Stubs - Superman (2025)

Superman (2025) starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced Directed by James Gunn Screenplay by James Gunn. Based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Produced by Peter Safran, James Gunn Run time: 129 minutes. Color. USA. Superhero

When launching a new DC Universe, James Gunn started with Superman, a logical place to begin. Superman is not the first superhero, but he is perhaps the best known. And since Gunn didn’t feel the need to retell Superman’s origin story, the film feels somewhat like a sequel rather than a starting place. We’re given a little bit of exposition in text at the beginning, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was coming in the middle of a story that was already in progress. And there are a lot of things that are never explained, like his Fortress of Solitude.

Superman (David Corenswet)

Helping to perpetuate this feeling is the inclusion of other superheroes, Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), which pull focus away from Superman (David Corenswet). In fact, as a superhero, it could be argued that without those three, and especially Mister Terrific, Superman might not survive the plot. Not a good look unless this is a prequel to a Justice League, or gang, movie.

Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult)

And there is the villain, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), who has such a dislike for Superman that it feels like they must have already had several run-ins before this movie started. Luthor has an army of minions and tech that seems to have come out of the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which Gunn used to be a part of. And he must have a great dental or 401K plan to create such loyalty with his employees, who would and do die for him.

We are fortunate there is no General Zod in this outing. Having read the early comics by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, this is not their Superman, either, but rather a more modern look at the character, more in line with Man of Steel (2013), though not bogged down as that film was. In the original comic books, the stories were small and contained, and thus too boring for a summer blockbuster, which is the intention here.

David Corenswet makes a good Superman and Rachel Brosnahan is also good as Lois Lane, ace reporter for The Daily Planet. However, the two don’t seem to have a lot of chemistry on screen and until the end they just seem to be playing the part of lovers rather than lead us to believe they are. However, Lois does move the plot forward and is a key to the story.

Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and Superman.

However, as good as Corenswet is as Superman, he is not my favorite character. That distinction goes to Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, a little-known character that didn’t come into the Superman universe until 1997. Not only is Mr. Terrific important to the plot, but he is sarcastically witty and fun to watch.

Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) sort of steals the show.

There is a lot of James Gunn in the film, as this is a sort of DC version of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise that he created, with lesser known heroes Hawkgirl and Mister Terrific being prominent. Even his dog is the basis of Krypto. We’re also introduced, though briefly, to Supergirl (Milly Alcock), Superman’s wild cousin, who will, surprise-surprise, have her own film, next year, the second film in the new DC universe and part of an eight-to-ten year plan called Chapter One: Gods and Monsters.

Whether or not Gunn and his partner in crime Peter Safran can pull off the MCU’s build up, that despite a few stumbles, kept its audience for 11 years to the climax of the saga with Avengers: Endgame, remains to be seen. However, the start is promising.

Superman seems to be in good hands, and despite my nit-picking, was not a bad way to spend a few hours in the dark. If you’re looking for Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Superman, you will be disappointed. But if you’re looking for some pretty good storytelling, you’ll like this reboot better than the ones that came before.