Superman (2025) (4K UHD Review)
- Review Date: Sep 19, 2025
- Format: 4K Ultra HD
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Director
James GunnRelease Date(s)
2025 (September 23, 2025)Studio(s)
DC Studios/Troll Court/The Safran Company/Warner Bros. Pictures (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: B+
- Video Grade: A+
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: B+
Review
In an alternate world of Gods and Monsters, Superman (David Corenswet, Twisters) is just the most recent of many so-called “Metahumans” to appear on the scene. But he’s also the most powerful and an alien from another planet, which makes him the target of suspicion from US Military officials. Yet Superman is widely popular with the public, thanks to his innate decency and reputation for doing good deeds—something that tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult, Mad Max: Fury Road) simply can’t stomach.
When Superman prevents the war-mongering nation of Boravia from invading neighboring Jarhanpur to prevent the loss of lives, Luthor concocts an elaborate scheme to paint him as a villain. But ace Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) suspects there’s even more to Luthor’s plan than meets the eye. And complicating matters are the Justice Gang, including Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion, Firefly, The Rookie), Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced, Alien: Romulus), and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi, For All Mankind), not to mention Superman’s own dog Krypto.
At this point, it’s almost a cliche to say that theatrical audiences have grown weary of the superhero genre in recent years, but James Gunn’s Superman represents our first look at the newly-retooled DC Universe created by the director and DC Studios co-chairman/co-CEO Peter Safran. And Gunn has not only paid his cinematic dues, he’s earned a chance to be taken seriously given his work on Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy films. It’s also fair to say that while fans of the recent Snyder-verse have been less than welcoming, most DC fans are eager for a fresh start to the franchise.
What’s immediately clear about Gunn’s take on Superman is that instead of trying make the film “realistic” for today’s audiences, he’s decided instead to lean into DC’s comic book heritage and to dive deeply into its source material, particularly the Silver Age work of the great Jack Kirby, but also the Modern Age including Grant Morrison’s All-Star Superman. And all of this is in addition to an effort to honor the character’s film and TV legacy, from the bold colors of the Fleischer Studio’s 1940s animated shorts to Richard Donner’s Superman: The Movie (1978), and even the Super Friends animated series of the 1970s and 80s. There are quite literally hundreds of deep cut references here that expert fans will appreciate.
But characters are the beating heart of Gunn’s Superman, and these are only as good as the actors playing them. To say it plainly, Corenswet simply is Superman. He’s a different kind of Superman than, say, Henry Cavill. But he embodies the spirit of the character no less, and he has the same Juilliard roots as Christopher Reeve before him. Rachel Brosnahan appears to have been born to play Lois Lane; not only does she honor the work of Margot Kidder, she makes the role her own. And Nicholas Hoult is a revelation as Luthor, a man who truly believes he’s the hero—the only person on Earth smart enough to protect humanity from the threat of super-powered aliens.
Gunn’s film has a lot going on. Gone is the familiar origin story—the director correctly assumes we already know it. Gone too is the “meet cute” start of Clark and Lois’ relationship—they’re already an item here. But skipping the preliminaries not only allows us to get straight to the action, but also straight to the heart of their relationship via a scene in which Lois interviews her boyfriend/colleague about his actions as Superman, which doesn’t go as well as Clark planned. This script is very efficient in making you care about these people while catching you up on the already-in-progress story. And that, in turn, leaves plenty of room for additional characters to shine, including Jimmy Olson (Skyler Gisondo) and the Daily Planet crew, Luthor’s quirky coterie of minions, and especially the pre-League Justice Gang who steal scene after scene. Which is just fine, because this Superman is confident enough to let everyone have their moment. (I haven’t even mentioned Pruitt Taylor and Neva Howell as the Kents yet, nor Alan Tudyk as Four/Gary.)
To be fair, the fact that Gunn’s Superman does lean so heavily on its comic origins—not to mention its blizzard of well-executed (but still blizzardy) VFX—will likely prevent some mainstream viewers from meaningfully connecting with this film, and that’s in addition to the challenges it’ll face in overcoming international feelings about “the American way” at the moment. But the bottom line here is that Gunn’s film is entertaining, it honors the character’s origins and legacy, and its three lead actors fill out their roles admirably and with genuine charisma. It’ll be interesting to see how the new DC Universe unfolds going forward, and how future installments with less familiar characters will be accepted by fans and filmgoing audiences at large. In the meantime though, this Superman works.
