A bright, hopeful relaunch for DC’s flagship hero.
James Gunn’s Superman opens the rebooted DC Universe with a clear statement of purpose: optimism without naivety. The film honors a near-century of mythology while pitching a lively, contemporary tone. “Look up.” becomes both tagline and thesis for a character rediscovering how to inspire.
A character-first Superman grounded in values.
The story follows Clark Kent as he reconciles his Kryptonian heritage with a human upbringing rooted in decency and restraint. David Corenswet plays a Superman who treats strength as responsibility, not spectacle. In a world that deems kindness old-fashioned, he insists it is still the most radical stance. The PG-13 adventure (2h 9m) frames hope as a daily practice, not a platitude.
Fast-paced set pieces with wit and warmth.
Gunn’s direction blends brisk action with gentle humor, keeping momentum high without drowning sincerity. Battles are kinetic and readable, escalating to IMAX-worthy clashes that never forget the civilians below. Visual whimsy complements emotional beats instead of undercutting them. The result is a blockbuster that feels like a living comic rather than homework.
An ensemble that expands a lived-in Metropolis.
Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane crackles with curiosity and steel, while Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor schemes with cool intelligence. Cameos and side characters suggest an expansive DCU without reducing the film to a trailer reel. Production partners from DC Studios to Warner Bros. back a world that buzzes with consequence. It works as a self-contained story and as a confident first step into tomorrow.
Superman (2025): Trailer
What critics are saying, at a glance.
Across outlets, critics praise the film’s buoyant tone, vivid action, and faith in Superman’s core ideals. Many single out Corenswet as the most engaging Man of Steel since Christopher Reeve. Reviewers appreciate that the movie launches a universe without drowning in lore or cynicism. Dissenters call it overstuffed, tonally unruly, or too glib to land bigger ideas. Others argue its playful chaos sometimes blunts emotional stakes. Even so, the prevailing view is of a spirited, crowd-pleasing reset that makes the Boy Scout cool again.
All critics and scores, unfiltered.
| Outlet | Critic | Score | One-sentence summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Rant | Molly Freeman | 90 | A spectacular launch for the DCU with energy and fun that requires refreshingly little homework. |
| The New York Times | Alissa Wilkinson | 90 | Introduces many characters without feeling like fan service or exposition. |
| New York Magazine (Vulture) | Alison Willmore | 90 | Explores how we complicate obvious goods while leaving room for gleeful fun. |
| The Film Verdict | Alonso Duralde | 90 | A 2025 superhero movie that inspires genuine delight. |
| The Atlantic | David Sims | 90 | Big-budget spectacle stuffed with whimsical concepts and ridiculous side characters. |
| Looper | Reuben Baron | 90 | Zippy blockbuster fun that might inspire people to make a difference. |
| TheWrap | William Bibbiani | 88 | Fabulously smart and entertaining, with ambition-born flaws. |
| USA Today | Brian Truitt | 88 | Positivity, a cool canine, and a bright aesthetic make a busy world feel electric. |
| The Seattle Times | Dominic Baez | 88 | Top-notch action and stunning visuals; see it in IMAX if possible. |
| Consequence | Liz Shannon Miller | 83 | Rejects grimness and celebrates Superman’s values even when some choices falter. |
| The A.V. Club | Jarrod Jones | 83 | Gunn finds footing as Superman delivers heat-vision reprisals to Luthor’s forces. |
| Arizona Republic | Bill Goodykoontz | 80 | Reclaims “truth, justice” from politicization with hope it endures. |
| Slashfilm | Chris Evangelista | 80 | Unapologetically silly, disarmingly earnest, intentionally corny, and fun. |
| The Independent | Clarisse Loughrey | 80 | Corenswet, Brosnahan, and Hoult lead a referendum on DC’s cinematic future. |
| The Hollywood Reporter | David Rooney | 80 | Fun, pacy, affectionate toward the material, with a winning trio of leads. |
| IGN | Tom Jorgensen | 80 | A wonderfully entertaining, heartfelt cinematic reset for the Man of Steel. |
| Collider | Ross Bonaime | 80 | One of the best DC films in years and a summer highlight. |
| Variety | Owen Gleiberman | 80 | Loopy and multifaceted with genuine emotional stakes beyond the powers. |
