• Runtime: 129 minutes

From deep beneath the rubble which lay the DCEU bursts forth an all-American saviour… James Gunn? Not who you were expecting? Gunn, the mastermind behind the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy‘ franchise, has flitted between Marvel and DC in the past few years. Following the release of ‘Guardians Vol. 2‘, he was controversially fired due to some dodgy tweets so crossed over to DC where he directed 2021’s ‘The Suicide Squad‘. After being brought back to finish the ‘Guardians‘ trilogy, Gunn has now made DC his permanent home; he’s the head honcho (along with film producer Peter Safran) of the DCU. It’s a soft reboot of the previous cinematic universe, a mishmash of original characters and former favourites. It remains to be seen at this stage which actors will stay in their roles or who will be completely recast.

As for ‘Superman‘, this is no origin story; Superman is an established protector of the planet, has been for three years prior; he and Lois Lane are an item. We’ve had enough genesis stories of late, so this saves precious time when we can instead embrace the future. It’s bold, fresh and colourful. The icy Fortress of Solitude in the Antarctic desert and Green Lantern’s emerald-hued energy constructs are superb. Yes, Green Lantern is one of a bunch of new heroes introduced as part of the ‘Justice Gang’ alongside Mister Terrific and Hawkgirl.

David Corenswet fits the role of Clark Kent / Superman like a glove and Brosnahan makes a capable Lois Lane. I had issues with Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal of Lex Luthor – I felt an older actor with more gravitas should play Superman’s arch-nemesis. Hoult is maybe too young but we all have to start somewhere.

Speaking of starting somewhere, ‘Superman‘ kicks off the DCU with gusto. Gunn might not be directing every movie in this universe but he’s got grand plans – I think Kevin Feige ought to be scared.

My rating: 8 / 10