POPZ-CULTURE Movie Reviews – Superman (2025)

Genre: Action, adventure, sci-fi

Rated: 12

Directed by: James Gunn

Written by: James Gunn, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster

Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult

As usual, the summer is the time for big-budget, blockbuster productions. In the cool darkness of the cinema, fans are treated to films from two of the biggest comic book publishers. First up is DC Comics, and one of the world’s most iconic heroes, Superman, arrives on the big screen. It’s also a commitment from the creative mind behind the studio, James Gunn, who has made no secret of his ambition to open a new chapter in comic book movie history.

Our current recommendation is retrospective and comparative. Our focus is to give you a sense of how the current incarnation of the well-known hero is similar and different to previous film and series versions and what you can expect from it. As this is a key point of the film, we hope that it will make it easier for everyone to decide whether to give David Corenswet’s Kal-El a chance.

In most of the previous films and series, the charismatic, sympathetic side of the protagonist was in the foreground. We loved the movies starring Christopher Reeve, and we were delighted to follow the adventures of Lois and Clark. Although Superman Returns and Smallville were not bad, they failed to maintain our previous interest. But what those films had in common was that they presented Superman in his classic form. The legendary figure who was the archetype of the perfect superhero. Not only did he possess superhuman physical skills, but he was also morally irreproachable. As the last survivor of Krypton, he was in the absolute best service of humanity. The presence of the icon, played mainly by Reeve and Cain, brought serenity and hope to even the most desperate situations.

The real change came with Henry Cavill’s Man of Steel. The casting was excellent, and we had no complaints about the visuals, but the tone was radically different. In the style of the successful Dark Knight films of the time, Superman returned in a more serious, gloomy mood. But what suited Bruce Wayne, didn’t necessarily work well for Clark Kent. Cavill’s character, while still respectable, was more mysterious and lacked the friendliness and playfulness that made him a likeable character.

And how did the current approach work out? We’ve seen that the latest Superman implementation mostly goes back to the original direction, but it’s just brave enough to have been made with changes. Corenswet is a good-hearted, humorous, but morally principled title character ready to make tough decisions. He is not yet at the prime of his powers and is very fallible. But his real virtue lies in his ability to move on after his failures, to put aside his own egoism, and to be a good team player. And he has plenty of help. Superman 2025 introduces many new faces and conflicts to be resolved. He also serves as a touchstone for a new era of DC. As a result, the first 30-45 minutes feel extremely concentrated. Still, we can advise you to be patient for the first third, because things will come together nicely by the end of the story.

Gunn’s direction was a remarkable way to bring the superhero of nearly a century’s history to the screen. He even managed to live up to the extremely high expectations placed on him. It was more than a promising start for the rebooted DC Universe. We laughed a lot, were amazed by the thrilling action sequences, and got emotional. Overall, we had a great time and look forward to the sequel.

Which Kal-El is closer to you? Cavill’s mysterious, epic figure or Reeve’s serene, optimistic hero? How did you like the Corenswet version? Leave your answers in the comments. We hope we’ve inspired you to watch the film and that you leave the screening as satisfied as we were. We’ll be back soon with Marvel’s famous superhero family. In the meantime, watch lots of movies and series, and don’t forget to make a big bowl of delicious POPZ popcorn to complete the experience.