Tag: dc studios

SUPERGIRL (2026) – Review

As we’ve come to expect for the last several decades (the past three or so), Summertime is a “super-time” at the multiplex (and the box office). Bonnie’s toy box burst open the season officially last weekend, so it’s time for a comic book crusader to literally swoop in and rescue us from the warm-weather duldrums. Mind you, we met lots of aliens a couple of weeks ago with Spielberg’s newest, so film fans should be primed for an even friendlier “strange visitor from another planet”. Nope, it’s not the newest version of “big blue”, but rather his cousin. This harkens back to the strategy of the producers of his “touchstone” big screen outing of 1978. The late, great Christopher Reeve donned the cape for three outings before a “spin-off”. Of course, the dynamic team of James Gunn and Peter Safran, the keepers of the DC film franchise, isn’t following that “playbook”, so now we’re meeting the “girl of steel”, SUPERGIRL.


In the story’s opening moments, the title character, AKA Kara Zor-El (Milly Alcock), has been “over-celebrating” her 23rd birthday. She’s trying to “sleep it off”, but her faithful puppy Krypto will have none of that. Neither will her cousin Clark AKA Superman (David Corenswet), who transmits a video “B-day” greeting to her spaceship/crashpad. That vessel is parked on a “red sun” planet, so Kara’s enduring a full-on hangover. Down the way, the home of a weapons crafter named Elias Knoll gets a most-unwelcome visit from the sadistic leader of the space pirates known as the Brigands, Krem (Matthias Schoenaerts). The tension escalates into a brutal attack that leaves a single survivor of the Knoll family, teenager Ruthye (Eve Ridley). Later, she shows up at a “watering hole”, seeking an “agent of revenge”. This leads to Ruthye befriending Kara, who takes her back to her ship. Unfortunately, the Brigands are there to steal it. Krypto breaks free and charges Krem, who shoots the pooch with a poison dart. After the thieves escape, Kara takes her pet to a vet who explains that unless she gets the antidote from Krem, Krypto will be heading to that “farm up north”. Kara has no choice but to accompany Ruthye on her “trackdown” of the Brigand “king”. Even if Kara can get to a “yellow sun” planet, will her superpowers be enough to save her poor canine pal in time? And what happens when their quest leads to the savage, surly space-hoppin’ bounty hunter Lobo (Jason Momoa)? The clock is ticking…

After a steady acting career, mainly in several TV shows (broadcast and streaming), Ms. Alcock puts a very different spin on this iconic hero. There’s little of the wide-eyed innocence of Helen Slater in the 1984 flick, nor the feisty “working gal” energy of the CW’s Melissa Benoist. Instead, she goes dark, conveying the character’s traumatized past and her need to self-medicate. Kara needs a reason to soar again. Luckily, we get a glimpse of her sunny side as she interacts with the ever-adorable “fuzz-faced” Krypto. Alcock is more than up to this daunting challenge. Oh, that “reason” is Ruthye played with steel-eyed focus and determination by the engaging Ms. Ridley. Her road to revenge leads her to a new family: a needed “big sister” in Kara. These actresses work well with each other, even as they share exchanges with the movie’s big scene-stealer, Momoa, as the ill-tempered, gamma-irradiated boss biker Lobo. His grungy charm and snarky asides propel the often dour space opera. Though he was a JLA member in the “Snyder-verse”, Momoa appears to be having a lot more fun as this DC comics fan favorite “anti-hero”. He fares much better than the talented Schoenaerts, who isn’t given a real chance to shine as the underwritten Krem. With his “bedazzled” face, he looks as though he took a wrong exit off “Fury Road”. Krem exists to inflict cruelty as he mugs and sneers at the heroes. Speaking of heroes, it’s great to see Corenswet return as the caring “blue boy scout” mentor to his cousin (though it feels like a “big brother/lil’ sis” dynamic).

