Editor Jules here. It seems everyone is talking about James Gunn’s Superman and we at Robot Mango Reviews aren’t going to be left out. So we are giving it the multi-review treatment, with takes on the newest version of the Man of Steel and first live action film in the nascent DCU from yours truly, featured writers Alice Oscura and Wayne Rock, and senior writer Sommerleigh Pollonais.
With a Daily Planet globe-sized SPOILER ALERT let’s dive in:
Editor Jules’ Review
James Gunn’s Superman is a roller coaster of a movie, with several exciting highs and a few lows. Let’s start with the positives. Everyone has been saying that Edi Gathegi’s genius superhero Mister Terrific stole the movie and is the best part. And you know what? I hard agree with them. Super cool performance, great costume and the best action sequence in the entire film. I could rewatch that base attack on a loop. Mister Terrific alone is worth the price of admission and I do hope he gets his own film or series at some point.
I must also praise Nicholas Hoult’s charming, cunning, slightly unhinged and comic accurate portrayal of Lex Luthor. And the always dependable Nathan Fillion was hilarious as Guy Gardner. You may be asking, what about Superman and Lois? I thought David Corenswet did a solid job as the Man of Steel and I appreciated that we got the super caring, boy scout version of the character. Him saving the squirrel was a bit much though. And I did love the inclusion of the hypno-glasses line, as the “glasses secret identity thing” always irked me. Speaking of irk, Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois was something of a disappointment. While the character had the comic-accurate spunk and the inquisitiveness she seemed relegated to occasional comic relief. And Lois’ relationship with Clark/Superman felt undercooked and soap opera generic.
The other characters were also a mixed bag. The Kents were fine, though they leaned a bit hard into the rustic aspect. The scene with Pa Kent and Clark was heartwarming though. Both Hawkgirl and Metamorpho were okay but felt somewhat superfluous. The Jimmy Olsen cassanova running gag didn’t work for me, Eve Teschmacher was grating and Cat Grant was reduced to walking cleavage. And let’s not forget Krypto. That pooch was way cute but over used, though I did enjoy him taking down Lex mid-villain speech, which felt very Joss Whedon. There were also a few slo mo moments that felt like a wink and a nod to Zack Snyder. #justsaying
The visuals were pretty good though we had some janky CGI here and there, including that terribly rendered Metamorpho baby. Who signed off on that abomination? Returning to the positives, the action sequences were impressive and some of the best superhero fights I have seen in a while. I thought starting Supes off looking weak and defeated was an odd choice, but it made his triumphant defeat of Ultraman and Lex’s squad in the climax all the more satisfying. And I liked that he was not all-powerful and the foes felt like actual threats. Continuing on villains, I enjoyed the Engineer, as she delivered both in the menace and visuals department. And I found her more interesting than Ultraman, which was yet another Supes baddie with Superman powers.
Gunn has shown repeatedly that he is good at balancing multiple characters in a film, and despite a packed cast everyone gets their moment in the sun. And while there are some pacing issues especially in the first act (the Lois/Clark apartment scene feels interminable), some of the humour falls flat (drunk Supergirl cameo included), and some of the characterisations are questionable, the film succeeds in entertaining for most of its runtime.
I would not rate it as highly as The Suicide Squad or the Guardians films, but it is a promising live action start to the DCU. And yeah, even if it makes a billion dollars, the Snydercultists will continue to hate on it. So it goes.
Editor Jules’ Score: 7.5 out of 10
Alice Oscura’s Review
Twelve years after the release of the divisive Man of Steel (2013), director James Gunn has finally delivered his Superman movie which is intended to reboot the DC live action movie-verse. Gunn was made co-CEO of DC Studios, so it stands to reason that he will be heavily involved in all of the Studio’s future films. Gunn’s directing style is popularly known for his blend of humor, heart and quirky characters as we have seen in the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy.
But there is a distinct possibility that too much quirk, not enough depth and underdevelopment of key characters can undermine a superhero film! Superman (2025) is a classic example of these particular problems and one of the main reasons why I am not a huge fan of Gunn’s signature directorial style.
I must admit that I am definitively one of those Superman fans who actually enjoyed Man of Steel. And after watching Superman it has only cemented the fact that I still think that Zack Synder’s film is the superior of the two.
Now before I get into the whys I have to state the obvious, and that’s the fact that this film was able to garner so much attention due to its smart marketing strategy that it’s very easy to get caught up in the hype. I have to admit that the theatrical trailer was really very attractive. However, when I found myself just craving and waiting for the scenes that involved Krypto, Superman’s mischievous canine pal, then you know that something is definitely wrong here.
