James Gunn has delivered the best Superman film since Richard Donner’s 1978 masterpiece. The term “comic-accurate” has been used by fans to describe the 2025 Superman. That may be a plus, but it’s a stark breath of fresh air compared to the recent Snyder Superman films, which are dreary, bleak, and riddled with teenage angst and mother issues.
The colors of the movie leap from the comic book, which is historically vital. In the early 20th century, printing presses innovated in producing newsprint in large quantities and in various colors. This was the height of the comic strip and comic popularity. The bright colors were used to entice young readers, which proved to be highly effective. Therein lies the rub: the comics and the “funnies” are relegated to childhood fare.
This is compounded by Gunn’s whimsical approach to filmmaking, which critics cite as being silly. Well, it’s a comic book film, not a portrait of societal decay à la Dostoevsky.
Still, Superman is the most prescient and politically charged superhero film in recent memory. There are so many things that you can see in present-day America—anger against immigrants, toxic troll farms, military intervention in global geopolitics, and the U.S. government’s lack of oversight on billionaire interests. This movie is an indictment of the insanity of MAGA America.
MAGA and misogynist Snyderverse incels are up in arms, claiming that Superman now is not alpha like their much-revered Henry Cavill. There is a certain snobbery and elite machismo that the British actor Cavill has instilled in his portrayal of Superman.
This time, David Corenswet is the perfect Superman because he embodies what the comics Superman ought to be: America’s foremost Boy Scout, whose true powers are earnestness and kindness. At one point in the movie, when Corenswet lay down, closed his eyes, and smiled, he resembled the artist Frank Quitely’s Superman from the monumental All-Star Superman series, written by Grant Morrison.
But it’s not just the look that Corenswet got down pat—it’s that dimpled, corn-fed American charm. His Superman is so endearing and vulnerable, which is a far cry from being a brooding bag of muscles. Corenswet deftly portrays the most powerful superhero in all of comics as utterly human. Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane is a loving callback to Margot Kidder’s brash and plucky journalist, updated for the 21st century. However, it is Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor who is always on the brink of stealing the movie with his rancid portrayal of a billionaire technocrat, akin to Elon Musk without the gender-affirming hair plugs.
Ultimately, it all boils down to the director, James Gunn, who has yet to produce a subpar film adaptation of a comic. It takes a true comic book fan—not just some geek—to truly handle comic book films. Gunn has the requisite enthusiasm, but he puts a premium on sticking to his vision and direction. Superman proves to be a watershed moment for DC films to ascend to the heights DC Comics deserves.
You may reach Chong Ardivilla at kartunistatonto@gmail.com or chonggo.bsky.social
