Director James Gunn’s “Superman” was released July 11, 2025, as the first installment of the new DC Cinematic Universe (DCU), and let me just say, Gunn has done it again and released a superhero film to beat them all.
To start, I enjoy how the viewer is given the critical information via prologue text (similar to “Star Wars,” but way less text) without boring them with the same origin story seen a million times.
Instead, the film starts in the middle of the action, immediately grounding the viewer within the storyline.
Bringing the joy, humor, and cheerfulness that Superman deserves, Gunn introduces all the positive aspects of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to DC, while also, unfortunately, carrying over the Marvel formula.
Despite this, which I think can’t be helped in a superhero movie, especially the first movie of a new cinematic universe, the film’s soundtrack, cinematography, and casting made this Superman movie a cut above the rest.
Now, this may be an unpopular opinion, but Zach Snyder’s “Man of Steel” was a disrespect to the character of Superman; he’s supposed to be unrealistically happy and bubbly, not a dark, evil anti-hero that is eventually turned good.
Superman’s warm heart is what makes Clark Kent different from other heroes like Iron Man, who produced weapons that ended lives before he saw the damage he enacted and decided to start producing life-saving inventions instead.
Kent is inherently good, and Snyder’s horrifically dark depiction stole that essential characterization of goodness – but Gunn’s portrayal showcases Kent remaining a beacon of kindness and light, even when the world turns against him.
In addition, the shading and coloring of this film bring me back to the superheroes of my youth: bright and filled with humanity – a stark contrast to the recent epidemic of dark, smoggy scenes.
In Gunns’ “Superman,” the casting is impeccable. David Corenswet does a fantastic job as both Superman and Clark Kent, as if he were born for this role. He’s filled with awkwardness, humility, authenticity – not a stoic demigod, but a depiction of a real human being who makes mistakes and recovers from them.
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luther is one of the funniest depictions I’ve seen in the media, and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane is such an accurate depiction of a struggling journalist in the city who is afraid of commitment. The chemistry between Lois and Clark in this movie was unmistakable, and their witty banter made me laugh throughout the entire film.
And, Lois saving Superman? Lois not being the damsel in distress? I’m obsessed.
Krypto, the silly white super-dog that doesn’t follow a single command, is the funniest addition to this film. He reminds me so much of my white crusty dog back home, and I’ve heard the same thing from many viewers.
Soundtrack-wise, despite only having two official songs in “Superman,” both of them are complete bangers that I’ve been listening to on repeat since I’ve seen the film.
“Five Years Time” by Noah and the Whale and “PunkRocker” by the Teddybears are placed at the perfect time in the film and genuinely change the perception of the scenes, especially since Clark mentions liking the Teddybears in the movie.
I think the most important thing about this film is the political commentary – while dismissed as “too woke” by some publications, I’d venture to say it wasn’t woke enough.
The political stance this movie takes should not be a debate factor whatsoever; I think we should all be able to agree that genocide and invading countries are bad.
Superman does what Superman should canonically do – he fights evil, even if it is outside the bounds of white-Eurocentric American borders.
I especially love how Gunn deeply characterizes everyone in this film – even Malik “Mali” Ali (Dinesh Thyagarajan), a Metropolis falafel vendor, who served Superman once, helped him up during a fight, and then was later weaponized against the hero.
The actor who portrayed the Jarhanpurian Villager Leader (Fahim Fazli) even stated in an interview that this film was one of the first times he had not portrayed a villain or a terrorist. His small role has captured the hearts of millions of viewers, mine included.
As someone who grew up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the DC films I had seen were always the worst of the worst, which very much swayed me away from traditional heroes like Superman and Batman.
And when I say I saw the worst of the worst, I mean “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” the original 2016 “Suicide Squad,” and “Wonder Woman” – and those are just the horrible ones I have seen myself.
But, Gunn’s “Superman” erased those horrible films from my memory, and I am incredibly excited to see what the future of the DCU holds.
