I won’t lie; Superman is the one superhero character that I’ve never really gelled with. I didn’t grow up with the older films (call me a DC late bloomer), and my filmic experiences with Clark Kent never captured my heart.
That all changed at my early media screening of Superman, which is directed by Marvel royalty and is out now in cinemas .
I’d always heard fans, both friends and those online, wax lyrical about the qualities they loved in Superman – but they never quite got through to me. However, James Gunn has laid them out compellingly, and David Corenswet’s performance embodies them masterfully.
This is a hero who truly believes all life is sacred, even down to the tiniest, most innocent squirrel. He’s even a tad goofy, his Clark Kent alter ego landing ‘exclusive’ interviews with Superman and brazenly bragging about it in the office of the Daily Planet. But above all, he feels real in a way that I’d never seen before.
The story that I was most familiar with before Gunn’s take on Clark Kent was 2013’s Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, and the related character arc in the DCEU. It’s not a title that meant much to me at the time, with a plot bogged down with Kryptonian politics (and basically everything to do with General Zod).
This is no shade to Cavill, whose own take on Superman is beloved by many fans. But for me, none of the films he was in – Man of Steel, Justice League, Batman V Superman – had the soul that I was searching for.
Three core qualities make this superhero film special, setting a real challenge for Marvel to contend with .
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Lois and Clark have the magic spark
Every future superhero writer who is tasked with writing a female love interest needs to sit down and watch how this film characterised the iconic journalist, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan).
My favourite scene is where Lois interviews Superman. While their chemistry is very clearly there in abundance, she isn’t afraid to challenge the hero about some of the discourse surrounding him. The reporter hits him with hard questions and essentially runs circles around him as she leads the discussion right where she wants.
She’s not just a vessel to swoon over the hero or play the damsel in distress, something that has become commonplace in superhero films. She’s a vital part in Clark’s battle against evil, using nothing more than her wit and brazenness.
It makes those softer moments between the pair feel even more earned. They have their own quirks, things that just develop naturally between couples that are often left on the cutting room floor of high-action blockbusters. Instead, they’re front and centre – and Superman is all the better for it.
© 2025 Warner Bros. Ent. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC
We’re thrown into the lore
As I mentioned earlier, a lot of what has previously put me off Superman is the fact that his character is bogged down in the set-up. So, imagine my delight when instead, Gunn just drops the audience right into the thick of it.
He doesn’t completely ignore Kal-El’s home planet – far from it. But all those bits of exposition are delivered in the right doses. Instead, the film, a tight 2 hours and 9 minutes, can focus on where Superman is right now, and how he’s established his place in the world, both for better and worse.
Superman’s main conflict is very much on Earth, examining his involvement in Boravia’s military invasion of Jarhanpur, and how his own beliefs conflict with those of the US government. It’s something that has obvious parallels right now, even if it was perhaps unintentional, given that Gunn completed the first draft of the script in April 2023 .
But while being thrown into an established Clark and Lois storyline worked well, it’s less successful in the case of the villain Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), whose persona is thinly drawn. His motives become quite moustache-twirling in the final act, and there certainly could have been more room for complexity and grey areas with this character, who is probably the weakest element of the film.
Clark’s found family bring him down to Earth
Hollywood films tend to forget realism, especially with older characters – they’ll usually bring in a big name, or someone who doesn’t really look their age (likely because they aren’t), or both.
Gunn hasn’t made that mistake with Kal-El’s adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, played by Pruitt Taylor Vince & Neva Howel. Right from their first scene, where they’re unnecessarily yelling down the phone (something I’m sure many children can relate to), these feel like actual people from the American Deep South.
While their scenes with Clark only make up a short portion of the film, they have a genuine impact, and you can see how this extraordinary being has become the warm, caring hero the world needs. This sentiment is also extended to his adorable canine companion, Krypto.
This dog’s unconditional love towards his owner gives Clark the humanity that so many viewers can relate to, making him far more than just a cute bit character that pops up for the kids. Superman isn’t just a figurehead – he’s one of us.
And in all honesty, I’m not surprised. James Gunn has left me in tears before with his quieter, touching moments. He’s the right person to bring Superman into a new age for the DC Universe, and for once, I’m invested in where this hero goes next.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
Recent stories by Hannah Cowton-Barnes:
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