James Gunn’s Superman had one job — to kickstart a brand-new DC Universe with clarity, confidence, and purpose. What we got instead is a quirky, overstuffed spectacle that bounces between heartfelt sincerity and Saturday morning cartoon mayhem, never quite settling into a rhythm strong enough to lift this hero off the ground.
On paper, it all sounds promising: Superman skips the tired origin story and dives straight into Clark Kent’s third year as Earth’s protector. David Corenswet brings a sincere, wide-eyed charm to the role — equal parts Boy Scout and alien outcast — while Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is, without a doubt, the best we’ve ever seen on screen. Their chemistry crackles, especially in the film’s most grounded scene: a sharp interview that pits Lois’ hard-nosed journalism against Superman’s unwavering optimism. In that moment, you can almost feel the movie it could have been — thoughtful, conflicted, real.
Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between.
Instead, Gunn floods the screen with noise: a baby kaiju rampage, enslaved propaganda-blasting monkeys, dimension-hopping side quests, and a subplot about Middle Eastern geopolitics that feels both undercooked and out of place. The tone veers wildly from sweet and silly (Paddington-esque, but without the coherence) to vaguely satirical (The Boys-lite, but without the bite), all while struggling to anchor Superman’s humanity in a world that barely feels real.
Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is a welcome surprise — channeling an unsettling mix of tech bro arrogance and sociopathic detachment — but his motives get lost in the film’s whiplash-inducing pacing. Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific shines, so much so that he often hijacks the film, leaving Superman himself to feel sidelined in his own story. Even Jimmy Olsen and Eve Teschmacher get more narrative oxygen than Lois Lane, who deserves far more than the scattered handful of scenes she’s given.
Gunn’s heart is in the right place. He clearly understands that Superman’s strength lies not in his muscles, but in his moral compass — the decision to remain kind in an unkind world. But the film’s scattershot execution doesn’t give that idea room to breathe. Instead of building a compelling world around Superman’s idealism, Superman throws everything at the wall — and while some of it sticks, a lot of it just clutters.
Worse still, the film often confuses silliness for soul. The Justice Gang, helper robots, super dogs, and shapeshifters might be amusing on their own, but they detract from the emotional core. This movie tries to be fun — and sometimes is — but too often the fun feels manufactured, as if Gunn is forcing levity into a story that secretly wants to be taken seriously.
There is greatness in this film — in Corenswet’s performance, in Brosnahan’s fire, and in the rare quiet moments when Gunn pauses to reflect instead of react. But these elements get drowned out by a movie so desperate to fix what came before, it forgets to build what comes next.
In the end, Superman is a well-intentioned overcorrection — a movie trying to lighten the mood of the DCEU’s grim past, but in doing so, loses the emotional gravity that makes Superman truly soar. It’s not a disaster, but it’s not the dawn of a bold new era either. It’s a chaotic remix of better stories, buoyed by a charming cast and burdened by too many ideas.
And that’s the real shame: for a man who can fly, Superman never quite takes off.
Rating: 3/5 stars
🌟🌟🌟☆☆
Best Scene: The interview between Lois and Clark — witty, tense, and surprisingly romantic.
Worst Offender: The third-act twist that feels more like a groan than a gasp.
Watch if you liked: Guardians of the Galaxy, Paddington, or the idea of Superman saving squirrels.
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