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[Draugoth]

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When Superman gets drawn into conflicts at home and abroad, his actions are questioned, giving tech billionaire Lex Luthor the opportunity to get the Man of Steel out of the way for good. Will intrepid reporter Lois Lane and Superman's four-legged companion, Krypto, be able to help him before it's too late?

Metacritic: 72 (10 Reviews)

Reviews:​

Variety (80)

The super-busy quality of "Superman" works for it and, at times, against it. The movie rarely slows down long enough to allow its characters to meditate on their shifting realities. That's one reason it falls short of the top tier of superhero cinema ("The Dark Knight," "Superman II," "The Batman," "Guardians"). I'd characterize the film as next-level good (a roster that includes "Iron Man," "Thor," "Batman Begins," "Captain America," and the hugely underrated "Iron Man 3"). Yet watching "Superman," we register the layered quality of the conflicts, and we're drawn right inside them. Gunn constructs an intricate game of a superhero saga that's arresting and touching, and occasionally exhausting, in equal measure

The Hollywood Reporter (80)

What matters most is that the movie is fun, pacy and enjoyable, a breath of fresh air sweetened by a deep affection for the material and boosted by a winning trio of leads.

DEADLINE

Overall, Gunn might be trying to do too much here, basically throwing everything against the wall and hoping some of it sticks. More than enough does in this entertaining new direction, but at times Superman suffers from overload, much like Gunns' Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, which wore out its welcome with Vol. 3 where Rocket unfortunately got the Babe: Pig in the City treatment. Nevertheless he is a talented and skilled director, no question, and one with optimism himself. It will be interesting to see where the future lies for DC under his (and Safran's) more hopeful vision.

IGN (8/10)

Superman is a wonderfully entertaining, heartfelt cinematic reset for the Man of Steel, and a great new start for the DC universe on the big screen.

Consequence (83)

Grim and gritty are words this movie firmly rejects, instead leaning into the human side of everyone involved, even its villains. There are a few choices that work less well than others, but the end result is a movie that doesn't sacrifice its titular character in service to franchise-building. Instead, it focuses on celebrating the values that Superman himself has embodied from the beginning.

The Wrap (88)

A fabulously smart and entertaining film whose flaws stem from trying too hard… which are the best flaws a film can have.

Entertainment Weekly (67)

Whether Gunn fell victim to the kryptonite of excessive studio notes, his desire to populate the film with his stalwart company of actors, or the hubris of not needing to offer reasons to be invested in these characters beyond the mere fact of their existence is unclear. Because there is an unquestionable love for the material and a passion for the goofier, larger-than-life scenarios of comic book lore. With a cast this excellent, there's a capacity for something truly super in a future film — if only Gunn chooses to put the characters' humanity first. Grade: B-

BBC (3/5)

His nerdy ambition will make comic fans chuckle, as will his twisted sense of humour: it takes some gall to make a zillion-dollar Hollywood blockbuster that feels so much like an eccentric sci-fi B-movie. But Superman rushes through its outlandish concepts and whiplashing plot developments too quickly for them to have any impact. Skyscrapers collapse, monsters stomp through Metropolis, and people zip into different universes, but Gunn is in too much of a hurry to instil these momentous events with any of the wonder of 1978's Superman: The Movie – however often he drops in John Williams' classic fanfare – so none of them seems to matter. The video game-style visual effects add to the sense that nothing on screen has any consequences.

Independent -UK (4/5)

David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan and Nicholas Hoult lead a movie that doesn't just serve as a referendum for superhero films, but for the cinematic future of DC as a whole.

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SYNOPSIS:

Follows Superman as he reconciles his heritage with his human upbringing. He is the embodiment of truth, justice and a brighter tomorrow in a world that views kindness as old-fashioned.

STARRING:

• David Corenswet as Clark Kent / Superman
• Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane
• Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor
• Edi Gathegi as Michael Holt / Mister Terrific
• Anthony Carrigan as Rex Mason / Metamorpho
• Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner / Green Lantern
• Isabela Merced as Kendra Saunders / Hawkgirl
• Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen
• Wendell Pierce as Perry White
• Beck Bennett as Steve Lombard
• Mikaela Hoover as Cat Grant
• Alan Tudyk as Superman Robot #4
• Sara Sampaio as Eve Teschmacher
• María Gabriela de Faría as Angela Spica / The Engineer
• Pruitt Taylor Vince as Jonathan 'Pa' Kent
• Neva Howell as Martha 'Ma' Kent

DIRECTED BY: James Gunn

WRITTEN BY: James Gunn

PRODUCED BY: Peter Safran, James Gunn

CINEMATOGRAPHY: Henry Braham

EDITED BY: William Hoy, Craig Alpert

MUSIC BY: John Murphy, David Fleming

RELEASE DATE: July 11, 2025

RUNTIME: 2h 9m

BUDGET: $225 Million

 

[EviLore]

 

[Madflavor]

91% on RT with 55 reviews

 

[KrakenIPA]

Is this thing gonna break 95 jesus

 

[Connificent]

 

[Walliwallipaloo]

So, what, they do one of these like every 6 months to a year? The adventures of flying spandex man. A generation in perpetual childhood.

