I barely watch movies in movie theaters, but I am SO glad that my friends invited me to watch Superman(2025) this summer. Superman, directed by James Gunn, is your iconic superhero movie, rebooting THE iconic superhero in a new DC Universe.

This movie has a lot of things I want to highlight, and I’ll start off with the cinematography and worldbuilding. Unlike most first entries of a superhero universe, or even any series, there actually isn’t a lot of backstory and build up, because most people that are watching this movie already know all about the DC Comics, or have watched previous DC movies. You just get thrown in the middle of a timeline that you basically know nothing about, you are only given the bare minimum of information about this new universe. The very first thing you notice about this movie is just how bright the vibe of the movie is. It is just booming with color and a very uplifting tone. It is a clear contrast from the previous DC movies which had a way darker feel to it. The sun in this movie almost feels like the real sun with how blinding it is. This movie also had a very real, very political theme to the world—they even showed the U.S pentagon, and other various real world parallels. The cinematography is amazing, with how well they track Superman’s flight—almost like the camera is glued to him—and how good the lighting was when he strikes various poses, or how comfortable they made regular apartments and offices look.

Now, the characters. Every single character in this movie killed it. From the fraud Justice League, Justice Gang, to Jimmy Olsen, the womanizer, to Four, Superman’s butler-robot. Personally, my favorite character in this movie was Mr. Terrific. I had never heard of him before this movie, but I instantly wanted to see more of him after the movie ended. I just finished rewatching the Marvel Cinematic Universe a couple weeks before I watched the movie, so I was comparing him a lot to Tony Stark, but in the short time I saw Mr. Terrific, he was a lot more morally sound than Tony Stark, while being as genius as him. He was a key character in the movie, drastically advancing the plot multiple times, in a very humble way. And how could I forget Krypto, the SuperDog himself. All I can say is that he was everything that I hoped he would be, and even more. If nothing else convinces you to watch this movie, go just to see Krypto. It’s worth it.

Lastly, the main character himself, Superman. David Corenswet and James Gunn did such a great job on him. Everything this movie was supposed to be, and is, is reflected through Superman. James Gunn wrote this Superman in such a unique, refreshing, and modern way. Superman wasn’t meant to be, and isn’t shown in this movie as an otherworldly being with godly powers like cool laser-eyes and freeze breath. He’s simply shown as what he should be, a SuperMAN. James Gunn focuses on Superman’s humanity in this movie, and executes it beautifully. Superman reflects hope, trust, sincerity, and kindness in a fictional universe where these attributes are becoming lost in history—just like our current reality. He demonstrates the main theme of the movie, and a truth: Being kind and sincere, no matter what, is honestly one of the coolest things you can do. And Superman demonstrates this by saving every single living creature he possibly could—yes, even a squirrel.

This whole movie just oozes hope. It is mostly shown through Superman, but it is also shown through the beautiful and vibrant world, and even the uplifting soundtrack. If you ever have a bad day, play this movie, and it’ll make your whole month.