Unlike last Summer’s “super spectacle” from James Gunn, this is helmed by an action flick “newbie” Craig Gillespie (I, TONYA, CRUELLA, and DUMB MONEY). In many ways, the film doesn’t harken back to SUPERMAN, but rather Gunn’s work at Marvel on the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY trilogy, with the countless slimy “beasties” and exotic alien backdrops. However, it’s a lot tougher to see these creative designs (unlike the GoG flicks) in the barely-lit scenes, giving everything a muddy look, rather than the “lived-in” STAR WARS aesthetic. This makes it doubly difficult to follow the chaotic fights and stunts. We eventually get too comfortable with the weird (did we need the “potty” gags?) and try to latch on to the familiar. A big contributor to that inertia is the cliche-ridden screenplay, based on a popular comic book miniseries. It takes its main idea from TRUE GRIT as Ruthye is a sword-wielding Mattie Ross (with nods to CAT BALLOU and even THE SEVEN SAMURAI). This leads to lots of “plot point” tropes as the hero is wounded and must heal before a final throw-down (we saw that a few weeks ago in THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU). I did find the flashbacks to the destruction of the planet Krypton compelling, along with life on the floating rock called Argo City, even as the talented David Krumholtz, as Kara’s pop Zor-El, provides SF-science babble in Kryptonese (couldn’t they have switched to English after a few lines of it). And, as I mentioned earlier, Lobo is a welcome shot of adrenaline in his “drop-bys” (I’m sure a solo flick is in the works). I recall that several DC comics films were stopped because Gunn and Safran stated that the scripts “weren’t there”. As this film lurched to its too-protracted finale, I wondered why this one was “ready to go”. And I also counted the weeks until that webbed-wonder swings in for a welcome return visit. But we’re concerned with “the guys down the street” (as Deadpool says), and this is a pretty “meh” follow-up to last Summer’s triumphant “reboot”. That one soared while SUPERGIRL, despite a superb cast, barely gets off the ground.

2 Out of 4

SUPERGIRL opens in theatres everywhere on Friday, June 26, 2026

SUPERMAN (2025) – Review

This weekend’s big movie release, perhaps THE biggest of the whole Summer, may remind some folks of the song, “Everything Old is New Again”, which is itself over fifty years old. That’s because this flick’s subject matter, its title character, actually, is nearly 87 years old. But its influence and legacy have never left the pop culture landscape in all that time since 1938. Oddly, his first real foray into “big time” full-length feature films occurred forty years later, just in time to hit theatres before Christmas. Now that the Summer has been the usual domain for superheroics, naturally, this “re-boot/re-imagining” of his return flight, after a big “touchdown” twelve years ago, is only natural. The follow-ups to that 2013 film sputtered, so the force behind one of rival Marvel’s most popular trilogies has been given a chance to work his “movie magic” once more. The marketing art implores us to “Look up”, but you may want to lower your gaze a bit to screen level (unless you get stuck in the first row) for the sparkly shiny new epic of the “OG’ himself, SUPERMAN.

This version “draws a line in the sand” (the snow actually) with an opening that doesn’t recap the iconic “origin story”. No, they give us a few brief title cards concerning the rise of “Metahumans” during the time of “Gods and Monsters”. From there, we join Superman AKA Clark Kent AKA Kal-El (David Corenswet) plummeting into the frozen tundra after getting his a…cape “handed” to him by the armored assassin named the “Hammer of Boravia”. Seems that Supes had tried to block his homeland’s invasion of its peaceful neighbor Jarhanpur. It’s pretty much a return to the widely downloaded trailer as faithful dog Krypto arrives to drag Supes to the usually hidden Fortress of Solitude. Inside the gleaming towering crystals, he’s quickly checked on and patched up by a team of chatty robots. To facilitate his “healing,” the bots play a video message from his birthparents in his native Kryptonian, though much of the playback was corrupted when Kal’s spaceship crashed to Earth. Despite the robots’ protests, Supes is soon airborne on his way back to Metropolis USA. Ah, but someone in the snowbanks also observes his exit, the nanotech-enhanced villainess the Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria), who reports back to her boss in Metropolis, none other than the tech billionaire genius Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), CEO of Luthercorp. He’s also badmouthing Superman to a shadowy military council in DC, while also keeping a hand in that “foreign conflict”. But before he can engage in a “rematch” with the “Hammer,” Superman assumes his disguise of reporter Clark Kent and checks in with the staff of the “beacon of journalistic integrity”, the Daily Planet. He’s friends with everyone, especially veteran “newshound” Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). All the while, Lex puts his masterplan into motion, invading the Fortress, destroying Kal’s reputation, and creating a dimensional rift via black holes and “pocket universes” which could split the planet right down the middle. Even with some Methuman backup, can Superman, despite his “amazing abilities”, possibly swoop in and save the day?