The film’s plot revolves around Superman’s (David Corenswet) prevention of the President of Boravia, Vasil Ghurkos’ invasion of the neighboring country Jarhanpur. The act ignites the question of whether or not Superman should be deemed a threat to earth and should he be allowed to meddle in the political affairs between countries. Superman’s eternal arch nemesis, the egotistical, envious and psychotically obsessed Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) uses the opportunity to not only destroy the hero’s reputation but to try to murder him using his own mindless creation, Ultraman (also played by Corenswet).
Superman does more things wrong than right. Let’s begin with the suit. Really what’s up with the bright red boy shorts? My favourite representation of Superman’s suit happens to be from Man of Steel because it looked like it can be made from a type of titanium or carbon fiber material doubling as an armor. Second issue with the new suit is the fact the new symbol design just barely looks like the traditional “S”. It’s too blocky and sharp which makes it look more like a zigzag than the symbol representing the Kryptonian house of El.
One major plot issue was the change to Superman’s Kryptonian legacy via the damaged translated message from his biological parents. The darker, disturbingly ridiculous version of their final message is cuckoo for cocoa puffs! The darkest adaptation that we’ve seen of Superman’s parents would have to be CW’s Smallville television series. Jor-El and Clark’s relationship during the series is turbulent at best where it is at first misunderstood that Clark was sent to Earth to conquer it. However, later on, Jor-El’s true benevolent intentions are revealed where he stated in his final message to his son that he was now confident that Clark would become Earth’s greatest savior.
In the 2025 film, the missing portion of his
parents’ final message reveals that their intention was to have their son use his superpowers to rule Earth and even encouraged him to create a harem of multiple wives in order to breed as many half-Kryptonian offspring to create a new super race of beings. Imagine the disappointment when you realise that the message was not tampered with. Unfortunately, it’s legit and the plot point creates an unwelcome distance and strain between Superman and his Kryptonian parentage.
The storyline gets more than a bit chaotic and messy, once the supporting superheroes show up. It feels like they’ve just been randomly thrown into the plot without structure. I am referring to the Justice Gang made up of Guy Gardener aka Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), Hawkgirl ( Isabela Merced) and Mr Terrific ( Edi Gathegi). Mr Terrific had the stand out performance overall from the gang while Hawkgirl and Green Lantern’s screen times were lacklustre due to too much comical, campy interference. Although, I’ve got to admit that they’ve got Guy Gardner’s iconic bowl cut on point.
Extremely noticeable was the choice of the brighter and bolder color palette in an effort to create a stark contrast to 2013’s muted, darker look for Man of Steel which many movie goers had issues with back then. Visually the film and cinematography is nice to look at on the big screen. However, the excerpts of John Williams’ iconic Superman theme sounds weirdly over-synthesized and fails to capture the majestically, powerful emotional crescendo that Williams’ (Superman – 1978) and Hans Zimmer’s (Man of Steel – 2013) managed to evoke in viewers. In addition, the sloppy CGI makes the more action-based sequences look weird and choppy including Superman’s flight scenes. The fluidity of these special visual effects that was so synonymous with the 1978 and 2013 films was severely missed.
Unfortunately, the entire experience felt extremely underwhelming that is until there’s a scene that involves Krypto. Created primarily with visual effects the naughty, super powered doggy is a 3D model of James Gunn’s own mischievous canine, a rescue pup he named Ozu. The lovable, hyperactive but oh so destructive Krypto amused me to no end with his super powered antics. Officially it is being reported that Google searches for ‘adopt a dog near me’ skyrocketed to over 500% after the opening weekend thanks to Krypto! Yay, a win for potentially adopted doggies everywhere!
In terms of the casting choices for Superman/Clark, Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, I’ll say this…David Corenswet really did give it his all, it’s not his fault that the principal character was written that way. They went a bit overboard on the beatings, it started with Superman getting beaten to a pulp and almost ended on the same note. Plus why did he always appear to be struggling under the weight of stopping buildings and large objects from crushing people? In their efforts to over humanise the character, they removed the ability to invoke the sense of wonder and marvel at Superman’s awesome, almost effortless power. Also why was it made so easy for humanity to turn against the selfless hero from one seemingly botched recording from an alien planet. Suddenly everyone believes a megalomaniac like Lex Luthor would be telling the truth without an ulterior motive. Please make it make sense!
