SUPERMAN Under the Gunn

SUPERMAN (Blu-ray)

2025 / 129 min

Warner Bros

Review by Princess Pepper😺

This is the best Superman film since Robert Donner’s 1978 classic. That might be considered faint praise, since sequels to the original got increasingly worse. Then there are the dumpster fires by Zack Snyder, who had the misguided idea to make the Man of Steel as brooding as Batman. 

Certainly, a fresh start was in order, but thank God this isn't another origin story. At this point, who isn’t aware of Superman’s origins and early days? And we sure as hell don’t need to see the planet Krypton explode again. So who better to rescue the franchise from itself than writer-director James Gunn? He's not only responsible for the best trilogy in the MCU (Guardians of the Galaxy), but made the best DC do-over with The Suicide Squad.

Gunn’s Superman remembers this stuff is supposed to be fun, and sets that tone right away with our titular hero (David Corenswet) getting his ass handed to him by a “metahuman” foe, only to be rescued and dragged home by his rambunctious, CG-created dog, Krypto. Typical of Gunn’s style, the scene is funny without descending into campy self-awareness, displaying a playful sense of humor that pops up throughout the rest of the film, and seldom gratuitously. 

"I don't care how cold it is. You do your business outside."

But Superman isn’t a comedy, nor so awestruck by its hero that he can’t be depicted as uncertain and vulnerable. While never particularly jawdropping or groundbreaking, what makes the film enjoyable is the attention paid to its characters, how they’re written, and just as importantly, how they’re performed. Corenswet is a compassionate, likable Man of Steel, while Nicholas Hoult makes Lex Luthor’s obsessive hatred/envy of Superman almost understandable (especially when one considers the paranoid state of the world right now), stopping just short of being sympathetic.

The movie is occasionally stolen by the “Justice Gang,” consisting of self-absorbed Green Lantern (Nathon Fallon), snarky Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced) and beleaguered Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who provide a considerable amount of comic relief. I wouldn’t mind seeing these guys in their own movie. Interestingly, the weakest character might be Louis Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), mainly because there isn’t a whole lot of difference between her and other depictions of the character. Still, the scenes between Lois and Clark/Superman are engaging (and she’s well played by Brosnahan). 

There’s a new story, of course, and it’s a pretty good one that includes some relevant social commentary on how easily the media can be manipulated by those in powerful positions with an agenda. It also culminates in the usual destructive, CGI-laden climax, which is arguably the least interesting aspect of the film, mainly because we've seen it all before. But until then, the new Superman is a breezy breath of fresh air after a decade of dour debacles. This franchise finally appears to be in the right hands.

And as for the mouthbreathers, Kool-Aid drinkers and Zack zealots getting all butthurt over a supposed “woke” Superman…go home and clean the poo-poo out of your Underoos. 

EXTRA KIBBLES

ADVENTURES IN THE MAKING OF SUPERMAN - This is an excellent making-of doc that runs nearly an hour.

FEATURETTES - Breaking News: The Daily Planet Returns; Lex Luthor: The Mind of a Master Villain; The Justice Gang (these guys should get their own movie); Paws to Pixels: Krypto is Born (James Gunn based this charming pooch on his own dog); The Ultimate Villain; Icons Forever: Superman’s Enduring Legacy; A New Era: DC Takes Off; Kryptunes: The Music of Superman. These features run 5-10 minutes each.

ANIMATED SHORT - “School Bus Scuffle,” featuring Krypto.

AUDIO COMMENTARY (Digital Copy Only) - By director James Gunn.