'Superman' (2025) Spoiler Review

 

Yeah I saw it. It's ok. It's basically a superhero film where the superhero fights and fights and fights. I really think the fact that the momentum just kept on going was probably the only reason I was able to stick with this movie. That being said, maybe it's also a much better thing to not focus on the action so much and actually let the audience breathe.

My favorite moment of the film is not an action scene, but a scene where a crucial piece of information gets revealed. LIKE STATED IN THE TITLE, THIS IS WHEN THE SPOILERS COME IN. The audience along with the citizens of Metropolis find out that Superman was sent by his parents in order to rule over Earth and have many wives. I thought this was a very interesting take on the Superman character and allowed the audience to explore the character in more depth. However, I do not think that the film shows any development of the character in response to this truth. His argument was that he never intended to make a harem (and he didn't) and that he's trying to do good in the world. Well, obviously. Later, there's a conversation between him and his human dad where they are talking about what makes a good person and it's pretty obvious.

One of my biggest concerns with this film before going in was that it was going to be very bloated, with many storylines, characters and won't be able to handle all of that within 2 hours. Kind of like what I feel with 'Inside out 2' but no. That was absolutely not the case. This film has one primary plot and the subplots are just fun and never given too much attention deriving the audience away from the Superman character. Well done. At least we're not given a bunch of exposition on how the DCU is going to look in the future. There are teases and cameos but none of them are taking a huge part in the plot of the film. That is something I truly admired about this film.

Something else that's really important to point out is that this is a very conventional Superman film. Except for the fact that we skip the origin story entirely, everything else is kind of obvious that Superman is going to prove that he's just and kind and trying to save as many people as possible. And that the Justice Gang and the reporters are going to trust him to take down Lex Luthor. Very very obvious. Ok. For a first film of the DCU, I'm fine with this. Especially because it is also a first film of the Superman franchise (which I'm sure will continue) I think it is completely fine for them to lean a bit towards the conventional side.

My least favorite part of the film is probably some of the action sequences and the visuals. When I saw the trailer for this film, I thought that it looked ridiculous and goofy. Everything felt very fake especially the large dinosaur that was destroying the city, Superman flying, even the dog felt insanely fake. While I was watching the film, the visuals probably got worse during action sequences. Especially during that anti-proton stream battle where Superman has to hold on to an extraterrestrial baby while battling robots as he flowed through a rainbow river. SO FAKE. Ridiculous to look at and I just couldn't believe this was the type of visuals that they resorted to. 

The dramatic moments of this film felt very real and relevant. I needed more of that. More of the reporters, more of Lois Lane doing reporting stuff. I guess I'm saying this because the scene where Clark Kent is arguing with Lois felt so real. They were very good together and the conversation they were having was very interesting. I felt that Lois brought a lot of good points to the table but Clark was only able to argue that saving people is his #1 priority cause he's a good person. But I'm just not sure if this was the direction the film should have taken. First of all, it's the obvious choice. Of course Superman is a good guy that would save the people of Jarhanpur. And then towards the end of the film, they decide that his actions to prevent Boravia from invading Jarhanpur without any consequences or consent from the US government was a good thing. The film attempts to convince the audience that through making Boravia's president an evil guy. I think this is the wrong approach. Maybe it gives the right morals for younger audiences but Superman doesn't have to be the always right always kind guy. He could make mistakes. He could be wrong in his decisions. They should have explored this through more dramatic scenes rather than more action sequences.

Finally, to talk about the future of DCU... I'm excited. I think this was a good enough launching pad for the rest of the DCU. I do hope that they don't make the rest of the universe too complicated as I believe that this was the MCU's undoing. They already have tv shows and more movies lined up to go. My biggest hope is that James Gunn brings in auteur directors not just for show but actually let them do what they normally do in their movies with a DC movie. I guess that's where James Gunn needs to improve. He makes good movies because of his style that he infuses into his film but I just didn't see that here. 'Superman' isn't a James Gunn movie in my eyes, it's just an ok Superman film. For example, if Gudaganino makes that 'Sgt. Rock' film (I doubt it will happen though), I hope the studio is able to provide him with resources and freedom to make a Guadagnino film and not another conventional DC film.

Superman (2025): 3/5