Superman: A Review

I saw the new Superman film directed by James Gunn on July 10th 2025 and unfortunately, it was a largely unpleasant experience. While the film contains brief flashes of the iconic, awe-inspiring Superman that fans have come to admire over the decades, these moments are buried beneath a story that repeatedly undermines the character’s strength, dignity, and purpose. Superman himself is portrayed not as a symbol of hope or justice, but as someone who is constantly beaten down — emotionally and physically — with very little recovery or resolution. This repeated deconstruction left a bitter aftertaste. Rather than feeling inspired, I found myself questioning whether the film understood what makes Superman compelling in the first place.

The writing, particularly the dialogue, is another weak point. Much of it feels lazy and uninspired, failing to convey the emotional depth or thematic weight expected from a film of this scale. Now, That said, the cinematography is impressive. Visually, the film is well-executed, with some beautifully composed shots and effective use of light and shadow in the age of CGI and visual clarity is a high point in the film.. It’s clear the team behind the camera knew what they were doing, even if the script didn’t give them much to elevate. The supporting characters, with a few exceptions, fare better than Superman. However, I found the portrayal of his parents — Martha and Jonathan Kent — lacking and offensive at best. Their appearances are brief, and their dialogue feels shallow and stereotypical, as though written by someone with only a surface-level understanding of rural American farmers to be considered low brow and unintelligent. Instead of being grounding and wise, they come off as caricatures. One of them calls the TV a “box” when it is clearly a flatscreen and not one of the old CRT televisions back in the day which that term would be used for, erroneously assuming an unintelligent understanding of the world, since there are very few moments with Superman’s earthly parents.

Lex Luthor’s depiction also raises concerns. While the actor delivers moments of intensity, there’s a scene late in the film where he breaks down in tears — a choice that feels inconsistent with the core of the character. Similarly, Krypto is reimagined as a skinny, scrappy mutt — a far cry from the noble, disciplined and incredibly powerful canine longtime fans recognize. Perhaps the most jarring moment came with the appearance of Supergirl. Her entrance could have been empowering and impactful, but instead, she belittles Superman by calling him a certain b-word for looking after her dog, after she has been on other planets partying. The scene feels unnecessarily disrespectful and out of place, reinforcing the film’s tendency to mock rather than celebrate its own heroes.

Despite early reports of high Rotten Tomatoes scores (with initial figures suggesting a 95% audience score and 82% critic rating), I believe this film may not resonate with the core Superman fanbase in the long term. It offers spectacle, yes, but at the cost of the heart and soul that defines the character. There are good elements — visual craftsmanship, occasional dramatic tension, and a few strong performances — but they are not enough to redeem the overall narrative direction. In the end, Superman (2025) feels like another revisionist take in an era already crowded with deconstructions and subversions of classic heroes.

What fans are craving is not irony, sarcasm, or yet another “broken” version of Superman. They want hope. They want someone to believe in. This film, for all its potential, fails to deliver that. If you’re looking for a Superman who stands tall and inspires — Christopher Reeve or Henry Cavills’ portrayals remain unmatched. This film gets 2.5/5 stars for the reasons I have supplied above.