The symbol of justice lives on.
This is the latest incarnation of Superman directed by James Gunn. Everyone had high hopes for his take on the hero and I think he did him justice. We follow Superman well into his journey as the hero. This is not an origin story. He is already dating Lois Lane. He has already shown his powers to the world. He is already involved in international wars. This movie isn’t afraid to pull punches and in 2025 speaks on some prominent topics.
I know some people were worried that with trailers showing multiple heroes, Superman would get no time to shine, and I didn’t think that was an issue at all. Alongside Superman, we have the “justice gang” (name pending) with Green Lantern, Mr. Terrific and Hawkgirl. They don’t quite play by the same rules as Superman but they do get some time to show off their skills and do some cool stuff. Plot-wise their mostly there to aid Superman and act as a foil for him as he is willing to meddle politically to save lives whereas they will not.
We also can’t forget about Krypto the furry super companion. I always get worried when there is an animal. I feel like sometimes it can be a marketing tactic for merch and sometimes it can lead to fewer stakes because they would never hurt the animal but I feel like this movie used it well. Krypto was unhinged for the first bit and it made me roll my eyes a tad but I did think he redeemed himself when he attacked someone that even Superman wouldn’t. (which made me feel good because he deserved it.)
The villain this time around is Lex Luthor and I love how absolutely evil he is. he is smart but despite that, he ignores safety to achieve his goal and doesn’t stop for any reason to achieve what he is after. Even killing innocent people in front of Superman just to try and get him to talk.
The cinematography in the film is fantastic there are so many just cool scenes. I did have to laugh a little on the fourth time they highlighted how awesome Superman is by him rising up with the sun in the background but I mean that’s his whole shtick so I didn’t find it too annoying. I also loved a lot of the fights. Now I know a lot of CG was used but the one that stood out was with Mr. Terrific as it was all done in one take which made it really cool to see on the big screen.
Overall I think it’s a great superhero movie this year and won’t be a slog to watch if you already have Superman knowledge. If you want to see more check out the trailer below.
-Jared Gomes
