SUPERMAN WEEK — NO SPOILERS!
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It’s SUPERMAN WEEK! Because there’s a fancy new movie coming out! Click here for the COMPLETE INDEX of columns and features! Look, up in the sky! — Dan
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This is the whole reason we’re doing SUPERMAN WEEK, so let’s get right to it — 13 QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE NEW SUPERMAN MOVIE!
(NO SPOILERS — and PLEASE DO NOT POST SPOILERS in comments either here or in any of our social media threads. Don’t be a Superdick.)
1. Is it good? Yes. Is it very good? Yes, as it goes on. Is it great? I don’t know yet — I need to see it a second time (which I will) and here’s why:
2. Even more than Batman movies, I tend to go into Superman movies with a very specific idea of how the Man of Steel should be portrayed and what the story should be like. I think it’s because the first two Christopher Reeve flicks were so great, and hit me at just the right age — 11 to 14 — that any movie that’s followed has a gold standard against which it’ll instinctively be measured.
Superman Returns? Too mopey. Man of Steel? Too murderous. While I thought David Corenswet was pretty much the Superman I want, the story is a distinct departure from anything we’ve seen on the big screen.
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3. So, as I watched, say, the first third, I kept asking myself, “Do I like this?” And I wasn’t sure. But then I realized I wasn’t being fair. Me having a preconceived notion of what the story should be has no bearing on what the storytellers want to give us. I can judge the way Superman is depicted — and Corenswet is very strong — but the story? Well, it’s only right for me to judge it on its terms. In other words — is it entertaining?
4. And the answer is yes. Very much so, especially as it ramps up toward the climax. By the third act, I was smiling ear to ear and living in the moment. Now I need to go back to the beginning with that mental reset and take it in again as a whole.
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5. This was sort of how I reacted to The Batman. I wasn’t sure it was the story I wanted but upon repeated viewing, I’ve come to believe that the Matt Reeves/Robert Pattinson flick might, just might, be the best Batman movie we’ve gotten to date. I just haven’t been able to put it atop The Dark Knight — which I also needed to let sink in with multiple viewings. Clear your mind, folks. It’s better that way.
6. OK, so. Superman is front and center and the clear focal point of the movie. He in no way gets short shrift. But it’s also an ensemble piece. There are a LOT of characters but, from heroes to villains to supporting characters, it doesn’t feel overstuffed and you come away with a clear idea of who everyone is and what their roles are. That’s a neat trick for a movie that clocks in at a welcome 2 hours, 10 minutes.
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7. In fact, it kind of plays like a comic book in that Superman encounters all sorts of allies and enemies during his epic adventure, and no big deal is made of it. This week’s new — and wonderful — Superman Treasury 2025 is a perfect example of what I mean.
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8. Since we knew this wasn’t an origin story — and that is an extremely wise choice — I was wondering whether they were going to do a cinematic version of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s classic, to-the-point first page from All-Star Superman #1 just to set the stage. They don’t but it’s not far off: A series of sentences are superimposed on the opening shot that explain exactly where things stand, while hinting at the larger DC Universe.
I need to go back and re-read All-Star because despite all the talk that this movie takes its cue from that wonderful series, I saw more of Mark Waid and Leinil Francis Yu’s Superman: Birthright in it.
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9. Anyone who watched The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel knew that Rachel Brosnahan was an uncanny casting choice for Lois Lane. But I will say that they could have “Lois-ed” her up even more in terms of brassy attitude. I do like that she plays an integral role in the action, though. (Big points: She dresses like a working journalist!)
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10. Nicholas Hoult makes a fine Lex Luthor — snide, unctuous, conniving, sniveling and evil. I usually think of Luthor as older, but hey, whatever.
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11. Krypto fits in perfectly. He doesn’t feel at all shoe-horned in, just to be cute or sell toys. And he’s not anthropomorphised, either. He’s a dog.
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12. If I was gonna get a fancy popcorn bucket, you knew it would be this one.
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13. Gunn said at the outset that viewers would see all sorts of things that have never been shown in Superman live-action before, and that’s perhaps the movie’s greatest strength — aside from the characterization of the Man of Steel himself. You’re reminded that across 87 years, there is SO MUCH to the mythos. There’s a sci-fi aspect that’s barely been touched upon beyond “he’s from another planet” and “there are villains from space.” The filmmakers wisely chose to expand upon those rich, untapped aspects of the character’s history while at the same time preserving the best parts of what we loved about Superman I and Superman II.