| ScreenCrush | Matt Singer | 80 | Makes audiences care about the man who flies. |
| Rolling Stone | David Fear | 80 | Feels like a living, breathing comic book. |
| The Telegraph | Robbie Collin | 80 | Generous, enthusiastic, and refreshingly sincere. |
| Total Film | Jordan Farley | 80 | Not perfect, but pretty super. |
| Slate | Dana Stevens | 80 | Corenswet is the best Superman since Christopher Reeve. |
| Vanity Fair | Richard Lawson | 80 | Shrewdly balanced between flippant merriment and real stakes. |
| Austin Chronicle | Richard Whittaker | 78 | Champions journalism and immigrant ideals through an earnest hero. |
| New York Post | Johnny Oleksinski | 75 | Entertaining and uplifting for a change of pace. |
| Slant Magazine | Jake Cole | 75 | Superman endures because he stands for ideals beyond trends. |
| The Associated Press | Jake Coyle | 75 | Too irreverent for purists, but livelier than ponderous predecessors. |
| Boston Globe | Odie Henderson | 75 | Refreshingly inclusive and surprisingly entertaining as a reboot. |
| Chicago Tribune | Michael Phillips | 75 | Nicely packed and quite funny with Gunn’s merry depravity. |
| Film Threat | Alan Ng | 75 | Like childhood action figures used to tell an exciting story. |
| Polygon | Jesse Hassenger | 74 | Wears comic-book nonsense lightly without assigning homework. |
| Screen Daily | Tim Grierson | 70 | Overstuffed and uneven yet ambitious, nervy, and thoughtful. |
| Entertainment Weekly | Maureen Lee Lenker | 67 | Excellent cast, but the humanity needs to come first. |
| RogerEbert.com | Brian Tallerico | 63 | A mid-level take recalling 1978 without its pop magic. |
| Washington Post | Ann Hornaday | 63 | Bright, brisk reset that lacks deeper resonance. |
| ReelViews | James Berardinelli | 63 | Fun and frisky yet ultimately forgettable. |
| BBC | Nicholas Barber | 60 | Glib and flimsy, like an eccentric sci-fi B-movie. |
| Paste Magazine | Kevin Fox, Jr. | 60 | A kid’s movie with adult moments and nerdy references. |
| i | Francesca Steele | 60 | Humor and vitality lift the reboot out of gloom. |
| Time Out | Phil de Semlyen | 60 | Less bombast and self-seriousness, but genre fatigue remains. |
| Los Angeles Times | Amy Nicholson | 60 | Not the heart-soaring version desired, but curious to see what’s next. |
| Little White Lies | Leila Latif | 60 | Cohesive universe building, but Big Ideas land painfully. |
| NME | Lou Thomas | 60 | Closest to the DC Comics spirit with textured side characters. |
| IndieWire | David Ehrlich | 58 | Slight, slaphappy, and underwhelming as a universe opener. |
| The Daily Beast | Nick Schager | 55 | A chaotic, overstuffed would-be franchise restarter. |
| San Francisco Chronicle | G. Allen Johnson | 50 | A colorful mess between terrible superhero movie and parody. |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto) | Radheyan Simonpillai | 50 | Kitschy, forced fun undermines the message. |
| The New Yorker | Richard Brody | 50 | Overflowing imagination, but the best material is squandered. |
| Movie Nation | Roger Moore | 50 | Amorphous villains and an all-over plot blunt momentum. |
| Time | Stephanie Zacharek | 50 | Superman deserves better, and we need a great one now. |
| The Playlist | Rodrigo Perez | 42 | Colorful and hopeful but rarely soars in meaningful ways. |
| The Guardian | Peter Bradshaw | 40 | Cluttered backstory and wearying intertitles sap momentum. |
| The Times | Kevin Maher | 40 | Only glimmers of intrigue amid quirks and curios. |
| The Irish Times | Donald Clarke | 40 | Cartoonish battles, charmless and devoid of humanity. |
| Empire | Sophie Butcher | 40 | Admirable lead performance in a film lacking originality and cohesion. |
| Wall Street Journal | Kyle Smith | 40 | Dismissively weakens Superman and leans too hard on the dog. |
| LarsenOnFilm | Josh Larsen | 38 | By the end, you wonder what a nice guy like Superman is doing in a mean place like this. |
Average score and quick takeaways.
Average score across all 58 reviews: 69/100.
The distribution skews positive, with a large cluster between 80–90 that emphasizes optimism, fun, and Corenswet’s performance, and a meaningful mid-tier band in the 60–70s noting unevenness. A sharp negative tail (40–50) cites cluttered plotting, tonal whiplash, and a glib surface that can blunt emotion. Overall, the table reflects a broadly favorable reception tempered by disagreements over Gunn’s playful chaos versus classical gravitas.