Superman was captured digitally by cinematographer Henry Braham (Flyboys, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 & 3) in the Redcode RAW and Phantom RAW codecs (in 4K, 6K, and 8K resolution) using Red Komodo and Red V-Raptor cameras with Leitz Tri-Elmar and M 0.8, Panavision Primo 70, and Angenieux Optimo Ultra lenses. High-speed footage was also shot using Phantom Flex 4K-GS cameras. It was finished as a native 4K Digital Intermediate at the 1.85:1 and 1.90:1 aspect ratios (the latter for IMAX exhibition). For its release on Ultra HD, that source was graded for high dynamic range (compatible with both Dolby Vision and HDR10) and it’s been encoded for release on a 100GB disc for maximum video data rates (which vary wildly from 40-90 Mbps, but average 50-60 Mbps). Note that the 4K disc delivers that 1.90:1 IMAX experience.
The resulting image quality is absolutely fantastic—pretty damn close to reference quality, in fact. Detail is excellent, with truly sublime and well-refined texturing visible in everything from Superman’s suit, to the crystalline structure of the Fortress of Solitude, to the worn wooden door frame in Lois’ apartment. There’s a shot of the rogue kaiju standing in a Metropolis park at the start of Chapter 5 that’s truly striking—so much detail is visible in its leathery skin, in the fallen trees at the bottom of the frame, in the buildings around it. A light-medium faux photochemical grain texture has been applied to the image, but it largely appears organic and natural. What’s interesting here is that there’s a deliberate use of atmospherics (both on set and digitally) to enhance dimensionality and ground the image in reality—atmospheric haze, on-set smoke, glare, etc. So when the detail pops, it really pops. Contrast is superb, with deeply detailed blacks and bold highlights. The color palette is pleasing, accurate, and well-nuanced, though it should be noted that it often appears a little desaturated by design. But if you want to see where it really shines, take a look at the late-night scene where Clark and Lois are talking in his apartment as the Justice Gang fights the “inter-dimensional imp” in the distance out the window, which showcases deep blacks, great shadow detail, and luminous highlights. Also noteworthy is the escape from the black hole in the pocket universe, which offers more vibrant colors. This is a great 4K presentation—stylized, but rock solid, everything you want from this format for a film like this.
Also excellent is this 4K disc’s English Dolby Atmos port of the theatrical Atmos mix, which delivers good clarity, robust and muscular bass, and excellent staging and dimensionality in set pieces. If I had one minor complaint here, it’s that the soundstage feels a little bit contained or closed in—it’s not quite as wide and expansive as other action film mixes in Atmos. (To be clear: This is not a defect, it’s a creative choice.) So in quieter moments, the sense of immersion isn’t quite as obvious. But it also means that when the action really gets going—and there’s a lot of it in this film—the directional cues and panning sound much more lively, aggressive, and immediate. Examples are the scene in which Superman fights “The Hammer of Boravia” over the streets of Metropolis, Luthor’s infiltration of the Fortress of Solitude (as The Engineer subdues Superman’s robots), the kaiju battle, and especially Mister Terrific’s 360-degree battle with Planet Watch forces as he and Lois attempt to trace Superman’s disappearance into the Luthor’s pocket universe. The height channels are constantly active, if sometimes more subtly for vertical extension. And there are lots of little moments that impress too, such as when Lois enters her apartment and you can just hear pan rattling noises in the left rear channel (the first hints of Clark cooking in her kitchen). Points also for the score by John Murphy (Kick-Ass, Sunshine) and David Fleming (The Last of Us), which manages to sound fresh while honoring the iconic work of John Williams—it’s presented in pleasing fidelity. And no James Gunn film would be complete without a great pop track or two, and he’s chosen a fitting one here: A new version of the Teddybears and Iggy Pop’s 2006 recording of Punkrocker (with slightly revised lyrics). Additional mixes on the 4K disc include English Descriptive Audio, and English, French, and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital. Optional subtitles are available in English for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, French, and Spanish.
