Look Up! Gunn's Superman Takes Flight
James Gunn's Superman is a superhero we truly need and deserve
I love superhero films and have done so for a very long time. I remember being introduced to the 2004 Fantastic Four film by my Dad and having a toy of The Thing with a smashed car, which I played with a lot. I remember being shown the Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy and being utterly obsessed with Jonathan Crane, Bane and Two Face and their respective actors. These are some of my earliest memories of cinema and film. I dressed up in 2016 for Comic Con as Spiderman and the next year, I went as Mario. Truth be told, at school I also ran a Tumblr where I wrote SO much fan fiction about the Avengers, about Batman, about Superman and Sherlock. I was one of those insufferable teenagers with bags dotted with endless pin badges. When I watched Man of Steel, I was disappointed. It was too dark and too gritty to be fitting of this Superman I had seen in comic books and read extensively about. So when it was announced James Gunn was directing the new Superman, I was excited having loved the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy (especially the third!) and full faith in his direction. I watched Superman at the Odeon Luxe Swiss Cottage in their IMAX screen on the 12th of July and had an incredible time. James Gunn’s take on Superman is a fresh, vibrant and fully human one and one we desperately need today.
Superman (2025) is written and directed by James Gunn and stars David Corenswet as Superman; Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane; Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor; Eli Gathegi as Mister Terrific; Nathan Fillion as Green Lantern, Isabela Merced as Hawkgirl; Skyler Gisondo as Jimmy Olsen and Wendell Pierce as Perry White. The film opens with text which informs the viewer that the first metahumans were discovered three centuries prior to the events of the film, with Superman coming to earth thirty years before the film found by Jonathan and Martha Kent who adopt him, and name him Clark. At twenty-seven he becomes Superman to the people of Metropolis. Over the course of the film, Superman must prove to the world that he is the good-natured superhero who intends to protect them, after Lex Luthor schemes to turn the public against him through nefarious means. Simultaneously, conflicts abroad means his attention is divided and he must find a way to prove he is well-intentioned and save the day.
The strength of this film is in its performances, particularly the main performances from Corenswet, Brosnahan and Hoult. David Corenswet grounds Superman with humanity. Throughout the film, he displays the characteristics of a good superhero. He doubts himself, cares about the little guy (at one point in the film he rescues a tiny squirrel in a busy street about to be crushed), he laughs and cries and, even doubts. He wrestles with the enormity of the mantle the Superman title holds and when push comes to shove, he throws his whole heart into being the hero Metropolis needs.
Rachel Brosnahan is the perfect complement as Lois Lane. She is witty, sharp and not content to stand in the shadow of Clark Kent/Superman. There’s a particular scene where she conducts an interview with Superman and the ethics of his actions abroad. She questions him forensically, not affording him special treatment due to their relationship and she challenges him and pushes back against his justifications and makes him a better Superman for it. And the chemistry they have is palpable. Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is a generational hater. Gone is the jittery, self-aware neuroticism Jesse Eisenberg gave us and in his place is a man whose hatred of Superman stems from deep within. Hoult’s Luthor is incredible in his exchanges with Superman, his smirks as he wins smaller battles and the most terrifying thing about it? He leaves no room to question why he’s so evil, and that clarity makes him incredibly terrifying.
Underpinning the film is James Gunn’s masterful direction. We are thrown straight into the action with no clunky origin story to slow us down nor exposition to reveal information in chunks. Gunn trusts his audience to fill in the blanks and it’s a decision which pays off with a runtime which passes by quickly and a tight focus within each act. Visually, this film is stunning. The film rejects the dull and desaturated colour palettes that have plagued so many superhero films. Since the Nolan Dark Knight trilogy, it seems that subsequent superhero films have tried to emulate it not understanding that the dark and gritty aesthetic fits with that trilogy, because it respects the representation of Batman and Gotham. Gunn’s decision to film Superman’s flying scenes with the Leica Tri-Elma lens makes for dream like sequences.
Superman is full of heart, this film is not trying to replicate the dark and gritty films which directors have long stuck to in an attempt to replicate Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy. Superman’s greatest strength is not his ability to fly, shoot lasers or his strength. It is rather his humanity. And although I’ve not mentioned the whole host of cast members involved, the supporting characters feel well-developed and help speed the storyline. I have to say there is a fantastic sequence with Mister Terrific which I adore so much, it reminds me of the infamous X-Men Apocalypse where Evan Peters saves everyone to the song Sweet Dreams are made of this. And I’d be remiss if I did not include the fact that this is substantial given that Eli Gathegi’s character, Darwin in X-Men First Class was killed too early and that decision was evidently the wrong one. Look Up! And watch Superman in cinemas right now, it’s well worth seeing it on the biggest screen, especially in IMAX!
Thanks for reading, I’d be keen to see what others thought about the film as I know it’s opened to such amazing reception!!