Superman Review
A Review by Eric Brown
Originally Reviewed on 7/10/2025
Story: 8.5/10
Performances: 9.5/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Music (score/soundtrack): 8/10
Visuals (props/settings/wardrobe/CGI): 9.5/10
Final Score: 8.9/10
Synopsis
Three years after he introduced himself to the world, Superman (David Corenswet) must come together with other heroes like Guy Gardner’s Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), and Metamorpho (Anthony Carrigan), to stop Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) as he uses his influence as a military contractor to wage war in a foreign dispute.
Spoiler-Free Review
This movie was everything I wanted it to be. It was a breath of fresh air in the comic book movie genre, which has become quite saturated with the rinse and repeat formula of the likes of recent Marvel movies. It was truly a comic book come to life, and I couldn’t be more enthralled by what James Gunn has given us. This movie harks the new age in DC movies, and I hope all the upcoming projects can deliver to this level. I imagine this movie will make millions of people say, “that’s my Superman.” David Corenswet brings all the mannerisms of Clark Kent and Superman. Nicholas Hoult plays the egomaniacal role of Lex Luthor perfectly, and Rachel Brosnahan was wonderfully cast as Lois Lane, both having a great presence on her own, and having amazing chemistry with David Corenswet. The visuals of this movie were amazing. James Gunn isn’t new to bringing CGI characters to life. Look to Guardians of the Galaxy for a couple examples; Groot, Rocket Raccoon, and Cosmo (even Eagley from Peacemaker) were all past examples of his CGI animals and characters, and Krypto looked better than all of them.
Spoiler Review
With over 300 years of Superhero lore behind this movie’s plot, James Gunn takes the risk of trusting the audience to fill in the pieces of the past, rather than giving us another Superman origin story, and I’m so thankful he did. The movie takes place three years after Superman introduced himself to the world, and opens with him losing his first fight against an opponent in highly advanced mechanical armor, later revealed to be Ultraman. Fans of the comics may recognize him as the clone of Superman, created by Lex Luthor. The movie does a really good job hinting at this twist, in having Ultraman present when Lex discovers the Fortress of Solitude, which requires scanning Superman’s DNA to get into. I was very excited to finally get the live action debut of Krypto, and James Gunn did a phenomenal job bringing him to life in the story and on screen. As did Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific, bringing him to life for the first time in live action. His showcase of the T-spheres made me smile from ear to ear, finally seeing this character given justice on the big screen. Nathan Fillion understood the character of Guy Gardner to a level that might make people laugh at how much of a jerk he is. His ego and bad boy persona are ripped directly out of the comics, bad bowl-cut and all. Hawkgirl was a character I was super excited to see, and I wish we got some more of her character in this movie, as I thought Isabela Merced was such a good fit for the look of the character. Hawkgirl and Hawkman’s dynamic is one of my favorite relationships in comic book history, and I’m super excited to see Isabela and her character expanded on in her own story. Ma and Pa Kent (Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince respectively) were the emotional rock of Clark Kent that every Superman story needs. In my opinion, Ma and Pa Kent need to be involved in the story, because without them, Superman wouldn’t have the morals he fights for. Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Going back to the beginning of this spoiler review, there is over 300 years of lore behind this movie. The characters in this movie are already well aware of Superman as a hero, and the other heroes, calling themselves the Justice Gang of America, and I think that was a really smart choice. There were a lot of characters in this movie, and I was worried that it would feel too cramped for a 2 hour runtime, but that decision made everything so much easier to follow, and the story did a good job of still introducing these new characters that a lot of younger audiences might not be familiar with. Getting to talk to my family about who Mr. Terrific was, was such a highlight of the movie for me, and it’s nice to get these more unknown characters in the spotlight (another reason I wish we got more of Isabela’s character). Nicholas Hoult played Lex Luthor perfectly. Being egomaniacal until the very end, and doing everything he can to stay in control of the situation. Overall, every actor delivered on their portrayals, with perfection. The story, visuals, music, and heart of the movie were everything I wanted from a Superman film; something that hasn’t been captured like this since Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve’s 1978 classic.
Written by Eric Brown, sole reviewer of The Movie’s Maniac.
