Superman (2025) has finally landed in cinemas across the world, the newest reboot created by James Gunns, who also wrote the iconic Marvel movie “Guardians of the Galaxy”. Gunn was tasked to kickstart one of the world’s most iconic superheroes, while also, launching a brand-new DC universe. This new universe is designed to give the Marvel studio a fresh startafter years of mixed successes. The Man of Steel needed a clean slate, following his self-destructive fight in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), and inconsequential role in Justice League a year later. American actor, David Corenswet, has been chosen to wear the red cape this time around, with Golden Globe Award winner, Rachel Bresnahan playing the infamous, Lois Lane.
There have been at least 14 live action portrayals of superman (Lyttle, Zoey, and Stephanie Sengwe. 2025), ranging from the 1940s to the most recent 2025 movie. While these superman movies follow slightly different paths, they all seem to have the same familiar storyline. The tale usually goes that a child from a dying planet is sent to Earth, where he is raised by loving adoptive parents and grows into humanity’s first and greatest superhero. However, in Gunn’s 2025 adaption reveals a new controversy, suggesting that Superman’s parent’s intentions were for him to rule the earth as a treacherous dictator, not a savior. One of the major plot points of this film is Superman’s mission to intervene in a war between two fictional countries, Jahranpur and the US-backed Boravia. Why did Gunn choose to invent countries and a war, that so closely mirrors many conflicts that are taking place throughout the world today? Perhaps Gunn should have stayed away from this controversial topic and kept world politics out of the DC Universe.
Image: (Spry, Jeff. 2025. “James Gunn Casually Announces New Superman Movie Title and Release Date on Instagram.” Space, September 5, 2025. https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/james-gunn-casually-announces-new-superman-movie-title-and-release-date-on-instagram.)
Another way the film misses its mark is its overuse of CGI, which leaves audiences with a bad taste in their mouths. How many more Superman films, must we see that all end with the same exaggerated versions of societal collapse in a big city with CGI skyscrapers collapsing? Pretty sure that thrill is gone. This new 2025 version of Superman sort of limps around, unsure of what it wants to be or what tone it should take. It does have its moments. It has some excellent laughs and fun action sequences; however, this film has missed its mark. The Guardian writes “from the very beginning, this new Superman is encumbered by a pointless and cluttered new backstory which has to be explained in many wearisome intertitles flashed up on screen before anything happens at all.” (Bradshaw, Peter. 2025) Reviews however are quite mixed for this new franchise with Rotten Tomato’s giving the film an 83% rating. One fan states a “very fun and not perfect…some scenes are dumb but it’s a great superhero movie with good action and plot.” The contrast between the reviews highlights the divide between critics, who question its structure and originality, and audiences, who embrace its entertainment value.One of the biggest successes of Gunn’s Superman is its lighter tone; instead of the frequent dark, gloomy and brooding style of the earlier versions, this movie brings back hope, bright pops of colour and much-loved humor seen in many new superhero movies. Corenswet does give a strong performance, showing Clark Kent’s kindness and strengths. Brosnahan also gives a fitting portrayal of Lois Lane, with more energy and depth as a character than in past versions, making her character feel important to the story. The movie also highlights Superman’s immigrant background, reminding audiences that he is an outsider trying to belong in society. This makes the film more relevant by likening Superman’s struggles to those of immigrants and displaced people all over the world today. Another Guardian article written by Ben Child, points out that the story reflects “identity crisis and societal distrust” (Child, Ben. 2025). This gives the film more depth than just another action spectacle.
Some positives include appearances from Hawkgirl, Green Lantern and even Krypto the Super dog, making the film feel like part of a much bigger universe and increasing Superman’s popularity. Fans of the film have mentioned that they enjoyed how many details and characters have been included in this reinvented Superman.
Financially, the film performed well, earning over $600 million worldwide (“Superman (2025) – Box Office and Financial Information). While not at the level of Marvel’s biggest hits, this is still a clear success for DC. On a cultural level, the film feels important because it shifts the superhero narrative back to ideas of hope and belonging, instead of focusing on dark or violent themes. Overall, the main success of the film is Gunn’s ability to in portray Superman as a character of empathy and strength who the audience can relate to and cheer on. This is a clear change from the cynical tone that has defined many superhero movies in the past decade.
Adam Morolla 
Jessie Goates 
Layla