James Gunn’s Superman is not just disappointing. It is a disaster of a film that proves big budgets and name recognition cannot save a hollow story. What was marketed as a bold new vision of the Man of Steel is instead a clumsy and joyless mess that drags a beloved character into two and a half hours of empty spectacle.
The film tries to present Superman as both a symbol of hope and an angsty outsider but it never commits to either. The result is a confused protagonist played earnestly by David Corenswet who is given little more than platitudes and recycled one liners to deliver. The character has no arc, no growth, and no emotional weight. It is Superman in costume only with none of the soul that made him iconic.
Visually the movie throws CGI at the screen in every direction hoping noise and color can cover the absence of substance. Entire action sequences look like video game cutscenes stretched beyond reason and the final battle is so bloated with digital sludge that it is exhausting rather than thrilling.
The script is even worse. Gunn fills the movie with side characters and wink at the camera cameos leaving Superman himself sidelined in what is supposed to be his grand reintroduction. Dialogue is wooden, jokes land flat, and every attempt at emotional resonance is drowned by the film’s desperate need to be quirky and self aware. By the time the credits roll the audience has sat through a shallow and scatterbrained story that feels less like a movie and more like a marketing reel for future spinoffs.
Even the costume design is embarrassing. The suit looks baggy and unfinished on screen as though production rushed it through without care. Instead of awe the first reveal of Superman inspires mockery, a symbol of how far the film misses the mark.
What makes it worse is the film’s smug self importance. Gunn tries to inject heavy handed immigrant narrative themes but they come across as preachy and unearned. Instead of thoughtful commentary the movie delivers surface level slogans that insult the intelligence of the audience.
At its core Superman fails because it does not understand or respect the character. It reduces one of the most enduring heroes of all time into a shallow figurehead surrounded by noise. It is painfully generic, shockingly sloppy, and emotionally bankrupt.
Verdict: Superman (2025) is not just a bad superhero film. It is a hollow and joyless spectacle that drags down the character it was meant to celebrate. It is cynical, empty, and easily one of the worst comic book movies in recent memory.
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