That's super, man.

 Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s another superhero movie. Superman, to be exact, the new 2025 DC James Gunn blockbuster focused on reviving the much loved character alongside the whole DC brand. 

In an age where Marvel has graced our screens with the same slop for years, it’s something of a joy to experience a level of whimsy in a superhero film that was only matched  by the 2014 Marvel hit Guardians of the Galaxy, also directed by James Gunn.  In contrast to almost all of its superhero predecessors, Superman left me leaving the cinema filled with something that’s almost considered a scarcity these days; hope. 

The backdrop of the film is an ongoing conflict between the Eastern European country Boravia which is attempting to occupy the nation of Jarhanpur, a vaguely middle-eastern region. Superman, of course, opposes the occupation, and his nemesis, Lex Luthor, is portrayed as a CEO with ambitions to control part of Jarhanpur after the occupation. Without spelling it out, it’s very clear throughout the film of the parallels being drawn to the ongoing genocide in Gaza. Lex Luthor, representing the US, simply doesn’t care of the tragedy unfolding in Jarhanpur, and spends the majority of the film hating on Superman for having basic empathy. Although he preaches on late night talk shows of how the loss of lives plays heavy on his heart, Lex Luthor is shown as an arms dealer for Boravia, prolonging the ongoing conflict and fueling his capitalistic intentions to ethnically cleanse Japhanpur and build multi-million dollar projects on the occupied land. All you’d need is some orange face-paint and a bad wig, or a laughably young girlfriend and a lisp for the parallels between fictional antagonist Luthor and real-life supervillain Trump and Musk to be over the top.  The same can be said for the Boravian leader, who is clearly a placeholder for a dictator such as Putin or Netanyahu. 

All of this is great. It’s refreshing to see a superhero film touch on what’s currently happening in the world, without the whole ‘only one person can save you’ shite. It’s highlighted in Superman that we must come together to save the world. Although Superman believes in what’s right, Lex Luthor leads a smear campaign against him with stereotypical anti-migrant rhetoric. For context, Superman is an alien who arrived on earth as a baby before being adopted and raised by human parents. Towards the end of the film, Superman makes a touching speech; “I’m 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 and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time. But that is being human. And that’s my greatest strength.” 

There’s a lot of lovely moments, a lot of moments that humanise those affected by occupation and conflict (as much as you can in a Hollywood blockbuster), which is definitely something of note in the current political climate. However, it would be a lie to say Superman is pro-palestine. Although it most certainly opposes war and promotes peace, Superman fails to draw attention to the complicity of the US and western governments in war and occupation. Luther is seen as the ‘one bad egg’, using his home-grown smear campaign against Superman to prolong the conflict as long as possible in order to sell as many arms as possible. It’s a very trivial way to portray what’s happening in Palestine, Ukraine, and other war-torn countries. Even if it’s not ‘supposed’ to represent a particular region, we are living in dark times, and Superman had the power to make a very strong statement and impact. I’d argue it did, to a certain extent, in comparison to the thinly-veiled pro-america war propaganda of other superhero films, but certainly not enough. It would be wrong to say Superman is pro-Palestine, but he’s most definitely pro-peace, and therefore, pro-Palestine by default. 

Superman’s empathy and compassion for others throughout is the real highlight of the film. He sees the best in people and maintains an unshakable optimism despite the trials and tribulations that are so common for super-human saviours of our planet. Not once does he come across as unrelatable, which is high praise considering he’s supposed to be an alien. He evokes hope and promotes kindness. I think it’s about time we have children looking up to a superhero like that. 

⅘ stars from me.