A Hopeful Return with Superman

Something feels strange about sitting down to write a film review, especially when the last time I was at this keyboard was in 2021. But what can I say? There's something about Superman...

Superman has always embodied hope. Hope that humanity might live up to the ideals he represents. Hope. That, somehow, we can be better. But this film also brings with it a new kind of hope — the hope of a fresh cinematic universe, one that James Gunn is carefully crafting.

While watching this film, I felt transported back to the '90s, to the days I watched Christopher Reeve in the 1978 classic. It made me feel like I was rewatching the Justice League cartoon from 2001. It made me feel like a kid again — and that's not an easy feeling to come by these days. But that’s the magic of Superman. He inspires.

Now, I love Marvel — both the comics and the films — but in my heart, I’ve always been a DC girl. I remember being five years old with Batman bedcovers and Batman posters on the wall. I loved Bats. But even more than that, my mother loved Supes. We'd marathon the Superman films together, from 1978 onward. They were something out of this world, yet still so grounded. That’s what makes DC special: the stories are cosmic, but the emotions are human.

James Gunn understands that balance. He skips the tired origin story and throws us right into a world that’s already three years into Superman’s journey. This world isn’t new — it’s lived-in. And what better way to build a universe than to dive straight into it?

We see Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mr. Terrific — and we don’t need explanations. They’re just there, already part of this reality. In this universe, no one blinks when an Interdimensional Imp appears in the middle of Metropolis on a Thursday night. A Green Lantern can eat cereal in a diner — because that’s normal here. And that’s the point.

What I love most about James Gunn’s Superman is the world-building. There’s no need to rehash the same old stories because the characters — and the audience — already know them. That gives us space for new stories, new characters, and new beginnings.

And I, for one, am incredibly hopeful about this new DC Universe. I can’t wait to see what’s in store.