2025’s Superman honors Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve’s hallowed ground in substantial ways but it also charts a new path of what’s possible for the Man of Tomorrow — and the rest of this new cinematic DC Universe.
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MORE
— The Complete SUPERMAN WEEK INDEX of Columns and Features. Click here.
— GENERAL, WOULD YOU CARE TO STEP OUTSIDE? — and Other Spectacularly SUPER Scenes by DES TAYLOR. Click here.
July 9, 2025
Thanks for this heads-up! Excited to see this one. Everyone knows by now it’s impossible to top the original Superman the Movie for Superman as the sole/first super-hero on a planet somewhat recognizable as our own. (“You’ll believe a man can fly”). And since Gunn is tasked with building out a DCU on film, I’m glad to hear the extra characters are treated matter-of-factly and don’t feel forced in. So if the haters will just be quiet for a bit, we might really have something here. Fingers crossed.
July 9, 2025
Great review Dan, I can’t believe you saw it. Can’t wait to see it. I hope all the previews haven’t given too much away.
Regarding Batman, I still prefer the Dark Knight over the Batman, but both present the darker under side of Gotham.
And Organic webbing maketh the man!
July 10, 2025
I am looking forward to it. When I saw the 1978 Superman on VHS, I was blown away. Nothing beats the beginning in black and white, the curtains open and a kid is reading a Superman comic.
I hope the new movie will be as good.
July 10, 2025
The thing I am most looking forward to about this particular Superman movie is that even from looking at previews it seems to want to pay tribute respectfully to the first two Christopher Reeve, movies, and to me that absolutely is the gold standard of what I want in a Superman movie. Really looking forward to seeing this.
As an aside, (and speaking as a fellow actor), I love the work of Nicholas Hoult, and I think he was a great casting choice
July 11, 2025
At end of the day, I really enjoyed the movie. It was fun! If you grew up with comics, I think you will enjoy it immensely. I’ll wait for a more full-on review post to say more.
July 11, 2025
As of this morning (Friday, July 11, 2025), The New York Times has given the movie a Critic’s Pick notification with the proverbial circled check mark. Actually tempted to see it myself at this point, speaking as one who’s been rather unenthused with the genre of late . . .
July 11, 2025
5 – 100% agree, The Batman is the best Batman movie. Nolan trilogy is too Michael Mann’s Heat to me. (With the exception of the GOAT Joker).
July 11, 2025
(But I love completely too the Keoghan’s take in The Batman)
July 11, 2025
I saw it today. I thought it was fine but forgettable. I’d give it three stars (out of five) or a B-minus. This isn’t an exact comparison, but in a lot of ways it reminded me of the Dick Tracy movie from 1990: over the top, cartoonish, and all surface-level details that look great, but in service of a story that isn’t all that interesting and characters whom I had trouble caring about. I thought there was way too much inelegant exposition spouted by the characters throughout the film, and the ending speech by Superman (which a lot of people online seemed to like) was too clunky and on the nose (telling instead of showing).
I liked it, but going from Zack Snyder’s Justice League Trilogy to this is a lot like watching The Godfather Trilogy and then having someone recommend following that up with Johnny Dangerously (“They’re both gangster movies! So you’ll love it!”). One is a five course French meal with wine pairings, while the other is a Big Mac and a Coke. Nothing wrong with a Big Mac and a Coke, but nothing interesting or memorable about it either. I’ll come back for the Supergirl movie, but I doubt I have enough interest to stick around for the upcoming TV shows.
July 13, 2025
I liked it. I think it was a little heavy at times. I’m sorry that Superman can’t be the character that is aimed a little more at younger kids (There seems to be a gap there among live action projects). But I didn’t have a problem with the messages it included (he said, not trying to give too much away) and hope people will see it with an open mind. I don’t understand people who say it’s boring. If anything, it moves very fast and may be hard for non-comics fans to follow.
July 29, 2025
I can’t get over how much I loved this movie. It felt very much like reading a Silver Age comic with all the fantastical elements just being commonplace to the people of this world & I really enjoyed Clark’s progression from identifying so much with his Kryptonian parents to eventually realizing it’s the parents who raised him who really matter in terms of his identity as a person, not the ones who physically created him. It felt like the natural progression of the Silver/Bronze Age Superman becoming the post-Crisis Byrne/Jurgens era Superman…