With this big, sprawling epic, it may be best to first concentrate on the trio (or is it a quartet) at the heart of this tale. Which leads us right to the title character played by Corenswet, but also to that “alias” Clark Kent, who is almost “bird-like” in his fidgety mannerisms and quick replies to noisy questions from…y’know who. Corenswet spends most of his time as “big blue”, whose demeanor is typically bright and friendly, which makes him almost a “magnet” for kids and “everyday Joes” around the globe. But this hero is still trying to figure things out and is often frustrated by opposing forces and intense distractions. What really marks his interpretation is the fiery emotions that the previously portrayed cool and calm Kal-El had hidden away (though we saw his despair near the finale of the 1978 film). Corenswet shows us that burning desire to do “what’s right” while also giving a hint of his heartbreak when he can’t forestall tragedy. Plus, there’s that “big passion” for that “pesky reporter”, played with steely determination by Brosnahan, giving us a modern liberated spin on the feisty writers of classic films like HIS GIRL FRIDAY. Eschewing the often “damsel in distress” previous iterations, this Lois is very proactive, even leading the charge into battle and rallying reluctant aides. Plus, she’s no “shrieking violet” around “the cape” when an “interview” goes from “fluff” to a fiery ethical discourse, with no “moonlight flight” to soften bruised feelings. But who’s the real “monkey wrench” in this romance? Of course, it’s Luthor played with a seething bravado by the wild-eyed Hoult. This isn’t the clownish criminal kingpin of the past movies. Hoult makes him a hyper-focused tech titan, whose white whale is the flying “boy scout” usurping his well-earned glory. Still, Hoult shows us that he can “smooth out his edges,” whether conning some DC insiders and doing the “dog and pony” dance for TV. His supervillain is truly worthy of this greatest of superheroes.

As for the “standouts” in (as they used to say in the old DeMille-style flicks) this “cast of thousands”, I’ll mention the other superbeings that are introduced here. The trailers have presented a trio of flying friends who refer to themselves as the “Justice Gang” (not permanent). First off, Edi Gathegi is indeed terrific as Mr. Terrific, a science wizard with a somewhat surly no-nonsense swagger. All the nonsense really comes from the hilarious Nathan Fillion as the smirking, boastful Green Lantern rep, Guy Gardner. Plus, they’ve got some added “muscle” and ferocity in Isabela Mercid as the mace-wielding Hawkgirl. Back in the pressroom, Skyler Gisondo is quite the “playa” as chick magnet Jimmy Olsen, who still annoys Wendell Pierce’s Perry White by calling him “chief”. We get a side trip to Smallville to catch up with Clark’s Earth parents plyed with “cornpone” warmth by Neva Howell as “Ma” and Pruitt Taylor Vince as “Pa”, who’s quite touching during an early morning “heart-to-heart” chat with Clark on the “porch swing”. As for the “baddies”, de Faria is a somber “destruction device” as the cruel Engineer, while Anthony Carrigan elicits lots of sympathy as a reluctant villain, a “super pawn”, as the “Element Man” or Metamorpho to fans of Silver Age comics. Plus, we get lots of great “vocal cameos” for the FoS robots, while an “A-lister” shows up as part of the Krypton history.

