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Tom grabs his red pants and dives cape-first into James Gunn’s Superman (2025) – a film that was always going to start a fanboy war. But is this new Man of Steel actually… good?
In just 5 minutes, we cover angry Lex, sad Clark, confused Ultraman, and the finest superdog in cinema since Air Bud. Tom gives his spoiler-laced, sarcasm-laced, slightly-oversugared review of the DCU’s hopeful reboot. Henry Cavill fans, consider this your trigger warning.
It’s retro suits, robot assistants called Gary, and a whole heap of pocket universe carnage.
Welcome to The Land Before Prime – where cinema still lives on disc, and capes still matter.
The Rough Script (Changes were made as I read it)
Released to UK cinemas July 2025, Superman features the familiar faces of Nicholas Corenswet (Twisters, The politician), Rachel Brosnahan (Marvelous Mrs Maisel, House of Cards), Nicholas Hoult (Skins, X-Men), Nathan Fillion (Firefly, The Rookie), Eid Gathegi (X-Men, Twilight), Alan Tudyk (everything under the sun, seriously) and Introducing Maria Gabriela de Faria.
Story time
We open on Superman getting battered. Like, properly stomped. And who rescues him? Krypto — his dog. Who has trashed the Fortress of Solitude. The robot assistants try to revive Supes with solar radiation (and a crunchy bone-mending ASMR session), but only get him to 86%. Not ideal.
Off he goes to Metropolis, but it’s not long before he’s facing the “Hammer” again — and losing again. Turns out, the Hammer is just Ultraman, a cloned Superman puppet controlled by Lex Luthor and his tech bros. Lex has portals all over the world because… of course he does.
Clark, meanwhile, is living that Daily Planet life — writing, getting roasted by colleagues, and defending his choice to stop a war between Boravia and Jarhanpur. Which, spoiler, didn’t go down well. The government doesn’t want Lex’s “Planet Watch” super-team, but Lex doesn’t care. He’s got the Engineer and Ultraman on retainer.
Then: domestic drama! Lois comes home to find someone cooking. It’s Clark. It’s breakfast for dinner. She knows he’s Superman. They argue. Clark hates being called #SuperShit. It’s awkward.
Lex releases a baby kaiju into Metropolis (it will get bigger, don’t worry). Then he visits the remains of the Fortress, which rises like a magical Hogwarts annex. Inside, Ultraman and the Engineer wreck everything and maybe kill Krypto. Bastards.
The kaiju goes full Godzilla, but here comes the “Justice Gang” (unofficial name): Green Lantern (Guy Gardner, a walking rage tweet), Hawkgirl, and Mr Terrific. Superman wants to save the beast. Mr Terrific explodes its guts instead.
Then Lex drops a video bomb: Superman’s parents didn’t send him here to be a hero. Nope — they wanted him to conquer Earth. Everyone turns on him. Even Guy Gardner threatens him. Superman, broken and dog-less, storms Lex’s office but gets livestreamed while angry — bad PR move.
Back with Lois, she’s worried about the city being blobbed to death, but Superman’s off to turn himself in. Big mistake. Lex tosses him into a pocket universe filled with his enemies and a side order of kryptonite, courtesy of Metamorpho — whose kid Lex is holding hostage, because of course he is.
Meanwhile, Lois, Jimmy “Secret Sex God” Olsen, and Eve (Lex’s disloyal girlfriend) team up. Mr Terrific helps them break into the pocket dimension. Superman is half-dead. Lex kills some prisoners in front of him just for info, but Metamorpho has a change of heart. Sun juice + science = Superman’s back! They rescue the baby, free Krypto (who’s been chasing virtual squirrels), and escape.
Superman retreats to Smallville for a pep talk from his ghost parents, then heads to Metropolis for the final showdown. Lex is tearing holes in the city with portals. Engineer and Ultraman pounce. Superman body-slams them to Earth. Turns out, Ultraman is his clone… but also kind of a moron.
Meanwhile, Boravia’s army invades — again — but the Justice Gang shows up, Metamorpho included (he likes the name now). Hawkgirl straight-up drops the president from orbit.
Superman hurls Ultraman into a black hole (see you in Bizarro spin-off?), stops Lex’s rant mid-villain monologue, and declares he chose humanity. Lex is arrested. Mr Terrific seals the portal. Nobody snogs Lois. Yet.
Back at the Fortress, everything’s rebuilt. Robot #4 wants to be called Gary. And surprise — Krypto belongs to Supergirl, who’s drunk, fabulous, and ready to reclaim her dog. Superman? He chills with home movies and finds peace in his human memories.
Roll credits.
Mid-credit scene: Superman and Krypto on Earth, just vibing.
Post-credit: Superman and Mr Terrific overlooking Metropolis, talking big plans.
This film was always going to be divisive.
The Henry Cavill crowd refuses to believe anyone else can wear the cape.
The Christopher Reeve crew still thinks the role should’ve been retired with him.
And the Dean Cain fans? Yeah… we don’t talk about them.
But here’s the truth: this is one of the best Superman films we’ve had.
David Corenswet nails it. He’s Superman and Clark Kent—charming, grounded, idealistic without being cheesy. He looks the part, sure, but he acts the part too. And honestly? The whole cast hits. No clangers. You love who you’re meant to love. You hate who you’re supposed to hate.
Lois isn’t just a scream machine or romantic sidecar—she feels real.
And Lex? Nicholas Hoult’s Lex is a masterstroke. You feel his rage. His bitterness. His terrifying calm. It’s big villain energy without being cartoonish.
The story? Classic. Rise, fall, redemption. But Gunn adds just enough new flavour—no syrupy nonsense, a bit of bite, a dash of darkness, and it all works.
Now, people love to pick at faults—but for once, the positives outweigh the negatives 100 to 1.
The suit? Retro and brilliant.
Creature designs? Bonkers. I love it.
Supporting characters? Totally over the top and that’s the point.
And the pacing? Bang on. No slow patches. No toilet break windows. Just pure momentum.
If you insist on nitpicks:
The Engineer felt half-baked—cool idea, but underused. The design didn’t wow.
And the flying scenes? Eh. Tough to sell super-speed flight on-screen, and this missed the mark a bit.
But who cares? This film is bloody brilliant. I’m giving it a 9 out of 10, easy.
Take off your “I heart Cavill” or “Reeve forever” T-shirts and just enjoy a Superman film that finally remembers how to feel good.
And if it leaves you wanting more? Go grab the original Superman films on DVD. Probably in a bin near the pick ‘n’ mix. Bargain.
