Ronit J

Superman (2025) Synopsis:

Superman must reconcile his alien Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as reporter Clark Kent. As the embodiment of truth, justice and the human way he soon finds himself in a world that views these as old-fashioned.

Superman (2025) Review:

The superhero film genre is dead to me. And the MCU’s unchecked expansion into OTT with a purely franchise-minded plan that abandoned narrative and characters is single-handedly responsible for that. Captain America: Brave New World was by far the worst film I’ve watched in 2 years. I’ve wholly abandoned the MCU’s TV & OTT series because everything has been disappointing. I’m sure I’m not the only one suffering from this Superhero fatigue.

But, once in a while, something fresh and rewarding comes our way that—while staying true to the genre—abandons its worst elements. Take Invincible for that matter. Or The Boys. Or my personal favourite ongoing superhero series: JCM Berne’s Hybrid Helix. They have all managed to tell compelling stories that are chockfull of characters without abandoning plot, or over-relying on easter eggs.

Superman 2025—I am delighted to say—falls in that latter category. Despite a few complaints, the film overall felt like a breath of fresh air.

For once, a new Superman film series doesn’t start with his origin (something I appreciated in the MCU’s take on Spider-Man). We meet David Corenswet’s Superman/Clark Kent/Kal-El as an already established superhero who’s well-loved, and is a public icon. The film kickstarts in the middle of a major geopolitical crisis where a clearly tyrannical leader is invading his neighbouring country under the false guise of ‘self-defence’ and ‘liberating the citizens’, but really has deeply selfish and corporate motives. I’m talking about Boravia and Jarhanpur, but in case you thought I’m sneakily saying Free Palestine, yes I am.

Anyway, let’s get on with the review.

A Fresh—Albeit Familiar—Take On The Superhero Genre

James Gunn’s Superman feels like the most comic-accurate version we’ve gotten in over a decade. He’s a beaming ray of positivity who always strives to do the right thing. From wanting to capture and transfer the kaiju monster to going out of his way to save a squirrel, Superman is the perfect embodiment of a good superhero. Yet, James Gunn manages to keep him positive and true to his ideals despite the many frustratingly unfair challenges that the cruel world of corporate greed and social media fuelled rage throws his way.

That, in addition to James Gunn’s inclusion of several relevant socio-political themes, to me is a major win for a film and a franchise of this scale and legacy. Not only did this film capture the essence of Superman well, it did so while telling one of the most comic book-accurate stories. This had everything: gratuitous cameos, world-ending threats, and fantastical settings, all without compromising on the main character and story. For the sake of brevity, I won’t dive into the nitty-gritty details, because there are far too many.

The plot might feel convoluted at times, but never does it feel confusing. The convoluted nature begins to unravel in the second half, and Gunn manages to conclude every single plot point in a satisfying manner. Plus, I genuinely liked the visualisations of the fortress of solitude and the pocket dimension. The Clark-Lois romance felt natural without compromising on pacing. And Krypto was just a delight to watch.

As a dog parent with a reactive dog, this one really felt like it was made by someone who understands dogs.

Has its Faults

The good thing is that the film manages to tell a coherent story despite being chockfull of characters and subplots. The bad thing is that it’s chockfull of characters. While this is a very comic-accurate depiction of a superhero story, it results in the supporting characters feeling underdeveloped. Including Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), our main villain. I understand his motivations, but he felt a little too cartoony to take seriously. Unlike the High Evolutionary in Guardians of the Galaxy 3, Luthor felt like he served the plot, representing all the tech billionaires who are responsible for the majority of our world’s problems right now. Kudos from a commentary standpoint, but I did find it lacking from a character standpoint.

The Justice Gang was okay. I didn’t mind them not getting too much screen time, but also felt like I was missing out on something larger—a cruel side effect of the superhero genre. But speaking of, the film does resort to several tropes of genre. The groovy action one-take shot where superheroes beat up a barrage of enemies, the villainous monologue cut short by a hero thrashing them completely, and many more. They’re fun, but they do feel a little stale.

Superman doesn’t reinvent the wheel. While that’s a good thing for genres that are less prominent, the reliance on tropes ends up diminishing Superman’s overall quality just a tad. What could have been a masterpiece ends up as an above average film that feels fresh and fun, but is mostly just meh. Also, I didn’t like the look of the film. Most of it felt very much like a TV movie rather than something shot on IMAX.

Superman (2025) Ending Explained (SPOILERS)

Lex’s girlfriend Eve (Sara Sampaio) sends Jimmy ‘sexy selfies’ featuring Lex’s plans in the background. The Daily Planet team publishes all their findings exposing Lex. Meanwhile, Superman, Krypto and Mr Terrific fight Ultraman (a Superman Clone) and The Engineer. Once they’re neutralised, and Ultraman is thrown into the Black Hole, Superman breaks into Lex’s headquarters. Mr Terrific hacks into the computer and stops the dimensional rift, while Superman tries to reason with Lex. However, the hard-headed Lex refuses to budge, ending up completely trashed by Krypto. He’s later handcuffed and sent to Belle Reve prison.

Meanwhile, the Justice Gang along with Metamorpho stop Boravia from invading Jarhanpur. Hawkgirl kills the President of Boravia (Zlatko Burić), because she’s not Superman and in her eyes the only way to stop a global dictator is execution. Peace is eventually restored.

The Daily Planet’s findings acquit Superman of all the hate. It also results in all the pocket-dimension prisoners being free. In the end, a drunken Supergirl (Milly Alcock) stumbles into the Fortress of Solitude to retrieve Krypto. As Superman settles for rejuvenation, the robots ask if they should play his parents’ footage. They proceed to show him videos of his childhood on Earth with Jonathan & Martha Kent.

So basically: You are not who you were born, you are not how you were raised; you are who your choices make you to be. If a country is invading another, it’s most probably for economic gain, and chances are that uber billionaires are supporting said invasion. Don’t believe everything you read on the internet because it’s most probably fuelled by hate that supports evil causes. Think for yourself. Be kind. Do your best to make the world a better place.

Yup. This is 100% solid Superman stuff.

Superman (2025) Mid-Credits & After-Credits Scenes Explained

Mid-Credits Scene: Superman sits on the moon observing Earth as Krypto cuddles up to him.

Post-Credits Scene: Superman comments on how the split building didn’t align properly after the rift closes, which ends up offending Mr Terrific.

In my opinion, these scenes really nailed it! No more waiting for an unnecessary tease. Instead, these scenes are exactly what they’re supposed to be: fun easter eggs that aren’t mandatory watches.

Is Superman (2025) worth watching?

Depends.

If you’re sick of superhero movies, Superman does nothing too out of the box to reinvent the genre.

However, if you’re missing the charm of old superhero movies and want to experience the same escapist fantasy in a comic-accurate manner, Superman is a breath of fresh air!

In Conclusion:

Superman (2025) is a refreshing, if not a little too familiar, superhero film that hits all the right spots. While I’m over the superhero genre for the most part, it remains my guilty pleasure. After Superman, I am genuinely excited to see James Gunn’s version of a shared universe.

Also check out:

• Creature Commandos Season 1 | Review | James Gunn | DCU
• Peacemaker Season 2 | Review
• The Fantastic Four: The First Steps (2025) | Film Review
• It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 17 | Review | Episodes Ranked
• A Brief History of a Long War | Graphic Novel Review
• Takopi’s Original Sin | Anime Review
• Island of the Dying Goddess

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Until next time!