Superman (2025) * *

 

Directed by:  James Gunn

Starring:  David Corenswet, Rachael Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Bradley Cooper, Sara Sampaio, Skyler Gisondo, Alan Tudyk, Anthony Carrigan, Edi Gathegi, Wendell Pierce

Since the conclusion of the first three Superman films, the reboots and remakes have lost their sense of wonder for the superhero.   He's treated as just another in a long line of superheroes.  To quote Roger Ebert, "it's "Superman", when it should be, "SUPERMAN".  The Superman (Corenswet) of this James Gunn version is beaten and bloodied more so than any Superman incarnation before.  Soon, the inevitable introduction of Kryptonite feels like redundant overkill.

Superman mercifully skips another retelling of his origin story.  Instead, it begins three years after Superman first made himself known to the world.  However, in the opening scenes, Superman is beaten to within an inch of his life by a robot from the fictional country of Moravia, which despises Superman because he prevented them from invading a neighboring country.  Superman found himself in the Antarctic, where his faithful dog Krypto drags him to the Fortress of Solitude to be repaired by robots.  He sustained cracked ribs, crushed this, and bruised that, and I'm thinking...is this really Superman?  If so, then what is so super about him?

Superman, as always, is opposed by the arrogant and diabolical Lex Luthor (Hoult), who manipulates social media to turn public opinion against Superman for his own personal gain...naturally.  Why Superman kills Luthor's henchmen and army of robots without any compunction, but then lets Luthor live is a question that always puzzled me.  The movie does say he keeps giving him chances because he sees good in him.  After all of these movies, Superman still can't see the forest for the trees when it comes to this guy. 

There were a few changes which were interesting and prevented Superman from being a disaster:

*  I enjoyed how Lois Lane (Brosnahan) wasn't a damsel in distress, but someone who takes charge to help her lover.

*  Lois Lane and Clark Kent/Superman are in the middle of a relationship with Lois already knowing Clark is Superman.  

*  The arc of Luthor's vapid influencer girlfriend Ms. Tessmacher (Sampaio) takes a funny and unexpected twist. 

*  Both Kent parents are still alive.  

Aside from those, Superman has CGI running rampant with buildings blowing up and characters repeatedly being speared from offscreen by other characters and Krypto himself.  I found myself not caring all that much.