Superman (2025)
My review of it.
Recently, I watched Superman (2025) and while this was my first time watching a Superman specific story it was not my first introduction to his character or the way his character has been portrayed in other DC movies.
The costume of Superman shows us his beliefs before we even know them. Bright, bold, symbolic. It’s like the light in darkness. A symbol of hope. It’s the suit we know Superman in, the one we recognize. It’s a stark difference to the clothes that those around him wear. When he’s Clark Kent, regular Metropolis citizen, he wears the dull clothes or duller compared to what he wears as Superman. In both instances, he is making a statement about how he wants to be seen. Clark Kent wants to blend in with society; Superman wants to be the symbol of hope for society. I don’t think I really need to tell you this though because I think it’s very well known, I still find it very interesting.
Metropolis is a fictional place, though it is likely inspired by New York City from the way that the city is built up. It shows that it is a bustling city that never sleeps by showing everyone walking everywhere, lots of traffic, and lights in most buildings when it’s nighttime. Without seeing much of Metropolis, we get a sense of what it would be like to live there because of how Superman interacts with it in the few scenes we see. Him accidently bumping into someone and apologizing as he enters work. How the citizens of Metropolis react to Superman when he is around, how well Superman knows citizens act around him and the world they know.
Superman brings hope everywhere he goes, just the idea of him can. I don’t know about anyone else, but when I hear the main theme music from this movie it has me hoping a little bit more. I think that’s what I like about this Superman so much. He feels human and brings that hope from the fictional world into our own lives. “I am as human as anyone. I love; I get scared. I wake up every morning, and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other.” - Superman (2025)
One of the main things I love so much about superhero movies as a whole is the way that they always seem so hopeful. How lighting is used in this movie acts to aid this idea, specifically that Superman is bringing hope to the world. One moment where I really saw this is towards the end, when Superman is confronting Lex Luthor. The light is purposefully placed behind him, showing him in almost this ‘angelic’ light as he talks with Lex Luthor. Contrastingly, in this scene, Lex Luthor is shadowed as if to solidify the fact that he was a villain. This lighting happens often throughout the movie, even while Superman is being detained there is still a brightness to him though it has been dimmed since people think he is evil. In this moment we also see the detainers - PlanetWatch - being portrayed in a slightly brighter light than normal because the people of Metropolis are thinking of them as their saviours. It is so interesting to see these details and understand the reasoning behind them.
Overall, I really liked watching the Superman movie. It felt like reading a comic book, and the message of the story was extremely impactful. For my first time watching a Superman movie it did extremely well. The characters were enjoyable. The storyline felt thought-out and fit very well with Superman as a character. Was such a deep analysis needed of it to explain my thoughts on the movie? Not really, but it was fun to think it through with all that I’ve learnt. (All my readings for university have gotten to me.)
If you enjoyed reading this, stick around. Have a great day!