FILM REVIEW:
SUPERMAN [2025]
by Rob Equiza
14 July 2025
Superman soars, amazes, and dashes all over the place.
James Gunn's 2025 Superman iteration with David Corenswet as the titular classic superhero is a fun 2-hour spectacle. The colors popping, the action scenes gripping, the characters intriguing.
A lighter & brighter take than the heavy & brooding Zack Snyder films, and more protagonist-focused than the dragging & romance-centric one from Bryan Singer, this is in the same vein as Richard Donner's with a bit of the campiness of its latter sequels.
What's great about the film is that it looks and plays like a comic book story - including the political aspects (i.e., its plot reflecting current real world figures, situations, and political predicament.) Whether that's a good thing or a bad thing depends on the viewer. But you're seeing a modern Superman film that keeps up with the times, it barely hides its intentions.
As for the other aspects of this outing, however, there's not much going for it. Corenswet lacks the charisma of the other actors that preceded him - that strong presence that the previous ones carried. It's not that Corenswet is a bad actor as he portrays both Clark Kent and Superman really well. It's just that he doesn't possess that command on screen. Which is also probably the reason why there's no romantic chemistry between him and Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Similarly, the new Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) doesn't seem to have an air of sinister in him. Any film that doesn't have convincing romantic leads and fear-inducing main antagonists falls flat.
The story is unusual though, as the filmmakers decided to do away with the usual and common parts. Yet, they added more characters instead. And yes, most of them are instrumental in the plot. But it feels that it might be too much, given that there's not enough time to invest in every important character emotionally.
Overall, we don't know what Gunn was really aiming for here. It's not cinema for sure. The style is all over the place. His techniques from his previous successful films were definitely carried over. But at the same time, there's a feeling that he consciously wants to make it different. And with that internal creative tug of war, this mess is born.
It's a worthwhile film. It entertains & amuses. But as far as art is concerned, 2025's Superman disappoints.
They'd have you think that it's punk rock.
But it's just pop radio.
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E-mail Rob Equiza at rob@jamlemonrecords.com