I still remember the first time my family rented movies. We were getting together with another family down the block, and for the event my parents picked up three VHS tapes along with a VCR to play them on. The titles? Disney’s “Pete’s Dragon” (for the kids), Blake Edwards’ “10” (for the adults), and Richard Donner’s 1978 classic “Superman” (for everybody).

Fair or not, the OG Christopher Reeve movies have been my gold standard whenever anyone tried to bring a new Superman to the big screen. 2006’s “Superman Returns” with Brandon Routh was watchable but forgettable, and even though Henry Cavill was a perfect casting, 2013’s “Man of Steel” felt like someone was trying to turn the Superman into another Dark Knight.

All of this is to say that I went into James Gunn’s 2025 “Superman” with tempered expectations, a healthy skepticism I’ve learned to carry ever since the pandemic signaled the end of the Good Superhero Cinema Era. 

And now that I’ve seen it…it’s pretty good. It’s fine. It definitely feels like a “Superman” movie made by the guy who made “Guardians of the Galaxy,” for better and for worse. It’s nowhere near the Christopher Reeve original (or its sequel), but I don’t know that it matters. In an era where superhero movies have embraced the concept of the multiverse, James Gunn’s “Superman” just feels like a fun variant on everyone’s favorite Kryptonian import.

Since all those other movies already covered the origin stuff, Gunn decided to drop us in the middle of the new Superman’s tenure. Still moonlighting (or daylighting?) as intrepid reporter Clark Kent, Superman (David Corenswet) is about three years into a mostly successful run defending the people of Earth against a range of super-and-not-so-super baddies. So as with the recent Zac Snyder films, the plot is going to explore how to reconcile the Son of Krypton in our modern world.

For this story, the villain (Lex Luthor, played by Nicholas Hoult) is classic, but the premise is very 21st Century. There’s a little geopolitics and a lot of techno-babble, and when Luthor gets hold of some incriminating home videos during a raid on Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, he turns the court of public opinion against his curly-haired arch nemesis.

Gunn gives us a host of heroes and villains to reckon with. Superman has already staked out his relationship with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), but also gets to team up with a trio of fellow “metahumans” including The Green Lantern (or at least one of them, played by Nathan Fillion), Mr. Terrific (Edit Gathegi), and Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced). They come in handy against baddie metahumans like The Engineer (Maria Gabriela de Faria), and there’s also a super-powered dog, which should tell you all you need to know about the tone of the movie.

Speaking of tone, again, this is a James Gunn production, which means “Superman” gets the same generous slathering of quips and record drops that endeared audiences to “Guardians of the Galaxy” back in 2014. It’s OK in doses, but the humor is used so much that it undermines the gravitas of the title character. It’s more like Gunn made a “Guardians of the Galaxy” version of “Superman” than the director of “Guardians of the Galaxy” made a “Superman” movie.

That humorous element might be the one thing that keeps Corenswet’s performance in a box. Where Reeve always played Superman as a noble but kind of stiff outsider–a Boy Scout in red briefs–Corenswet’s Superman behaves like someone saturated in modern culture and mannerisms ever since he crash-landed on Earth as a toddler. Brosnahan provides a nice foil as Lois, but in spite of some spirited and memorable turns in movies like “Mad Max: Fury Road” and “About a Boy,” Hoult doesn’t get much to do with his shot at Luthor.

Visually, “Superman” is both fun and vibrant. It won’t set any new standards for CGI, but it frames some generous action against a lot of stuff that’s at least interesting to look at. Coming from the Snyder films, it executes an aesthetic change similar to Gunn’s “The Suicide Squad” reboot in 2021.

If you’re looking for a refreshing, bright, and hopeful antidote to the Snyder movies, you’re in luck. If you’re looking for something to reach the level of the Reeve movies, you’ll be disappointed. If you’re just looking for something new and unique–at least compared to the other “Superman” offerings–you should be more than satisfied. James Gunn’s “Superman” didn’t leave me breathless for more adventures, but it felt like an interesting way to add some variety to the film catalogue of Earth’s greatest superhero.