And speaking about Lex Luthor, Nicholas Hoult was great in Nosferatu (2024) but was definitely miscast in this role. Hoult’s inspiration for Luthor came from Michael Rosenbaum’s Smallville adaptation of the character. However, Rosenbaum’s Luthor took several seasons to develop what started out as a hardcore friendship, almost brotherhood turned mortal enemy who swung back and forth between possible redemption to being utterly unsalvageable. It takes way more complexities and character development than just menacing looks, temper tantrums and throwing things about. Finally, Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – 2017 to 2023) should have been the perfect choice for the role of the plucky, gung-ho journalist/Superman’s love interest Lois Lane. However, again poor writing makes the entire love dynamic have all the personality of a wet blanket. Lois is overly confrontational and argumentative. It almost seemed like she was purposely trying to sabotage the three months-long relationship with the Kryptonian simply because, as she stated in the film, she is not great with relationships.
In conclusion, while some may get caught up in the hype and nostalgia whilst being attracted to the bright pretty colors on the screen, it’s going to take better script writing and possible recasting to make this package less mediocre in order to represent the strength, confidence and inspiration of Superman. Christopher Reeve was and still remains the ultimate live action Superman, forever!
TRIVIA: Actor Christopher Reeve’s son, ABC Correspondent Will Reeve, makes a cameo in the film as a tribute to his deceased father who played the role of Superman in four films from 1978-1987.
Dark Alice’s Score: 5.5 out of 10
Wayne’s Review
James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad is my favourite movie from the DCEU. And yes, I know that going forward it’s now been retconned into the new DCU, but based on how much I loved that film, I’ve been excited for his take on the Man of Steel since the initial announcement. Now that I have seen Superman (2025), I can confidently say I’m all in on Gunn’s DCU.
I’ll just say this up front, I am 100% biased in this review. I love Superman. Next to Spider-Man, he is my favourite superhero. So, while I’ve seen a lot of valid criticisms of this movie, it’s hard for me not to watch it without hypno-glasses…or maybe the film is using its hypno-glasses on me…but that’s besides the point. The movie gave me everything I wanted from a live-action Superman film. It filled all the characterization, colour and unapologetically comic-book holes I felt were missing from Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill’s overly dark version. This is a very personal review, so I hope you, dear reader, will allow me to gush about this film like I was actually allowed to watch weekend cartoons as a child (thanks religion!).
The World
One of the things I loved most is how established the DCU feels, just from this first movie. Marvel and the old DCEU made it seem as though superheroes showed up and inhabited our reality. Gunn’s Superman feels like a world where superheroes have existed for so long that society has adapted and evolved around them. That’s why it made so much more sense in this movie to see civilians casually filming while a Godzilla-sized alien rampaged through Metropolis. Or why the Daily Planet staff kept working while the literal ground was splitting open. These people have seen it all. They know their heroes are coming, so they’ve lost a bit of that instinctual self-preservation. So much so that they have lost some of that instinctual self-preservation. When the Justice Gang shows up, we don’t need three solo origin stories to explain who they are. They just exist. And it works. That’s also why I didn’t mind Superman having a heart-to-heart with Lois while the team fought an interdimensional imp (wink wink) in the background. This is just life as usual.
It’s also a testament to Gunn’s writing that we were able to learn so much about everyone in what is ultimately a shorter superhero film. It helps that the movie is just unashamed to be a comic-book movie. There’s no explanation for half the crazy stuff Gunn throws at you, but no explanation is needed. Flying hawk people, big-headed alien babies and mind-controlled monkey internet trolls are just part and parcel of this universe, and I loved every minute of it.
The Characters
Let’s talk cast. David Corenswet is Superman. I forgot I was watching an actor. Every live-action Superman before him, I’ve had at least one critique. But with Corenswet, I’ve got nothing. He’s charming, kind and sincere, but still has that Kansas-raised, humble, slightly awkward, “aw shucks” energy. His moral code though, is as crystal clear as the Fortress of Solitude: if any life is in danger and he has the power to help, he should. No questions asked. This puts him at odds with Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, who is just as great. She’s Clark’s equal and his opposite in many ways. Lois wants truth at any cost, even if it means risking her situationship with Superman. I loved their dynamic. Usually, it’s Lois who is pining after the chiselled god-man, but here, it’s clearly Clark who’s smitten. That shift creates new kinds of tension I haven’t seen in a live-action Superman before (except maybe Superman and Lois and Smallville, but those are both series). Their chemistry was so good, I didn’t even realise one of their dialogue scenes was 12 minutes long. I was completely locked in.
