Usually it’s just kryptonite that brings Superman out in a rash, but early reviews of the latest instalment in the long-running film franchise suggest our lycra-clad hero has significantly more to worry about than green crystals.
The new film – directed by James Gunn and starring David Corenswet as the fictional superhero, with Rachel Brosnahan as precocious reporter Lois Lane – will go on general release from July 11.
But while it marks a new chapter in a franchise that began with the iconic Christopher Reeve in Richard Donner’s well received 1978 classic Superman: The Movie, a faction of early reviews suggest some critics are already longing for it to end.
One such review, published by the Daily Beast some five days before strict press embargoes had been lifted, didn’t hold back in its negative assessment of the film.
In an extensive critique that has since been removed online, the publication condemned Gunn’s latest offering as ‘the Final Nail in the Grave for the Superhero Genre.’
Moot points include a convoluted, humourless script, poor character development and a plot filled with ‘fanciful nonsense that soon renders the entire affair superficial and silly.’
‘Just as the seemingly indestructible Man of Steel is fatally weakened by kryptonite, so too is the once-unbeatable superhero genre gravely threatened by audience fatigue,’ they write.
‘Looking ahead rather than focusing on the here and now, this attempt at reimagining DC’s movie series ultimately proves to be more of the same old interconnected-universe bedlam that, at this point, is perilously close to going out of fashion.’
While British star Nicholas Hoult’s portrayal of nemesis Lex Luthor wins scant praise from the outlet, leading man Corenswet’s portrayal of Superman is dismissed for adhering to a woke checklist of cringeworthy cliches.
‘Superman’s hero is no brooding Snyder-ian Christ figure; rather, he’s a sweet and sincere do-gooder who uses the word “dude,” takes time out of fighting behemoths to save squirrels from harm, and believes that viewing everyone as beautiful is “punk rock.”‘
With Marvel veteran Gunn – whose previous film credits include Suicide Squad and Guardians Of The Galaxy – tasked with breaking new life into the franchise, the outlet believes some fans might enjoy his reinvention of the DC hero, but the superficial script will leave everyone else underwhelmed.
‘DC Comics die-hards may delight in Superman’s endless geekiness but everyone else is apt to feel adrift or, at least, along for a frenetic, flimsy ride that only feigns interest in actual emotion,’ they write.
Elsewhere, collective reviews for the forthcoming release are a mixed bag – but many critics appear to agree that Superman ’25 is, well, a mess.
Sharing his thoughts on X, reviewer Scott Menzel writes: ‘James Gunn’s Superman feels like he tossed every Superman comic and his entire filmography into a blender and hit purée.
‘Corenswet’s solid, Brosnahan’s great, and Hoult is doing something, not exactly sure what. It is a mess, narratively and tonally, but hey, at least it’s refreshingly fun, entertaining, and not boring.
‘Think of it as if James Gunn’s Suicide Squad had a baby with James Wan’s Aquaman with a little bit of Guardians of the Galaxy sprinkled on top.’
Addressing the film’s woke sensibilities in an interview with the Hollywood Reporter, Gunn insisted the current social and political climate meant it was right time to introduce characters with positive values.
He said: ‘People are looking for heroes right now. They are looking for values of goodness, looking for people who are good and decent human beings. And Superman is that.’
And fans of the franchise appear to agree, with independent assessments of the film – currently circulating on social media – largely positive, in spite of its critical mauling.
