Superman
Year: 2025
Rating: PG-13
Length: 129 minutes / 2.15 hours
With the Superman franchise now in its third or fourth film instantiation after the frenzied height of the comic book movie craze, I was interested to see where James Gunn would take this iconic character. On top of the excellent casting decisions, I was pleased to see the plot tackle some interesting philosophical questions about superheroes (similar to Captain America: Civil War (2016)) as well as addressing the need for the most powerful being on Earth to have a group of friends to rely on because he can’t do everything himself.
I know we’re way past the point of individual superheroes having stand-alone films, but there was a lot to unpack with the addition of the “Justice Gang”—even with at least two of that trio being semi-recognizable heroes. Sure, they were fun additions, but with as much screen time as they got, it started feeling less like a movie about Superman (David Corenswet) and more of a jumping-off point to get to another Justice League movie as soon as possible. Fortunately, their presence had useful plot purposes because of the predicaments Superman found himself in that needed assistance from other superpowered beings.
Ultimately, there was a lot in this movie, so it moved at a pretty quick pace. It not only had to handle whatever Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) was planning, but it had to deal with the morality of superheroes making decisions on the global political stage. Add to this the personal conflict of Superman learning that his father’s intention for Kal-El’s presence on Earth was not to save the natives but rather to subjugate them. All these things added together make for a fun whirlwind of a movie and a bright, hopeful take on the character that pulls away from the grittier interpretations from the 2010s.
A multi-layered complex take on Superman that retains its optimism, I give Superman 4.5 stars out of 5.
1/2