And Nicholas Hoult? He f***ks as Lex Luthor (sorry Julien). He’s the best live-action Lex since Michael Rosenbaum on Smallville. Sure, he’s petty, jealous and obsessed with ruining Superman before they’ve even met face to face, but then we find out in probably the most bone-chilling scenes in the entire movie, that he’s a straight-up sociopath with no empathy. A perfect contrast to Superman, who stops mid-chaos to rescue a squirrel.
Other standouts: Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardener, who is just a dick the entire movie and it somehow works. Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific, who is indeed terrific and steals every scene he’s in. I’m glad superhero movies have redeemed themselves to Edi after what they did to him in X-Men: First Class. Krypto was a fun addition and a classic, non-verbal, lovable but mischievous Gunn character (think baby Groot, King Shark or Weasel).
The entire Daily Planet crew, particularly Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen actually had stuff to do and contribute. I loved the addition of the Superman robots, who were hilarious. This movie even did henchmen right. I don’t want to spoil anything, but let’s just say they didn’t undermine the main villain, Lex, but were simply an extension of his malice towards Superman. There were even a couple of fun cameos. The entire cast came through and I hope to see more of all of them in future properties.
The Writing and Dual Identity
I really liked how the film handled the dual identity, although here I’d have to call it a triple identity. Both Superman and Clark are public roles, but neither is the real guy. That version of him only shows up around people who know his secret. Journalist Clark Kent is awkward, quiet and pushed around at work. Superman is a shining symbol of hope and protection, so he’s polished and inspirational. But the real Clark, Kal-El, the one with doubts, fears, vulnerabilities and dreams, comes out in those quieter, more honest moments in the company of those he loves and trusts. And that just ties it all together. It’s a unique take on the mythos that I felt worked so well here. I think Gunn also mostly stuck the landing when it came to the story and pacing although I will admit, when I observe the film critically, I have the most issues.
The movie kind of throws you in the middle of a conflict and established world and expects that your years of Superhero movie conditioning will help your comprehension. It eventually levels out, but I can imagine for a lot of people it might have felt like narrative whiplash. The story does jump around quite a bit and it expects you to keep up and the plot itself is a relatively simple one. There are a few twists and turns that shakes things up, but nothing overly complicated. The dialogue straddles that fence between realistic and almost too campy, but I think it ultimately works. I found myself audibly laughing at the jokes and I don’t feel like the humour undercut any of the emotional moments, as some Marvel films tend to do. There’s one especially heart-warming moment between Clark and his human father that I couldn’t help tearing up at, and I don’t usually cry for superhero movies. The film is also unapologetically political, but I won’t get too much into that.
The Score and Action
The score was phenomenal. Gunn said in an interview that they write and produce the music before filming and play it on set during scenes. You can tell. The music fits perfectly and if you listen to the soundtrack on its own, you can figure out which scene each track belongs to. It brings energy, joy, emotion and tension when it needs to. And Oh my GOD the action. This is what comic book movie action should look like. The camera is frenetic, moving, twisting and turning with the characters. The close-ups, zooms and different focal lengths puts you right in the centre of the action without feeling chaotic or choppy. It’s highly stylized without feeling empty. After this, I’m going to be a lot less forgiving of boring action camera work.
Final Thoughts
I could talk about this movie for hours. Rose-coloured glasses, remember? Some people say it reminded them of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man films or The Avengers or a literal comic come to life, and I agree with them all. But for me, it most felt like the old Max Fleischer Superman cartoons come to life. A simpler time, when Superman wasn’t about being realistic or brooding or aura farming (or snapping necks). But about kindness, hope, the value of life and the choice to be a good person, no matter your circumstance.That’s what I want from Superman. And that’s exactly what this movie gave me. Bravo Gunn. The future of the DCU and Superman is in very good hands.
Wayne’s Review: A heavily biased but well-deserved 9/10
Sommer’s Review
If you’re anything like me, the most perfect (and iconic) live action version was all the way back in 1978 when Christopher Reeves perfectly balanced the sweet bumbling Clark Kent with the confident and kick-ass Superman. And while many an attempt has been made to duplicate it, no one seem to be able to find that charisma again (and yes Snyder fans, I’m including Man of Steel although I really did want Henry Cavill to get at least one more chance at donning the suit again). This is all my long-winded way of saying James Gunn had a Herculean task on his hand when he took the reins over at the DCU and decided that Superman was going to be his opening gambit. Choosing to take his cues from one of the greatest comic runs, All Star Superman was a step in the right direction, but like the hero himself, this movie takes some big swings, hard hits and some strange choices. Let’s break it down and see if any of it paid off.
