hree decades ago, Kryptonian Kal-El (David Corenswet) arrived on Earth and was raised by loving parents the Kents (Neva Howell, Pruitt Taylor Vince). As an adult, the benevolent alien has lived clandestinely amongst the citizens of Metropolis as The Daily Planet journalist Clark Kent, working alongside colleagues Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover), and Beck Bennett (Steve Lombard), while publicly fighting crime and injustice as caped hero Superman. When the country of Boravia invades neighboring Jarhanpur, Superman intervenes to stop the bloodshed. But his interference enrages the aggressors as well as numerous world governments, allowing Superman’s longtime nemesis Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) to seize the opportunity to pressure the United States’ Department of Justice into allowing him to capture the superhero. When the billionaire businessman’s plan to rid the world of the uncontrolled “metahuman” begins to spiral out of control, Superman’s friends and allies must band together to first save him and then stop Luthor’s diabolical, nation-destroying machinations.

The film opens with meta-beings galore, which immediately makes it difficult to believe in the world-building; Superman isn’t the most powerful alien anymore, and otherworldly creatures come and go across planet Earth (and between dimensions). Once it’s determined that all manner of super-entity exists, it becomes clearer that predicaments are created and solutions whipped up as if by chance, just to create a bit of havoc – action for the sake of action, which never amounts to much in these sorts of projects. And here, the iconic red-and-blue-suited figure curiously looks like a cross between previous Superman embodiers, such as Reeve and Cavill, which means that writer/director James Gunn, who was called in to reboot or redirect DC’s traditional superhero lineup, isn’t exactly starting from scratch with this tentpole (the casting of Brosnahan also suggests a proclivity towards nostalgia, as she shares some features with Margot Kidder).

In fact, 2025’s “Superman” serves very much as both a reboot and a sequel. He may be modernized with an automaton-run antarctic sanctuary and a furry superdog companion, alongside a Gort-like nemesis (borrowing some invincibility components from Iron Man), but his backstory is so familiar that this latest chapter doesn’t bother with an introduction at all. Superman is already well-known, his exploits studied and chronicled, his heroism idolized, and his secret identity long uncovered by his girlfriend. That last point makes the central romance weaker, too, since their feelings aren’t earned, but merely insisted upon. Trading the word “love” is comparably meaningless, since audiences don’t get to witness the inception or sacrifices or struggles of that relationship. The regulars at The Daily Planet are likewise timeworn, though they have so little to do that they’re relegated to comic relief shots anyway. The bulk of the premise, including the main roles and their motives, are clearly meant to be comfortably assumed by viewers.

And, once again, politics encroach on the superhero interactions, giving the lead an identity crisis. What makes him the arbiter of right and wrong? Are all of his decisions actually for the betterment of society? Well, as it turns out, yes they are. And that’s thanks to the blandness of the script, which paints every character as either good or bad; Luthor and his minions behave villainously because they’re villains, while Superman and his numerous sidekicks behave heroically because they’re heroes. Never once does a character step into that grey area of antiheroism; even a metahuman who can morph into any element isn’t fooling anyone when he’s momentarily manipulated by Luthor before correcting his sins.

The script goes on to ignore most of the concepts it lays out, though its realism was ultimately lost the moment it admitted that all sorts of super-beings can appear spontaneously. How exactly is Luthor able to have such a stranglehold over super-people when he doesn’t have actual superpowers? Wouldn’t they simply replace him as the leader? And why does he bother with intricate schemes to discredit Superman when he can conjure a city-crushing kaiju out of nothing? Fans may find themselves enjoying the massive amounts of destruction and the certain collateral damage that never finds itself caught in frame (Superman seems to save everyone, despite that being a logistical impossibility), but too much of the showdowns and duels are overrun by computer-animated nonsense that dispense with physics and sensible movements. It’s a smorgasbord of spectacle, but most sequences fail to generate genuine awe. And even when a couple of clashes prove exciting, largely due to humor, they’re cheapened by the existence of instantly concocted pitfalls that are solved by equally, instantly concocted solutions – ranging from pocket universes and portals to antiproton rivers and black hole vortexes, all of which always seem to threaten the fabric of reality.

In the end, the best scenes are the ones that don’t have anything to do with superheroism, such as a simple admission by a father that he’s proud of his son. The rest of this latest take on the classic persona reveals that Gunn just doesn’t have a new story to tell, or new characters to introduce, or new ways to relate the tired morals of an unequivocal do-gooder. It’s all fine in the moment, but there was no real reason to try again – at least not with this screenplay. Perhaps the most obvious confession of this is the fact that after nearly 50 years, the filmmakers have given up on new theme music, resorting instead to the blaring trumpets and bold melodies of John Williams’ 1978 score, which, admittedly, wasn’t likely to be bested.

– The Massie Twins