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For some years now people have been talking about the curse of Superman, after a number of actors involved in various film and TV portrayals of this particular comic have suffered breakdowns, accidents, illness, career failings and premature death. Henry Cavill has poopooed the idea but you could argue that the whole series of movies he was in were jinxed in some way as they were all pretty bad. Now this new adaptation has received some very poor reviews with The Guardian and Empire Magazine both giving it just two stars out of five so it appears that a certain amount of misfortune continues to surround this character. It seems that often filmmakers can’t get it right and when they do then awful tragedy befalls them. 

Well I’m not buying into to any of that. What happened to George Reeves, Christopher Reeve and others is heartbreaking and Zac Snyder’s films were a misstep but this new one, rebooting everything all over again only three years after Cavill’s last appearance, is tremendous. 

The Guardian and Empire both said it was busy and overly cluttered but I do not see that at all. There is a lot happening for sure and the pacing is relentless but it an exhilarating ride. The story is propelled along by a great ensemble cast, strong characterisation, entertaining action, impressive SFX and imagery, tight suspense and consistent wit. Even though you know the key players will survive there is still an effective level of peril as well and at times the tension is palpable. There is a certain level of emotional engagement too, in that you really want to see the heroes win and you really, really, really want to see the bad guys lose. There is one twist that won’t be a shock to any readers of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson (who aren’t particularly known for any work on Superman) but the plot constantly surprises and the adventure is gripping. 

Part of the problem with Superman is his stoical and unimpeachable nature, which can prove dull. This was certainly one of the issues with Cavill’s po-faced Kryptonian. Here though they do something really interesting with him without compromising his integrity and without having to fall back on the overused Superman turns bad trope. Much of the narrative revolves around his humanity rather than his godliness and it is played with real authenticity. David Corenswet is great in the role and he proves the lynchpin in amongst the craziness. Rachel Brosnahan is equally good as Lois Lane, who is never the damsel and often the driver. All of the cast are good to be fair and only Wendell Pierce’s Perry White is underused.

Things do get fairly crazy too. Writer/director (and now the driving force behind all of the DC movies) James Gunn has had success with this sort of thing in the past but he has also gone too far, all just within his Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy, but here he nails it. Yes, there are giant monsters, robots, pocket dimensions, monkey trolls and a dog in a red cape but there is not a single element involved that doesn’t add to the fun.

That awesome arrangement of John Williams’ classic theme that featured in the trailer is well used in the movie too.

There have been other positive reviews among the high profile naysayers and I think I can see why this is dividing audiences. It is a bit of a riot in both senses. For me though Superman 2025 is superb. This is exactly how Superman should be done (the tone is not unlike a lot of the source comics), how superhero films should be done (not Batman though) and precisely how blockbuster Summer cinema should be done.

I loved it. 

It the opposite of a curse; it is genuinely a blessing.

Thank you Superman.