Smartly choosing to forego a long-winded backstory, we’re very quickly introduced to Superman/Clark Kent (David Corenswet). The world knows him and everyone loves him, or at least most everyone loves him as Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) loathes the ground Supes walks on (or sky he flies in, whichever works for you). Using his massive wealth and intellect, Lex sets out to destroy Superman, in typical villain fashion not really caring if the whole world burns in the process. Throw in alien attacks, pocket universes, a girlfriend who’s also a hard-hitting journalist and the reveal that his Kryptonian parents may not have been as sweet and caring as Ma and Pa Kent and the Man of Steel will have to give everything he has to save the world he’s grown to call home.
I’ll be the first to admit this movie is far from perfect. Weird CGI close ups of his face while he flies and additional superheroes that don’t have much more to do than deliver zingers and one-liners can be a bit much at times. But for every one of those choices there would be another great one that made me smile and cheer. Gunn’s zany sense of humour (and love of music) shines through with scene-stealing moments like Mr Terrific (Edi Gathegi) taking on a group of Luthor’s henchmen and soldiers. While the chemistry between Lois and Clark was admittedly hit and miss, I absolutely loved the scene of them arguing as Lois interviews Clark about his choice to intervene and prevent a war between two countries without considering the lasting implications. Corenswet is committed in his performance while Rachel Brosnahan finally gives us a Lois Lane (after two big screen duds in a row) with something to do besides pine over Superman.
Gunn knows how to embrace the weirdness of superhuman stories and delivers more than a few visually eye-catching sequences like the pocket universe, the Fortress of Solitude and the finale, just to name some favourites.I know I complained about the movie having too many characters, and I stand by that, but to their credit the performances were solid with Nicholas Hoult giving a fantastic performance as Lex Luthor, almost completely wiping my memory of the last one I saw on the big screen (you know which one, please don’t make me say it) and Neva Howell and Pruitt Taylor Vince as Clark’s parents managing to hit all the right emotional notes while only having a couple minutes of screen time. And a personal favourite — and someone who I also think stole the scenes they were in — Sara Sampaio as Lex’s girlfriend Eve Teschmacher.
And then there was Krypto. Krypto was… a choice. Don’t get me wrong, I think he’s cute and choosing to make him an instrument of chaos was an inspired choice that had me thinking of my own dog Kizzy (RIP) who single-handedly made it her daily mission to test my patience. But I would argue even the biggest dog lover would say we could’ve done with a little less of this pup’s presence in this movie.
Overall, I think they got enough right in Superman for me to forgive the not-so-right-stuff. Is it as iconic as the 1978 version? Nope. As aggressive as Man of Steel? Nah (thank goodness). No, this Superman movie is a popcorn flick through and through, but what it lacks in depth it makes up for with charm, humour and dare I say, solid world-building, so much so that I wouldn’t mind taking another flight with this Big Blue hero in the (hopefully) near future.
Sommer’s Score: 7 out of 10
So those are our reviews. How would you rate Superman (2025)? And you can check out more super-powered reviews below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.
Alice has an old soul and a curious mind. I believe that anyone can be a hero and that the good guys should always win! I dislike cruelty to animals and think that they have far superior qualities to humans. My motto is there is no future without the past. I also have a weird penchant for Paranormal TV shows even though the slightest sound makes me jump. I enjoy writing reviews and throwing in fun facts to pique the readers’ curiosity. My ultimate goal in life would be to become a published writer one day. Read More
Wayne loves to complain, and that was an unintentional rhyme. When I’m not watching movies, TV, anime or trophy hunting on PS4, you can usually find me deep in my thoughts preparing my next scathing review of a bad movie. I think Zack Snyder’s take on superheroes is terrible and that The Quick and the Dead is actually a decent movie. I re-watch Death Note every year. Unlike the other fine writers on this site, I’m not a critic, but I can definitely Rock a review…(Read More)
Sommerleigh of the House Pollonais. First of Her Name. Sushi Lover, Queen of Horror Movies, Comic Books and Binge-Watching Netflix. Mother of two beautiful black cats named Vader and Kylo. I think eating Popcorn at the movies should be mandatory, PS4 makes the best games ever, and I’ll be talking about movies until the zombie apocalypse comes. Double Tap Baby! Read More