By Steve Crum

I am solid with Superman—having grown up watching George Reeves as The Man of Steel during the first run of TV’s The Adventures of Superman in the 1950s. That evolved into spending my meager allowances on Superman comic books during the so-called “Silver Age.” Since then, I have DVDs of Kirk Alyn in two Superman serials from the 1940s. Add to that Fleischer Studios’ terrific animated Superman cartoons of the same period + the radio programs. Love them all. Then came the Christopher Reeve starrer as Supie in 1978…and the sequels, followed by decades of more films with other actors portraying Kal-El (his Kryptonian name, of course). Great Caesar’s ghost!

And now comes 2025’s Superman. Non-stop action from the get-go, it proves that there is a still a whole lot of attraction and flying power left for this superhero of superheroes. 

Written and directed by James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy), this reboot of the Superman franchise opens in battle turmoil as The Man of Steel (James Corenswet) fights the meta human “Hammer of Boravia.” Pretty much mortally wounded (yes, it even happens to him), Superman is carried off to his Fortress of Solitude by none other than Krypto, the superdog. (In the comic books, Krypto was always part of the SuperBOY universe—never SuperMAN’s.) 

Once there, Superman is nursed back to health by a staff of robots! This very cool inclusion of new DC characters includes Superman being given a healthy dose of the yellow sun to speed his healing. 

Meanwhile, back in Metropolis, it’s no surprise that Superman’s greatest foe, Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), continues to wreak proverbial havoc on the world with his thugs Hammer and Ultra Man. That includes Metropolis Daily Planet denizens Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) and Perry White (Wendell Pierce in a cameo).  Look for the late Christopher Reeve’s son, Will, as a GBS reporter. 

Without detailing too much, be aware that DC heroes The Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, Mister Terrific, and Metamorpho also appear to assist Superman. There is also a surprise superhero appearance near the film’s finale. 

Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Ma and Pa Kent are featured too. 

Then there’s that plot device dealing with a “pocket universe.” It’s all intriguing and built into workable, fantasy storytelling. 

Formulaic to the max, Superman still exudes awesome fun and excitement to both old and young fans.

__________

GRADE on an A-F Scale: A