If you grew up watching the Superman: The Animated Series on weekday afternoons with a bowl of cereal, or you were a big fan of the Smallville series with the unwavering belief that truth and justice weren’t just concepts, they were cool, then Superman (2025) is probably the live-action movie you’ve been waiting for.
Let’s just get this out of the way right now. David Corenswet is Superman. Full stop. If you were one of the many skeptics clutching your Blu-ray copy of Man of Steel like it was a religious artifact and groaning that Corenswet was “too soft” or “too Hallmark” or “not Snyder enough” then I hope you’re prepared to change your mind. Because this guy just pulled off one of the most sincere and powerful versions of Superman I’ve seen.
Right from the start, Superman (yes, just Superman, no subtitle or confusing colon) makes a smart decision. It skips the origin story entirely. No exploding Krypton. No rocket landing in a Kansas cornfield. No baby lifting a tractor while Pa Kent gasps in awe. We have seen it. We know it. We get it. Instead, Gunn’s film opens with quick captioned backstory and launches us straight into a world where Superman has already been on the job for three years. And he just got his ass handed to him by a superpowered supervillian named Ultraman.
Naturally, the puppet master behind this chaos is Lex Luthor, played by a bald and tightly wound Nicholas Hoult. He is calculating, manipulative, and angry at the world in a way that feels both familiar and slightly unhinged. Hoult does a solid job with the character, but there were moments where I caught myself wondering what an older and more menacing actor might have done with the role. Hoult’s Lex feels like the kind of young condescending founder you see on a panel at SXSW Interactive talking about the dangers of having too much hope. Still, it works well enough.
Rachel Brosnahan soars as Lois Lane. She brings the right blend of sharpness, wit, and emotional gravity that makes Lois feel essential again. She is not a tagalong. She is not a helpless damsel in distress. She’s a fearless modern reporter who asks real questions, even when it makes Superman squirm in a press interview. There is a particular scene from the trailer where she puts Clark on the spot about interfering in a foreign war. And it hits hard. Romance aside, she never forgets she has a job to do. She even pilots a spaceship later in the movie. It’s a bit bonkers and kinda silly, but it’s fun and exactly the kind of stuff I saw all the time in the animated series. So calm down, nerds.
I’ll say this again, David Corenswet is Superman. Like actually looks like Superman. Tall, handsome, chiseled jawline, piercing blue eyes. But he also feels like Superman. He says things like “gosh darn it” when saving civilians and turns on the steely eyes when things get real. There is a kind of innocence in his performance that never feels cheesy. It just feels genuine. When he’s flying around Metropolis saving people from collapsing bridges or punching giant monsters through buildings, it doesn’t feel like he’s just posing. He’s being.
Director James Gunn brings a clear love for the material without being overly precious. The tone strikes that sweet spot between spectacle and sincerity. This is a world where superheroes already exist. Nobody’s freaking out about flying aliens. The Justice Gang is already a thing. Well, kind of, but not really. The movie respects the audience’s intelligence and skips all of the needless info dump. That alone deserves a bit of a slow clap.
Supporting characters mostly crush it. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is a smug and self-absorbed Green Lantern who struts around like the world owes him a parade. He is hilarious in a deeply punchable way. Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl exists, has a bit of a chip on her shoulder, but she’s got some power. She is fine, but doesn’t really leave a lasting mark. I’m hoping to see more from her in the coming films.
Edi Gathegi though. Mister Terrific. Remember the name. This guy comes in, steals scenes, and quietly becomes the dark horse MVP. He plays the character with this deadpan intellect that makes him come off like the grumpy genius at the center of the team. No time for emotions. No patience for small talk. Just science, tech, and problem solving. If Batman had a slightly more polite cousin with chip on his shoulder, it might be Mister Terrific.
We also meet Krypto the Superdog, and thankfully, it is not cringey. It’s charming and cute. Krypto is a fully CGI ball of muscle who slams through bad guys like a four-legged freight train. He is loyal. He is funny. And he is weirdly lovable as Superman’s best little friend.
Skyler Gisondo is a standout as Jimmy Olsen. He brings heart, levity, and perfect nerd that all the younger ladies swoon over in the movie. Wendell Pierce’s Perry White gets less screen time than I would have liked, but he owns every second with that perfect grumpy, but straight-to-the-point boss voice. And Superman’s parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, are alive and kicking in this story. Played by Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince, they add warmth and authenticity to Clark’s humanity. It’s a nice touch. A reminder that Superman isn’t just from Krypton. He’s also a country boy from Kansas.
And yes, we get a glimpse of Supergirl. We get Bradley Cooper as Jor-El. We get a very C3PO-adjacent robot assistant in the Fortress of Solitude voiced by Alan Tudyk. Even Frank Grillo shows up as General Rick Flag Sr. There’s a lot of world-building, but Gunn never lets it drown the story. It all feels connected and natural like its going to be part of a huge universe we’ll be watching on the big screen over the next several years.
The visuals are top notch. The action scenes look big without turning into blurry CGI soup. The flying sequences are graceful and kinetic. The third act delivers everything you want from a Superman climax. There are a few corny lines and a couple of overly convenient plot turns, but none of it breaks the spell.
What this movie gets right, above all else, is tone. It is fun. It is heartfelt. It is confident. It doesn’t bend over backwards trying to be dark, edgy or “gritty” just to win Twitter arguments. It just focuses on telling a solid Superman story. You can tell it was made by someone who actually likes the character and has watched all of the countless movies and tv series over the years, understanding why people look up to Superman.
Is it perfect? No. Is it going to please every Snyder diehard? Probably not. But it is rewatchable, satisfying, and genuinely exciting. It is the first superhero movie in a while that made me want to buy a ticket again before the credits finished rolling. Maybe that just means I’m a Superman nerd, but I’m fine with that. If you can, see it in IMAX. It’s absolutely worth it, but for good measure, I’ll probably go watch it again in 3D.
To everyone who doubted Corenswet, maybe it’s time to admit you just didn’t want change. But change showed up anyway. And it nailed the landing.