And just who is the “defecting director” who made the BIG leap from the MCU to be half of the “guiding force” of DC Studios, while helming this “new beginning” from his own script (of course, the tilte character was created by the pride of Cleveland, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster)? None other than St. Louis’s own James Gunn, who had helmed the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY trilogy along with THE SUICIDE SQUAD. Now, many purists might be concerned whether he would indulge in some bits of raunchy humor and sight gags, much like that latter film and his “Peacemaker” and “Creature Commandos” HBOMax streaming shows. Happily, he has produced a “family friendly” entertainment that balances moments of heart with witty satire (his take on internet trolls is hysterical). Perhaps the biggest surprise is how relevant the story is to the current state of the world. Luthor stirs up animosity toward Superman’s “outsider” origins, and like some other recent screen stories, fires up paranoid fears about Kal going “rogue”. Gunn has come up with two fictional countries in the “global conflict” subplot that are almost “ripped from the headlines”. And aside from the Engineers and the “Hammer”. Luthor has an elite quad of heavily armed “enforcers” called the “Raptors,” whose faces are almost covered (hmmm, who might their “real world counterparts” be). So bravo for deftly combining social commentary with a high-flying fantasy.

And big, big kudos for presenting the story in bright warm colors closer to its comic book roots, rather than the dark dreary tones of the last Superman screen series (we’re not in the “Snyder-verse anymore). Happily, Gunn gives an affectionate wink to the best loved movie Supes with the use of the John Williams theme on the soundtrack, and two 1978 characters with a “tech-bro” named Otis (Terence Rodemore) and a surprisingly essentional Eve Teschmacher (Sara Saampaio). Well, like many comic fans I do have more “issues” (sorry about that). I was reminded of a line from the nadir of 1990s superhero flicks, BATMAN AND ROBIN in which George Clooney, in cowl and cape, says, “Now I know why Superman works alone”. While he does get a “push” in the 70s and 80s movie series, this “caped wonder” requires lots of help. mainly from the Justice Gang and Krypto, which somewhat tossed the established trope of Superman as a “solo” crusader.I realize that this happens early in crimebusting career, but Supes makes so many odd choices in his actions and doesn’t appear to be using his “super smarts”. I’m baffled that they turned the usualy awkward nerdy Jimmy Olsen as a ladies man. Maybe I don’t get “the joke”. Speaking of which, gifted SNL vet Beck Bennett has almost nothing to do as Planet “news jock” Steve Lombard while Mikela Hoover’s Cat Grant dashes about it a huge platinum blonde 70s ‘do. Since we’re thrown right in the middle of the action, we’re denied the first meeting and eventual romance of Lois and Clark (mind you, the chemistry between Brosnahan and Corenswet is quite engaging). I wanted more moments of those two talking, but time must be made for the CGI destruction of Metropolis, and Gunn does bring this all in at under 130 minutes. No superhero bloat here. As I mentioned earlier, Hoult is so compelling and deserves a better resolution to Lex rather than a retread gag from an MCU epic. But, as the old joke says, ” It’s a good start”, I’m eager to explore this new DC movie universe that Gunn and his filmmaking team are plotting. Here’s hoping that they’ll guide a sensational sequel (and prequels and spin-offs) to this often spectacularly soaring SUPERMAN.

3.5 Out of 4


SUPERMAN is now in theatres everywhere

James Gunn’s SUPERMAN Is Just 2 Weeks Away And He’s The Hero We Need Now More Than Ever!

© 2025 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. TM & © DC. Photo Credit: Jessica Miglio

Look Up!

In 14 days, director James Gunn’s SUPERMAN flies into theaters, but right now, the marketing campaign is soaring to new heights. In Hollywood, on La Brea and Beverly, you can catch a glimpse of the latest billboard for Big Blue.

And the global tour isn’t stopping either. From recent stopovers in Brazil and the Philippines, Gunn had a vision to do something unusual in the genre today: to create a story about doing good. Being good.

“The movie is about a character who is purely good in a world that isn’t good, and I think that’s something we don’t really see. Everybody’s an anti-hero, and I think that when characters seem good, there is a tendency to kind of make fun of them and see them as goofy. But this character is noble and he’s beautiful, and he’s not always right and he makes mistakes. I get emotional because I what this movie is about is—why do we love Superman so much? Is it because he can punch planets or pick up skyscrapers? I don’t think it is. I think it’s because of his innate goodness and, and his humanity, even though he’s an alien, and the fact that he is okay with being pollyannaish, it’s okay that he’s being optimistic, it’s okay that he’s vulnerable.”

