With Superman, James Gunn and Peter Safran open up a new take on DCU, completely!
Release Date: July 11, 2025
Cast: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult & others
Director: James Gunn
Producer/s: James Gunn, Peter Safran
Production Companies: DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Synopsis:
Superman gets entangled in conflicts at home and abroad, and his actions are questioned. This allows his arch-nemesis and tech-billionaire, Lex Luthor, to get the last son of Krypton out of the way for good. Will his friends be able to help him before it’s too late?
Trailer:
My Review:
As a pannapictagraphist, superhero movies or any comic movies are a big deal for me, especially DC and Marvel. My brother and I decided to go for the movie, and we took the morning day, which was also the first show of the first day, i.e., the 9:00 am show on July 11, 2025, at Seawoods’ Nexus. Not bad, huh!
Now the flick was directed & written by James Gunn. Will talk about him later. It starred David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult as Kal-El/Clark/Superman/Ultraman, Lois Lane, and Lex Luthor. Also, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, and John Cena as Guy Gardner/Green Lantern, Kendra Saunders/Hawkgirl, and Michael Holt/Mr. Terrific, Rex Mason/Metamorpho and Christopher Smith/Peacemaker. There was also Frank Grillo, Bradley Cooper, and Milly Alcock as Rick Flag Sr., Jor-El, and Supergirl, respectively.
The flick starts with establishing the presence of Superman, already been felt around the world. The movie was good, had somewhat decent jokes, though one or two… ‘well’… felt a bit off and just forced. The movie focused on Superman, whom the world has already met. The cast played their roles well, but the characters in the story had their teeny-weeny flaws, like Lex going a bit goofy, unlike his comic counterpart, or Mr. Terrific acting a bit cocky than he’s supposed to. Though Krypto was cute, it seemed a bit silly, than a creature with any sort of intelligence (Krypto was sent before Kal-el, now Jor-El won’t send a naughty creature to space [I think the naughtiness was a bit over than the required amount]) Then there’s this funny replica of ‘Justice League’, The Justice Gang. However, Lois’ energy and character were portrayed great. I gotta say, Guy Gardner was perfect. A douchebag, most of the time in comics and even here. Jimmy Olsen, also, I felt, was nicely characterized, and the Daily Planet office atmosphere also felt cool. Supergirl’s cameo was somewhat expected in some corner of the movie, and here she is, and it was good.
This movie was good, but it lacked the seriousness or zing you see in a Superman comic and not the one especially played by Henry Cavill in Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder. I felt it was very colorful compared to DC movies and books, more like a Marvel movie. I can understand, James tried to capture Superman’s early times since he came out before the world, but still, something didn’t quite add up. It could be coz of the ways I know/read Superman and DC. With Superman, James Gunn and Peter Safran, the co-CEOs of DC, have unleashed their DCU completely now after announcing a soft reboot for DCEU, after taking their positions.
Now, James Gunn is a terrific director, and he did a wonderful job with the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy. But here, it didn’t fit quite well—the dialogues, a few forced jokes, and the inclusion of other heroes. And, albeit, Superman was the focus of the story in a catchy way.
Images:
Final Verdict:
This Superman movie is a, ‘I won’t say spectacular’, but a good start to the DCU to rope in newer fans and more movie buffs. A good intro for the DCU Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Anyway, it’s a good escape for those missing a good superhero flick.
I rate it 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Pic Credits: DC/WB