 

[Madflavor]

88% with 96 reviews. Looking to probably settle somewhere in the 80s. Definitely not the disaster early word-of-mouth was painting.

 

[DKehoe]

I'm seeing this on Friday and looking forward to it.

 

[Fbh]

Jeremy didn't particularly like it.

 

[Zathalus]

So, what, they do one of these like every 6 months to a year? The adventures of flying spandex man. A generation in perpetual childhood.

What generation are you referring to exactly? The comics have been around since the 1930s, the TV series since the 1950s, and movies since the 1970s.

 

[Rush2112]

IGN gave it an 8. Their minimum score that they give to everything.

 

[DKehoe]

IGN gave it an 8. Their minimum score that they give to everything.

I haven't read an IGN film review in a long time so I went onto their site to check and the first film on the homepage for that section, The Old Guard 2, got a 5.

 

[DragoonKain]

I'm not a hardcore Superman fan, so I have no desire to rush to go out and see this. Based on Jeremy's review I expect it to be a love it if you're into James Gunn style or not really into it if you aren't. I think overall most people will really like it though.

 

[OmegaSupreme]

A whooping 71 on meta. Sounds meh as hell. No rush to see this.

 

[Ulysses 31]

4.5/10

 

[SamuraiEdge]

Today's a good day to be a Superman/DC fan.

Ultimate comf.

 

[GateofD]

I welcome the DC era of cape movies. Marvel had their run. They're dead.

 

[squallheart]

This will be a skip for me. I'll just download it when I'm bored. Nothing in July is appealing for me lol.

 

[ReBurn]

I'll go see it. Maybe Sunday night.

 

[Zathalus]

A whooping 71 on meta. Sounds meh as hell. No rush to see this.

That's actually pretty good for a superhero movie on metacritic.

 

[AJUMP23]

#1 with a bullet.

 

[IDKFA]

I can't get past Krypto the dog. It puts me off watching it.

I know. This sounds dumb in a film with an alien that has god-like powers, but Krypto, the super powered alien dog, is just a step too far for me.

 

[GateofD]

Show me where the dog bit you

 

[Lambogenie]

I am looking forward to it.

Entertain me well, please.

 

[Trilobit]

Meh, I'll stream it later on. I can't get a grip on what kind of movie it is. Seems to be some kind of visual bonanza more than a great story.

 

[VulcanRaven]

85%

Superman (2025) | Rotten Tomatoes

Discover reviews, ratings, and trailers for Superman (2025) on Rotten Tomatoes. Stay updated with critic and audience scores today!

www.rottentomatoes.com

 

[Doom85]

88% with 96 reviews. Looking to probably settle somewhere in the 80s. Definitely not the disaster early word-of-mouth was painting.

Now at 85% with 119 reviews.

 

[Kiwicha]

Do I need to watch Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV, Superman Returns, Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Justice League to watch this?

 

[Madflavor]

3.8 on Letterboxed. That's very good. For comparison F1 has a 3.8, so this is the mark of a crowd pleasing film.

86% on RT with 125 reviews. It will continue to fluctuate, but we're probably looking for a finish in the 80-90% range.

 

[Doom85]

Do I need to watch Superman, Superman II, Superman III, Superman IV, Superman Returns, Man of Steel, Batman V Superman, and Justice League to watch this?

We asked Bruce Wayne, or a man who looks suspiciously similar to him, regarding this, and he replied, though oddly only addressing the first three films you listed, but he is a busy man:

In all seriousness, no, this is a whole new continuity that has just started. Now there is a DC TV show called Peacemaker that had its first season set in the prior DC movie universe (and this character Peacemaker first appeared in the 2011 film The Suicide Squad which was a semi-follow up to the 2016 Suicide Squad film), and it seems in the upcoming second season that he'll be crossing over into this new DC film universe so that actor John Cena can still play the role, but all of that will be highly unlikely to be relevant to this film at least.

As for all the Superman films you listed, while not relevant to this film, you should at least watch the 1978 original film if you're interested. The cast is excellent particularly Christopher Reeve as Superman/Clark Kent, the music is incredible, and it has a wonderful charm to it, while the film's effects are dated (it's 1978) you can still how much work the crew put into it. The film is light-hearted and campy at times, but does allow itself to occasionally be serious which works due to the solid cast and directing.

 

[MSduderino]

I mean it's James Gunn so it's going to be visually amazing. However, I'm hearing there's issues with tone and some characters are kind of flat.

 

[Vyse]

Super excited. See what I did there?

 

[Madflavor]

It did its job with the reviews, now it comes down to box office. I think WB is hoping for $700m or higher, but they'll probably be happy with $600m. The DC brand is still carrying a lot of stink, and the movie business isn't what it used to be, especially when superhero films were at their peak.