Superman 2025

Superman, 2025, 1 ¾ stars

Not-so-Super  moments

Gunn’s reboot wastes two good turns

Exclusive to MeierMovies, February 3, 2026

I was watching an old interview with Jimmy Stewart recently in which he discussed the value of “moments” in movies. He didn’t mention writing or acting or directing specifically – just those little moments that make or break a film.

For me, three such moments stand out in James Gunn’s Superman, which I finally saw last night. The first was when Krypto the dog appeared. Instead of using a real canine for the intimate scenes, Gunn chose to go entirely CGI. Longing for moments of realism and believability amid an exhausting smorgasbord of admittedly well-designed computer-generated imagery, I was instantly repelled. Sure, a CGI dog is necessary for many scenes. But the best way to add legitimacy to CGI is to juxtapose it with old-fashioned cinematography, especially when you’re dealing with a loveable animal. And Gunn bungled that. (At least he didn’t use AI.)

Another moment that took me out was when Superman’s mom opened her mouth. It was like a scene from Hee Haw, featuring a bad stereotype of a Southern hick. This is Kansas, not Kentucky. And I should know, as I grew up in both states. And I run a website devoted to accents and dialects. Next time, James, show more respect for your characters.

But both those moments seem tame when compared with the scene in which Lois Lane flies a spaceship. Yes, really.

Sure, the movie is a fun ride for some. But the ridiculous story, a poorly cast Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, too many other supernatural characters and overreliance on digital effects wastes a good performance from David Corenswet as Superman and an excellent one from Rachel Brosnahan as Lois. Gunn’s childish, snarky, “throw everything at the screen to see what sticks” sensibility, which served him reasonably well in the overrated Guardians of the Galaxy films, is akin to kryptonite for the man of steel.

© 2025 MeierMovies, LLC

For more information on the movie, visit IMDB and Wikipedia.