Official poster for “Superman” directed by James Gunn. Courtesy of DC Studios.

SPOILERS AHEAD

     Since 1938, Superman has been a symbol of hope and justice, serving as a universal representation of heroism and courage in the face of societal hardships.

     Superman, released in 2025 and directed by James Gunn, received an 83 percent critic score on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.2 out of 10 rating on IMDb. It’s an entertaining and good introduction to the new DC universe — an opinion I share with the majority of fans.  

     The film marks the beginning of James Gunn’s reimagined DC cinematic universe, inspired by DC Comics, with American actor David Corenswet taking on the role of Superman, previously held by Henry Cavill.

     This time around, the production team decided not to include the Man of Steel’s iconic backstory. “I’m not telling Batman and Superman’s origin stories again because everyone knows them,” Gunn said, responding to a fan’s question on X. 

     This choice makes sense, given that Superman’s origin has been retold countless times and may seem too repetitive to some viewers. That said, the film begins on planet Earth with Kal-El — also known as Clark Kent — having already been Superman for three years. 

     The central conflict of the film revolves around the tension between the two fictional countries of Boravia and Jarhanpur, with Superman seeking to halt Boravia’s invasion of Jarhanpur. Before I saw the trailers for this film, I wasn’t expecting foreign conflict to be the focus of a Superman movie. However, it seems to represent the character well, as a symbol of world peace. 

     Through the dispute between the two countries, the audience is introduced to the main antagonist Lex Luthor, CEO of Luthorcorp and one of Superman’s most prominent villains from the comics. The pure rage that Luthor feels towards Superman is portrayed perfectly by actor Nicholas Hoult with his harsh dialogue and exaggerated expressions. Hoult’s interpretation of Lex Luthor has been the best to have come from live-action DC movies and television shows. 

    As for the secondary antagonists of the film, the Engineer and Ultraman, both were interesting inclusions played by competent actors, granted Ultraman was also played by Corenswet. Gunn’s inclusion of lesser-known characters, including both villains and heroes, is great to see after several years of focusing solely on popular figures like Batman and Superman. 

     The Justice Gang, not to be confused with the Justice League, is a small group of metahumans — super-powered human beings — who assist Superman in several instances throughout the film. Guy Gardner, played by Nathan Fillion, holds the mantle of Green Lantern in the Justice Gang, which confused some viewers due to his lack of resemblance to Hal Jordan, known more by casual fans as the Green Lantern. As someone who particularly enjoys Jordan’s work, I do not mind his exclusion from the feature, seeing that his own series is currently in the works as a future project for the new DC universe. 

    Then there’s Superman himself, the protagonist we have known for so many years in many different faces. Portraying a character that has been done numerous times before by talented actors isn’t an easy task, but Corenswet doesn’t fail to impress in the slightest. 

     Being Superman is practically equivalent to being two different people in the same production, with Clark Kent and his superhero alter ego having widely varying personalities. Corenswet captures both the awkward nerdiness of Clark and the reserved stoicism of Superman, seamlessly transitioning between them. 

     Characters aside, the score of “Superman” is also enjoyable. Two songs in particular caught my attention. The main theme, which remixes the same song that has been used for Superman for decades, is both epic and deeply resonates with fans. The song “Punkrocker” by the Teddybears, featuring Iggy Pop, can be heard in the end credits and holds heavy relevance to the reappearing subject of punk rock, mentioned in select scenes between Superman and his love interest Lois Lane. A catchy and memorable tune, it was an excellent choice. 

     Gunn wished to restore the uplifting and pure-hearted nature of Superman through his 2025 film, and I can say with full confidence that he succeeded. From the characters to the setting to the soundtrack, I felt like I was reading a comic book while viewing the movie in theaters. Now, I’m quite invested in the future of this new DC universe and its new Man of Tomorrow.