Superman (2025)

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So I watched the new Superman movie the other day, and I have to say I really enjoyed it. David Corenswet plays the lead and is very relatable both as Supes and Clark Kent. This version of Superman is powerful but not all-powerful, heroic but with his own vulnerabilities, pretty much what an action hero should be. Although this is a re-boot, the makers have opted not to re-tell the origin story, and instead decided to just drop the audience into a version of the already well-known DC universe. Superman has been operating in Metropolis for three years and has been in a relationship for months with Lois Lane (who is fully aware of his secret identity). Shortly before the film starts, Superman has stopped the fictional nation of Boravia from invading one of it's neighbours. In retaliation, an extremely high-powered metahuman called the Hammer of Boravia has just turned up in Metropolis and badly beaten up Superman for the first time in his life. The opening scene shows Superman arriving just short of his Fortress of Solitude, too badly hurt to complete the journey, and being dragged the rest of the way by his super-powered dog Krypto. I think this is Krypto's first appearance in the films. At the Fortress, Superman is attended by his squad of Superman robots (something that used to feature a lot in the old Silver Age comics) and healed using concentrated yellow sunlight. Returning to Metropolis before he's really ready, Superman hopes to sort out the Hammer of Boravia, but... Secretly backing the Hammer of Moravia is Lex Luthor. This version of Luthor, in addition to being a brilliant scientist, is a politically-connected billionaire arms dealer, with an irrational grudge against Superman and a vision of creating a "utopian" society with people like himself in charge. He also employs a squad of metahumans who he is hoping to contract to the US military as some kind of Earth defence force. Tracking down the Fortress of Solitude, Luthor and his gang break in, destroy most of the Superman robots, steal Krypto and recover a damaged message that Supe's Kryptonian parents left for him. Deciphering the damaged portion of the message, which Clark hadn't previously been able to listen to, they find that his parents had intended for him to use his powers to take over the Earth. This provides the political ammunition needed to turn public opinion - and the government - against Superman. Surrendering to the authorities, Superman is turned over to Luthor, who imprisons him in a private detention facility that he runs in a pocket universe that he's created - effectively a concentration camp outside US jurisdiction. The real life parallels are obvious, but dwelled on. This supposedly leaves Luthor free to execute his larger masterplan, which involves selling arms at below cost price to Boravia, in return for certain favours when they re-invade their neighbours. Superman is not without allies though. Also operating in Metropolis is the corporate-sponsored "Justice Gang", consisting of Green Lantern, Hawkgirl and Mr Terrific. They operate out of the Hall of Justice, which is clearly designed for a larger group, so this is presumably what will eventually become the Justice League. For now it's just a trio of second-rank but effective heroes, led by the Guy Gardner version of Green Lantern, who is somewhat of a showoff, but still a goodie. I have to admit, I have little familiarity with any of these three characters, so it was fun getting to know them a bit through the movie. Mr Terrific is particularly interesting, clearly highly intelligent and knows it, but also the most willing of the trio to break the rules when called on to help Superman against the will of the government. The Justice Gang are also a bit more willing than Superman to do violence when necessary. Another good group of supporting characters is the staff of the Daily Planet. Even Jimmy Olsen makes a significant contribution to the plot. Although the main focus is on Superman, this is a really good ensemble film. Best of all, it's fun. Although clearly set in the modern age, with some modern concerns covered such as the influence of billionaires on the American political system, imprisonment without due process, and the enforcement of international law, it also has a Silver Age feel to it, with a lot of goofy characters and ideas included (Krypto, the Superman robots etc). There's even a brief scene showing the squad of monkeys that Luthor employs to write social media posts dissing Superman. It was also nice that they included the Christopher Reeve theme music, so the film feels like a blend of all eras of Superman. For me, the film strikes the right balance, and it's the most fun movie that I've seen in a mainstream cinema for a while. I'm glad to hear it's doing well at the box office. Hopefully there'll be both a sequel and a Justice Gang spinoff.