BTS ISSUE: Superman Was Not as Super as it Seemed

DC’s new take on Superman creates a good family-movie but lacks substance

Anika Sanka, Co-Editor-in-Chief

August 8, 2025

Superman title scene in an IMAX theater.

Superman is the good guy. The good samaritan, justice-serving, all-American legend who is there to lead the way and is known as the first true superhero. In other words, he’s old. He hasn’t had his own movie since 2013, and countless different versions of his character have appeared in the media since long before I was born. So sitting down for the 2025 Superman film, I found myself wondering if this version would live up to expectations.

Lately, I’ve been conditioned to superhero movies where there is a more serious overall tone. The main character has to battle through intense trauma and shame and is often burdened by their attempt to balance their duty to the people and their “normal” life. DC’s last representation of Superman [Henry Cavill] in the 2013 Man of Steel portrayed a brooding and introspective Superman as an outsider figuring out his identity in a cynical world. It emphasized realism, with a lot of muted colors and dramatic tension.

This Superman [David Corenswet], to say the least, was cheesy.

It was a hopeful, lighter, and emotionally warm movie with clear influence from the original comic books, bringing in lots of side characters. It ended with Superman embracing his more human side and reaffirming his belief in humanity. James Gunn’s version leans into the classic charm of Superman with more humor, vibrant visuals and a brighter outlook.

So although this might have been a family favorite, personally, this movie did not live up to the hype. Many of the jokes did not seem to land, and the inclusion of many seemingly random side characters felt out of place and forced. Although, Mister Terrific [Edi Gathegi] was one of my favorite characters of the movie I would’ve loved to see at least a part of his backstory, or the backstories of any other of the characters in the “Justice Gang.”

Additionally, I felt like the movie being set three years after Superman had already been established as a hero took away from the plot overall. One of my favorite parts of movies is seeing the romantic subplot develop, but the movie starts with Superman already in a relationship with Lois Lane [Rachel Brosnahan]. On top of that, Lex Luthor [Nicholas Hoult] already hates him and several people already know his true identity. This made the movie lack context and feel rushed.

Lastly, don’t hate me, but the dog was not my favorite. Krypto is Superman’s super-powered (and super-poorly trained) dog who rushes in to not-so successfully save the day on multiple occasions throughout the movie. While he was a cute addition, he felt out of place for this movie and took the focus off Superman.

All in all, if you prefer your superhero movies more cheesy, lighthearted and modern, then Superman is for you. Unfortunately, it just seems to lack the depth and world-building every good superhero movie needs.

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About the Contributor

Anika Sanka, Features Editor

Anika Sanka is a junior at Robinson and this is her second year on staff. This year, she will be serving as the Knight Writer’s features editor. She is an active club member at Robinson, acting as the vice president of the book club and the donation head for the clothes for kids club. She also runs for the Robinson track team outside of school. Sanka says one of the things she really likes about the Robinson track team is its structure. “Running doesn’t really seem that hard, but just motivating yourself to go on a run when you could just be sitting at home is hard,” Sanka said. “That and the team, it’s always more fun to do stuff with friends.” After growing up reading the newspaper regularly, Sanka joined the staff to have fun while learning, and she says it has been very beneficial to her writing over the years. “It’s really easy to get writers block, and this just helps you. The more you practice, the better you are, the easier it’ll come,” Sanka said. “I think it’s really helped me expand my writing skills.” Her goals for this year are to create an exceptionally good print issue for the paper. Outside of school, Sanka’s hobbies include reading good books, baking, swimming recreationally, and running to a fun playlist. “I think it makes me more efficient, sometimes, if I just come home and I’m trying to do my homework, I have a hard time focusing. If I do something else before, and don’t go straight into that, it helps me focus,” Sanka said. Her plans for after high school include attending college and going into pre-law. “There’s so many different kinds of things you can do,” Sanka said regarding the pre-law track, “you could do business, you could just be in meetings all day, or you could be talking to people about how to get their green card. I just like that there’s so many different ways you can use your degree.”