It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a… good movie? Finally. Superman is one of the most iconic pop cultural figures in the world, up there with Michael Jordan and Santa Claus in terms of global recognition. And yet the never-ending onslaught of superhero movies that exponentially accelerated in the late 2000s has never granted us a definitive, solid, modern cinematic iteration of the character, until now.
James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy) steps into the director’s chair for this first outing for the newly branded DCU, a pilot film for what will hopefully shape into a successful, connected universe of stories featuring DC characters. The film stars David Corenswet as Superman/Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane, along with a rich and energetic ensemble of heroes, villains, and regular folks brought together when Superman’s intervention in a crisis in a fictionalized Middle Eastern land dispute brought on by a violent, colonial neighboring nation sets into motion a master plan by supergenius Lex Luthor (Nicholaus Hoult).
The political dispute that Superman steps into sees the film deliver an outright humanist, strongly anti-imperial message that will surely draw the ire of many who have already knocked Gunn for describing Superman as a fundamentally immigrant story. The politics of Superman do not directly affix themselves to our real world, but they certainly evoke feelings that are hard to avoid given the current moment.
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Superman makes an interesting and ultimately successful decision to drop audiences into this franchise as if it were already ongoing. There are no origin stories. Instead, we pick up with a Metropolis that has known Superman for three years. “Metahumans,” as the film calls them, are a common occurrence, and the cataclysm that comes with them is all but expected. This choice works for a couple reasons. One is that we already know Superman, film audiences have known of his origin since the wild success of the 1978 film starring Christopher Reeve. The second is that Gunn’s film allows itself to undercut any sense of self-importance by framing itself more of an episode-of-the-week type of story, communicating to audiences that this world is lived in and will continue to go on after the credits roll (and do stay for the credits if you want to see two charming and sweet, albeit inconsequential, stingers).
What Superman does best is that it finally modernizes the traits that readers and moviegoers came to love about the character decades ago. He is not brooding or cynical, he loves humanity and loves to consider himself a part of it. He loves heroism. He smiles. He is romantic (the chemistry between Corenswet and Brosnahan is absolutely perfect). He saves people, and he is damn charming while he does it. This Superman is more hopeful and life-affirming than just about any superhero character we’ve gotten on the big screen this century, and that is much appreciated.
The film also delivers a wallop of comedic beats and character moments, especially with the inclusion of the so-called “Justice Gang,” a ragtag group of heroes who all leave their own stamp on the movie. Guy Gardener (Nathan Fillion) is an arrogant Green Lantern, and just about every line out of his mouth had the theater roaring with laughter. Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi) is a brilliant scientist who battles with technology, and his character steals nearly every scene he is in. Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced) is given the least to do of this trio but has a few great action moments, while also playing off Guy’s energy perfectly.
If it sounds like a lot, that is because it is. Superman works best when it embraces the mania of its comic book storytelling. Along with Clark Kent, audiences are ping-ponging back and forth between giant monster fights, a budding romance, a geopolitical conflict, and an ideological battle with his nemesis. But the movie maintains such a consistent energy that you never feel overwhelmed or worn out by everything going on. All the plot threads followed through this exciting ensemble of characters come together to deliver one of the most thoroughly entertaining superhero movies of the year. Superman is back, better than ever.
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This article appears in Jul 4-31, 2025.
