“Superman” (2025) Proves it’s Not Easy to Be the Man in the Sky
It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s another reimagining of Superman! This time it’s James Gunn in the director’s chair, promising a return to the aw-shucks Kansas boy who hasn’t been seen on-screen in a long time. DC’s latest attempt had Henry Cavill don the suit with a hardened, less-approachable Clark Kent. Gunn sought to take things back to basics with Superman (2025). In all of his interviews, Gunn reiterated that his movie was taking the character back to his origins. Back to the truthful, just, and earnest American way so many people grew up loving…so why doesn’t Superman (2025) make good on those promises?
Unlike most revamps of a beloved character, Superman (2025) doesn’t spend its runtime giving us the backstory of Kal-El, a.k.a. Clark Kent, a.k.a. Superman (David Corenswet). We’re joining a story already in progress. Superman is known to the world, but his secret identity is still kept quiet. When the film begins, Superman has just stopped Boravia from invading their neighboring Jarhanpur, but finds himself beaten to a pulp by a metahuman called the Hammer of Boravia. Superman finds himself at a crossroads where the public, namely Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), is beginning to wonder if this alien has humanity’s best interests at heart.
courtesy of Warner Bros.
The good of Superman (2025) is in its cast. Corenswet looks like he was raised from birth to put on Superman’s red shorts. It was a diabolically profound choice to cast Hoult as Lex Luthor after he auditioned for, and lost, the part of Superman. Skyler Gisondo also thought he had a chance at Superman, but instead charmingly takes on the role of Jimmy Olson, best friend to Clark. Rachel Brosnahan has the go-getter spirit of Lois Lane and the ability to allow sensitivity to seep through her every action. All these actors together, plus the too-many-to-name supporting characters, believe in the vision of Superman that Gunn sold to them, what he was created to be – an icon of hope for the little guy.
One could argue that Superman is who he always had to be, by virtue of Earth’s sun giving him superpowers, but that Clark Kent is who he chose to be. For many people, it is Clark Kent, reporter at The Daily Planet, who means something greater than the man in tights and a cape. Both Superman and Clark Kent are speaking to the idea of unity through diversity. Anyone who complains that Gunn has turned the hero woke never understood Superman to begin with. He is an immigrant with a home he cannot return to. A home he never got to wholly experience. He is Kryptonian-born, but Earth-raised. The ideals he has come in part from his Kryptonian parents, but also from his Kansan ones as well.
courtesy of Warner Bros.
The problem lies with the fact that Gunn’s Superman (2025) doesn’t feel like it’s a movie centered on the titular hero. He spends a good portion of the film locked up, leaving other lesser-known heroes to fight. When you buy a ticket to a movie called Superman, you want to see Superman. There are maybe two scenes with Kal-El as Clark, which makes the film feel like it's forgotten half of who this character is. While it should be applauded for not making the audience endure another origin story, the plot we were dropped into is too messy to feel purposeful. At the end of the day, Superman fell victim to letting CGI fight scenes take over instead of being the earnest, heart-on-the-sleeve version of the hero it wanted to be. There are more than enough movies to scratch the blowout CGI-fight itch, but not nearly enough about a sweet, basically invincible guy trying his best to take care of his new home.
It’s no secret that Superman (2025) was designed to be the beginning of another attempt by DC to create something akin to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Gunn is calling this phase Chapter One: Gods and Monsters. Already in the works are films centered on Supergirl, Clayface, and others. It seems as though Chapter One is full steam ahead and Superman will certainly be a part of it. Let’s hope he gets a little Kansas back in his soul.
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