Including a lot of other elements from the Superman universe, Gunn says, “I thought this movie could be different in that it could have all those sort of magical realism elements of the fantasy of Superman—flying dogs and giant kaiju and robot helpers and all of these fun things— while keeping the character himself more grounded. Superman is real and rooted in his personality and his relationship to the other characters, in a plot that was dictated by his choices, not by some external forces. The script was so fun to write because of that. It was also very different from anything I had ever written before. Sure, it has some science fiction elements, but I think in some ways, Superman is more grounded than the Guardians films because at its essence, it’s not a comedy. But it’s also more fantastical in certain strange ways. It’s more like a comic book. Really going there with all these big things like the Grant Morrison All-Star Superman does.”

The stars of the film were on Jimmy Kimmel Live, with guest host Diego Luna, to talk about the movie.

Corenswet says of the iconic Superman suit, “the first time I saw a glimpse in the monitor after we had shot something and I saw a little bit of playback of me in the suit, on camera, I thought, “That looks pretty freaking cool.” And then when we did the publicity photo shoot, I think that was the first time that I said like, “Oh, this is… yeah, it’s an iconic look.” Those pictures give you a different sense of how it looks, and you’re just as a loss for words.”

Did you know Krypto is based on Gunn’s own rescue dog, Ozu, who has one ear up and one ear down.

To celebrate SUPERMAN, in theaters July 11, Warner Bros. Discovery is covering pet adoption fees July 1-10 at Best Friends locations and select network partners only. That means you can be a hero like Superman™ and adopt your best friend for free. Just like Superman has Krypto the Superdog, your sidekick is out there ready to fly with you on all of life’s adventures.

When animals don’t have homes, they’re at risk of being killed. In fact, a dog or cat is killed in America’s shelters every 90 seconds just because they don’t have a safe place to call home. But there are so many ways you can help change that. https://bestfriends.org/how-you-can-help/superman

“Superman,” DC Studios’ first feature film to hit the big screen, is set to soar into theaters worldwide this summer from Warner Bros. Pictures. In his signature style, James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.

DC Studios heads Peter Safran and Gunn are producing the film, which Gunn directs from his own screenplay, based on characters from DC, Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

The film stars David Corenswet (“Twisters,” “Hollywood”) in the dual role of Superman/Clark Kent, Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult (the “X-Men” movies, “Juror #2”) as Lex Luthor. The film also stars Edi Gathegi (“For All Mankind”), Anthony Carrigan (“Barry,” “Gotham”), Nathan Fillion (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “The Suicide Squad”), Isabela Merced (“Alien Romulus”), Skyler Gisondo (“Licorice Pizza,” “Booksmart”), Sara Sampaio (“At Midnight”), María Gabriela de Faría (“The Moodys”), Wendell Pierce (“Selma,” “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”), Alan Tudyk (“Andor”), Pruitt Taylor Vince (“Bird Box”) and Neva Howell (“Greedy People”).

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. RACHEL BROSNAHAN as Lois Lane and EDI GATHEGI as Mr. Terrific in DC Studios’ and Warner Bros. Pictures’ “SUPERMAN,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

“Superman” is executive produced by Nikolas Korda, Chantal Nong Vo and Lars Winther. Behind the camera, Gunn is joined by frequent collaborators, including director of photography Henry Braham, production designer Beth Mickle, costume designer Judianna Makovsky and composer John Murphy, along with composer David Fleming (“The Last of Us”) and editors William Hoy (“The Batman”) and Craig Alpert (“Deadpool 2,” “Blue Beetle”).

DC Studios Presents a Troll Court Entertainment/The Safran Company Production, A James Gunn Film, “Superman,” which will be in theaters and IMAX® nationwide on July 11, 2025, and internationally beginning 9 July 2025, distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Contributed by Michelle McCue and Melissa Thompson