Warner’s Ultra HD release includes the film in 4K on UHD only. (A Blu-ray version is available separately, and there’s a 4K + Blu-ray Steelbook version as well.) The 4K disc includes the following special features:
- Adventures in the Making of Superman (HD – 58:58)
- Breaking News: The Daily Planet Returns (HD – 5:26)
- Lex Luthor: The Mind of a Master Villain (HD – 5:22)
- The Justice Gang (HD – 10:32)
- Pawns to Pixels: Krypto Is Born (HD – 5:48)
- The Ultimate Villain (HD – 5:08)
- Icons Forever: Superman’s Enduring Legacy (HD – 6:07)
- A New Era: DC Takes Off (HD – 4:43)
- Kryptunes: The Music of Superman (HD – 6:34)
- Krypto Short: School Bus Scuffle (HD – 5:32)
As you can tell simply from looking at the list above, that’s almost two hours’ worth of content. And the great surprise is that it’s all pretty damn good. Let me also say this plainly: Zak Forsman’s Adventures in the Making of Superman is one of the best behind-the-scenes documentaries in a good long while, especially for a new theatrical film release. For one thing, it’s beautifully shot. But more than that, it offers fans the chance to see all kinds of key moments in the production, from the costume tests with Corenswet trying on early versions of the suit and different Clark Kent glasses, to the decision as to whether or not to include the red trunks, the first cast and crew table read of the script, filming the opening in Svalbard as set building happens in Atlanta, the first day of shooting with Corenswet and Brosnahan, the production moving to shoot exteriors in Cleveland (which just so happens to be the birthplace of Superman), the use of drone cameras to shoot the dynamic flight footage, and on and on. You get to see Corenswet and Brosnahan’s easy and genuine chemistry, both on camera and off. Gunn and the actors offer interesting insights into the characters and what motivates them. There’s even a couple of funny moments with Corenswet recording the Hammer of Boravia voice overs in an exaggerated accent. It’s all good stuff.
Moving on, Breaking News takes you inside the Daily Planet set, located in a real train station in Macon, GA, to meet some of the actors playing Clark and Lois’ colleagues, not to mention James and Michael Larson, who are Superman creator Jerry Siegel’s grandsons. Lex Luthor offers a window on Nicholas Hoult’s take on the character, and we meet some of the actors playing his minions. The Justice Gang is particularly fun. A highlight is Nathan Fillion and Gunn revealing that Guy Gardner is a jerk with a chip on his shoulder, because Hal Jordan’s Green Lantern is more handsome and gets all the attention. We also spend a little time with Merced, Gathegi, and Anthony Carrigan’s Metamorpho. Pawns to Pixels reveals the process of bringing Krypto to life and we meet Gunn’s real (and recently-adopted) rescue dog Ozu, who was the model for the character (in more ways than one), and Jolene, who was the on-set “stunt” dog and stand-in. The Ultimate Villain focuses on “Ultraman” aka The Hammer of Boravia, as well as the film’s fight choreography. Icons Forever and A New Era address Superman’s legacy and the future of the new DCU, respectively. The former also reveals more insights about the three leads and the actors playing them. Kryptunes is a peek at the film’s score and music with Fleming and Murphy, including the latter’s dirty electric guitar version of John Williams’ classic theme as well as the use of an exotic instrument called the Cristal Baschet. Finally, there’s a cute animated short featuring Krypto.
Yes, many of these featurettes are only 5 or 6 minutes long, but they’re better than the usual EPK promotional fluff—they actually address the things you’d want to learn more about on this film. Really, the only knock against these extras is that there’s no audio commentary by Gunn and no deleted scenes. But here’s the thing: There apparently is a commentary coming and deleted scenes too, as well as a gag reel—they’ll be added to the film’s Digital extras in the coming weeks. Of course, part of me is definitely frustrated by the fact that those things aren’t included on Warner’s Blu-ray and 4K release. But in this case, it’s at least partly understandable; the studio decided to release the film on physical media so soon after the theatrical release that Gunn simply didn’t have time to record the commentary before the disc went to authoring, QC, and replication—he was still too busy promoting the film. (The commentary wasn’t recorded until August 4th, at which point the discs were likely already being manufactured.) So I very much hope that Warner will reissue this film on 4K and Blu-ray at some point down the line to add those features to the actual discs. In any case, the good news is that—even without the Digital-only content—this is still a pretty solid batch of features. Of course, a Movies Anywhere Digital code is also included on a paper insert in the package.
I’ve now seen Superman three times, and I’ve come to appreciate the film a little more with each new viewing. From start to finish, it feels fresh and different—a little more savvy and a lot more efficient in terms of the amount of work it accomplishes per minute of storytelling. Best of all, I think director James Gunn has proven that he’s the right person for this job for a host of reasons, but especially this: He believes. Like Clark Kent in this film, Gunn’s an idealist who’s gone all-in here on the idea of truth, justice, and doing what’s right. And boy, does that matter. Because it’s what you do, not where you come from, that defines who you are. And hope always leads the way. (So too does boffo 4K A/V quality, which Warner has delivered in spades.) Recommended!
-Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)