Movie Review: Superman
Spoiler free review of James Gunn’s take on the Man of Steel.
Finally, we have a great, modern Superman film.
But what about Superman: The Movie from 1978? Yes that is a great Superman movie but it is based on the Silver/Bronze Age version of the character. And that is an important distinction.
In 1985 DC made major changes to their comic book universe, Superman included.
The Man of Steel was a six-issue limited series published July-September 1986, written and penciled by John Byrne and inked by Dick Giordano. The series presented the new origin story for Superman following 1985-1986’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, a 12 issue series that rebooted the DC Comics’ universe. (Reexamining the Great Superman Stories: Part 3)
Since that reboot, there have been three Superman films and two additional movies that include the character. 2006’s Superman Returns was an interesting and thoughtful film but it was designed as a sequel to 1980’s Superman II. 2013’s Man of Steel was a good movie but not a good Superman movie. It suffered from a creative vision that ultimately didn’t understand that character and pulled from the wrong source material.
Superman, written and directed by James Gunn, is filled with kindness, compassion, and hope. This Superman believes in people, second chances, and sees the best in everyone. This Superman is goofy, sincere, makes mistakes but tries to do the right thing, no matter what. This Superman is far more Superman & Lois than Man of Steel.
Esthetically speaking, the film pulls equally from All-Star Superman and Superman: Birthright for the Kryptonian imagery and Superman for All Seasons for Clark’s demeanor, Smallville, and Ma and Pa Kent. There is a beautiful scene with Clark and his father Jonathan. Without giving anything away, let me just say that Clark had amazing parents who truly understood the job description.
As of this writing, I have only seen Superman once (literally the first thing I did when I got home from the theater, after making some hot green tea, was write this review) but I can already tell that this version of the character is easily one of my favorites. While not a perfect film, Gunn and company nailed everything that mattered. The cast is exceptional and the tone is exactly what this world needs right now. My only hope is that people will now see what I see in this character, why he is so inspiring, and why he makes me want to be a better person.
4.25 stars.
References
Byrne, J., & Wolfman, M. (2020). Superman: The Man of Steel, Vol. 1. DC Comics.
Gunn, J. (2025, July 11). Superman [Film]. DC Studios, Troll Court Entertainment, The Safran Company.
Loeb, J. (2023). Superman for All Seasons. DC Comics.
Morrison, G. (2018). All-Star Superman. DC Comics.
Superman (2025 film). (2025, July 13). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Superman_(2025_film)&action=history
Waid, M. (2020). Superman: Birthright. DC Comics.