The theatrical poster forSupermandepicts the titular hero, underscored by the tagline, “LOOK UP.” There’s a double meaning at play here. It refers to the intro of the 1940 radio show (“It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s Superman!"), but it also encapsulates how writer-directed and recently promoted CEO of DC Studios,James Gunn, wants audiences to feel about his new movie and cinematic universe.
Supermanis decidedly peppy and optimistic, but if moviegoers follow the advice literally and shift their gaze to the top of the poster, they’ll see tiny black text that reads, “A Film by James Gunn.” That font should be bigger. 2025’sSupermanis undoubtedly a James Gunn film, perhaps more than it is a Superman film. For the most part, that’s a relief. It’s one of the better comic book adaptations of the last five years. Gunn’s instincts, with actors and visuals especially, are better suited to superhero movies than almost anyone working in that space today. It’s just that, for all his skill and good intentions, he’s not a natural fit for the Man of Steel, which limits how high hisSupermancan fly and exposes his own limitations.
James Gunn and the Guardians of the Galaxy Were a Better Match
Sure, they’re notThe GodfatherorThe Lord of the Rings, butThe Guardians of the Galaxymovies are some of the best entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Taken on their own, they are arguably one of the most effective trilogies ever made. There aren’t many examples that feel as consistent and complete, and few that have overachieved the way theGuardiansfilms did. Gunn was assigned a C-tier bunch of weirdos that had never found more than a cult following on the page, and he transformed them into some of the most well-liked characters in the MCU.They became a phenomenon because the source material played to his unique abilities.
His resume is proof that he can handle a multipronged story with a large, decentralized cast of characters. That’s enough to have tripped up plenty of filmmakers before and since. But whatreally setsGuardiansapartis Gunn’s singular talent for taking that which is off-putting and making it endearing. Many writer-directors can turn something off-putting into something funny or scary. Gunn’s signature move is presenting us with a gross gag, a mean-spirited line of dialogue, or a grizzly fight scene that somehow gives us the warm and fuzzies.
James Gunn Says Marvel’s ‘Guardians 2’ Post-Credits Scene Made His Life Hard - While Teasing ‘Superman’s Own Stinger
James Gunn has revealed the status of ‘Superman’s post-credits scene, while addressing how he is avoiding the problems caused by Marvel’s stingers.
From the snarky, two-dimensional Star-Lord, Gunn elicited a deceptively multi-layered, career-best performance out of Chris Pratt. Vin Diesel’s limited-vocabulary voice-over and a digitally rendered tree trunk became a fan-favorite character whose merch still sells. He wrote the malcontent and murderous Rocket Raccoon so sympathetically,fans bawled their way throughGuardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 3.
Now Gunn has assigned himself the most famous superhero the world has ever seen, and he’s the exact opposite of the Guardians of the Galaxy in almost every way. Superman is the very definition of iconic. He’s ceaselessly earnest. He’s usually solo. Unlike Star-Lord, the half-human who’s shuttled into space, Clark Kent is an alien whose circumstances land him on Earth. The project would appear to require a different approach. Instead,almost all of Gunn’s hallmarks find their way intoSuperman: quippy back-and-forths, dissonant needle drops, trippy locales, animals behaving badly, and found family. It still works, but to limited effect. And because we’ve seen so many of these gimmicks before, they feel more like gimmicks this time around.
Applying Gunn’s Schtick to ‘Superman’ Yields Mixed Results
Most ofSupermanis fine to excellent, but the various elements don’t gel together the way they do inGuardians of the Galaxy,and sometimes they feel forced.Gunn had to invert his comedic sensibility. Rather than soften jerks like he does withGuardians, he adds some smarm to likable characters. David Corenswet’s wholesome Superman still says stuff like, “What they hey, dude?!” in between attempts to crack wise.Veteran droid actor Alan Tudyk’s4/Gary politely and repeatedly reminds his creator that he isn’t programmed for empathy. The jokes don’t bomb; they just don’t land the way we know a James Gunn joke can.
The performances inSupermanare its greatest strength, particularly that of Corenswet, who deftly embodies the Superman of old’s idealism and Gunn’s added veneer of cheekiness. It’s a shame, then, that the writer-director struggles to manage the number of characters. He was smart to dispense with the origin story, but without a dedicated put-the-team-together plotline or enough screen time, we didn’t get to know or love this group the way we did by the time the credits rolled inGuardians. Lois Lane doesn’t have enough to do, let alone Hawkgirl, and Supergirl’s cameo could’ve been a mid-credits stinger. There’s hardly enough Superman in thisSupermanmovie.
What’s similar aboutSupermanandGuardiansoften feels like a slightly worse copy. Though Krypto will be popular with kids and dog people, he functions like a PG-rated, surface-deep riff on Rocket. A scene in which the Justice Gang fights a rapidly growing monster is reminiscent of the opening scene inGuardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2, during which the gang takes down an Abilisk. Another instance where Mister Terrific single-handedly takes down Luthor’s black site henchman is derivative of how Yondu uses his arrow.
James Gunn Confirms That ‘Superman’ Is a Story About the Thing Everyone Hates Right Now
‘Superman’ may be a big bright superhero movie but James Gunn knows one aspect could offend some people.
What’s different aboutSupermanputs it at a disadvantage, too. While the firstGuardiansseamlessly unfolded its two central narratives having to do with the orb and Peter Quill’s identity,Superman is kind of the MacGuffin in his own movie, which makes the whole thing a little harder to follow, logically and emotionally. That also means Lex Luthor’s motivations driveSuperman, not Clark’s. Clark just wants to be a good boy and do the right thing, whatever that is. Lex — who is already the richest and most powerful man in the world, with good press no less — wants half of a small country and just hates Superman? Nicholas Hoult’s commanding portrayal obscures the fact that those motives are actually pretty thin. He’s no Thanos.
Gunn wants his film to beaboutsomethingwith obvious allusions to immigration, current geopolitical conflicts, and collusion between heads-of-state, billionaire technocrats, and media conglomerates. While he doesn’t offer feasible solutions to any of those problems, he does leave us with something of a thesis statement. The sometimes dystopian status quo we all live in makes it all too easy for us to forget our humanity and the humanity of others. Curiously, Gunn’sSupermanis at its best with its heart on its sleeve and without any irreverence to distract from the moment, which only really happens when Clark returns home to Kansas.
Maybe Gunn should’ve done away with the schtick and stuck with iconic and earnest. He seems to be having a meta-debate with himself mid-movie about what hisSupermanis or should be. Lois explains that punk is cynical, pop is trusting, and Superman is pop. But Clark counters that maybe popispunk in a jaded world. Ultimately, Gunn’sSupermanis like a punk cover of a pop classic. It’s a banger that’s at odds with itself.Supermanis in theaters now.
