Superman Review: Wonderfully Overwhelmed

James Gunn’s Superman isn’t so much a reboot as it is a declaration of love for the character, for comic book storytelling, and for the gleefully chaotic weirdness of the DC Universe. It’s a movie that throws everything at you—flying dogs, pocket dimensions, Lex Luthor’s army of raptors, and the Daily Planet gang cracking wise in a flying saucer newsroom—and somehow, it works!

It’s not perfect, but it’s wonderfully overwhelming. And crucially, it gives us a Superman who’s funny, vulnerable, impossibly cool, and above all, kind.

From the very first scene between Clark and Lois—a quiet, tender ten-minute conversation over coffee that sets the tone for what’s to come—Superman feels different, as we see a hero who earnestly tries to explain that he values human life above anything else, regardless of the geopolitical consequences.

David Corenswet stars as Clark Kent/Superman, navigating life in Metropolis while facing down a new threat in the form of Ultraman, unleashed by Lex Luthor (played with Shakespearean smugness by Nicholas Hoult).

Alongside Lex Luthor’s machinations, Superman introduces The Engineer, played with cool menace by María Gabriela de Faría. A cyber-enhanced villain from the DC Wildstorm Universe, she adds an eerie, transhuman edge to the chaos.

Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is already an award-winning journalist, and the film introduces the Justice Gang: Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawk Girl (Isabela Merced), and Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), who nearly steals the entire movie. And yes, Krypto the Superdog is here—messy at first, but lovable by the end.

We also get Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho as a conflicted but compelling figure, initially coerced by Lex Luthor to generate kryptonite using his element-altering body, but later redeeming himself by aiding Superman.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo)’s subplot brings much-needed levity as he accidentally uncovers Lex’s secret base while trying to impress a skeptical Perry White. Sara Sampaio plays Eve Tessmacher, Lex’s girlfriend, with a seductive ambiguity, caught between loyalty and survival.

Narratively, Gunn isn’t interested in holding your hand or overexplaining his new DC Universe. There are alien pocket dimensions, sci-fi macguffins, and multiverse logic thrown at you fast and furious. Instead of explaining every concept, Gunn trusts you’ll either connect the dots or just roll with it.

It’s a bold move in a genre that too often assumes audiences need PowerPoint-level exposition every 20 minutes. But what truly sets Superman apart is… well, Superman.

Gone is the tortured, soul-searching loner of Man of Steel . Instead, Corenswet gives us a version of the character we’ve always wanted but rarely seen on screen: warm, goofy, sincere, and radiating the energy of a guy who grew up in Smallville, loves his job, and just happens to have godlike powers.

He cracks jokes, saves people with a smile, and genuinely values every human life. He’s the kind of Superman who high-fives kids after pulling them from danger and then flies off to have dinner with Ma Kent. It’s exactly the kind of hopeful portrayal fans have been longing for—not naïve, but principled; not detached, but deeply grounded in humanity.

The film’s action sequences deliver on spectacle, especially in the second half, where things get very comic booky. The standout moment comes during a blisteringly paced set-piece where Superman takes on Lex’s raptor army midair, weaving through Metropolis with John Murphy’s updated Superman theme soaring underneath. It’s part Speed Racer , part Fury Road, and 100 percent pure Gunn—fast, loud, and exhilarating.

Yes, the climactic slugfest between Superman and Ultraman feels a bit too reminiscent of Man of Steel’s city-smashing finale, and the editing in that sequence gets repetitive. But even here, Gunn manages to inject heart. It’s not just fists and laser eyes; it’s a battle for identity, for hope, for the kind of person Clark chooses to be when faced with an enemy who is every bit as powerful as him.

Still, the film’s best scenes aren’t necessarily the biggest. A quiet moment between Clark and Pa Kent (played by Pruitt Taylor Vince) delivers one of the movie’s emotional high points. As Clark doubts himself, his father gently reminds him that parenting and being human aren’t about being perfect—it’s about walking alongside the people you love while they figure themselves out. It’s a scene that wouldn’t be out of place in Friday Night Lights , and it lands beautifully.

One interesting aspect of the film is its depiction of journalism. The Daily Planet subplot, which includes Lois dictating an exposé mid-flight in Mr. Terrific’s saucer (she borrowed it) while Jimmy Olsen types frantically, is both absurd and strangely grounded. It’s a love letter to reporters who chase truth even when the sky is literally falling, and for any journalist in the audience like me, the newsroom banter (with Wendell Pierce’s Perry White barking approvals) feels eerily familiar.

Speaking of Lois, Rachel Brosnahan is pitch-perfect. Her Lois is fearless, brilliant, and emotionally complex. She doesn’t need saving, but she does need partnership, and her chemistry with Corenswet’s Clark absolutely sizzles. Their relationship is built on mutual respect and shared values—not just banter and longing looks (though there’s plenty of that too). It’s one of the most well-balanced portrayals of the iconic duo to date.

The Justice Gang gets less screen time, but each member makes an impression. Fillion’s Green Lantern is the comedic relief, Merced’s Hawk Girl brings the grumpiest charisma, and Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific is, well, terrific. He’s the breakout star: snarky, brilliant, and surprisingly moving.

And then there’s Krypto. Initially played for laughs—all slobber and chaos—the superdog grows into the film’s heart.

Visually, Superman is a far cry from Zack Snyder’s grey-heavy aesthetic. Gunn embraces a brighter, more comic book-inspired color palette. The skies are blue, Superman’s suit actually pops on screen, and the flying shots—oh, the flying shots—are majestic. There’s a weightlessness and freedom here that makes you feel like you’re soaring right alongside the Man of Steel.

That said, Superman isn’t flawless. There are moments where the pacing stumbles, likely a result of Gunn reportedly trimming 20 minutes of runtime to keep the film under two hours. Some scenes feel cut or oddly placed, and the shift from character-driven drama to full-on cosmic chaos might be jarring for some. The pocket dimension subplot, while intriguing, could confuse casual viewers, and the final Ultraman showdown, while emotionally satisfying, goes on a bit too long.

But here’s the thing: it all still works. Because Superman doesn’t just aim to be a good superhero movie—it aims to be an entertaining comic book with a lot of charm and heart. It’s silly, earnest, overstuffed, and wildly ambitious. It wants to make you laugh, cry, cheer, and maybe even believe a man can fly again.

Movies in recent years have been dominated by dour antiheroes and multiverse cynicism, and this is where Superman feels like a breath of fresh, Smallville air. It’s a movie that dares to be hopeful, to be corny, to love its characters, and to expect that you’ll love them too.

This is the best Superman movie since Richard Donner’s original—maybe not the most polished, but easily the most joyful. Gunn understood the assignment and then made it weird, wonderful, and totally his own.

Glad to have you back, big blue.