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“Superman” is rated PG-13 for standard superhero mayhem and profanity.

The post Catching Up: James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ is a very James Gunn-ish Superman appeared first on Utah.Film.

The second half of the year has some exciting films coming to theaters. Whether it be original horror pictures, superhero films, or indie dramas. There is something for all audiences to look forward to through the rest of the year. 

1. Superman 

Superman returns to movie theaters this July in his first film in over a decade. Director James Gunn takes the reins on “Superman,” the first film to come out in his new DCU franchise. Audiences will follow Superman as he encounters various villains and superheroes, all while dealing with his alien heritage. 

The film has a bright and colorful feel that looks like it was ripped straight out of a comic book, countering the previous dark and gritty look of DC’s recent films. “Superman” will likely be the movie of the summer when it comes to family-fun adventures on the big screen.

2. Eddington 

Horror auteur Ari Aster teams up with Joaquin Phoenix once again in July’s “Eddington”. Aster’s latest film is a horror drama centered around the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While details remain unknown, the film follows a tension-filled stand-off between a small town sheriff played by Phoenix and the town’s mayor, played by Pedro Pascal. 

Aster’s last film, 2023’s “Beau is Afraid,” was a divisive blank-check film that did not do well at the box office. “Eddington” premiered at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year and seems to be continuing Aster’s trend of making provocative films that divide movie-goers. 

3. Weapons

Zach Cregger, one of the most exciting voices in modern horror filmmaking, returns to cinemas with “Weapons”. In 2022, Cregger’s “Barbarian” shocked horror fans and became an instant cult classic. “Weapons” stars Josh Brolin and Julia Garner and seems to be an even more ambitious and sleek horror film. 

“Weapons” follows the mysterious and ominous disappearance of a classroom of children, who all disappeared into the night at 2:17 AM. Not much is known about what else might happen in “Weapons,” but if this film is anything like Cregger’s previous film, it is best to go in knowing as little as possible. 

4. The Smashing Machine

Benny Safdie returns to directing with his first film since “Uncut Gems” in 2019. “The Smashing Machine” stars Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. Johnson plays MMA star Mark Kerr, and Blunt plays his then-wife in the sports drama. 

“The Smashing Machine” plays an interesting role in the Safdie brothers’ narrative, as this is the first time the brothers have split up when making a movie. Johnson looks nearly unrecognizable in his role as Mark Kerr and is the movie star’s first serious role in many years. There is speculation that “The Smashing Machine” might be Johnson’s run at getting award recognition. 

5. Marty Supreme 

The other half of the Safdie-brother duo, Josh Safdie, is also releasing his first solo film this Christmas. “Marty Supreme” is a sports comedy-drama set in the world of competitive ping-pong. Timothee Chalamet plays Marty Mauser with a supporting cast from Gwyneth Paltrow and musician Tyler, the Creator. “Marty Supreme” is loosely based on the real table tennis legend, Martin Reisman.  

With the release of two separate Safdie-brother films later this year, it will be interesting to see which films are preferred by audiences and the Academy Awards. 

6. One Battle After Another

Paul Thomas Anderson teams up with Leonardo DiCaprio for the first time in his new film “One Battle After Another”. The film follows a group of former revolutionaries who have to team up to save their daughter. The new film is based on a Thomas Pynchon novel titled “Vineland”. This is Anderson’s second time adapting a novel from Pynchon, the first being “Inherent Vice”. 

 “One Battle After Another” is Anderson’s most expensive film to date, coming in at a budget of roughly $140 million. For fans of Anderson’s work, it will be exciting to see how the director works on a higher budget. This is also the first film from Anderson to get an IMAX release.

7. Highest 2 Lowest 

Akira Kurosawa’s crime film “High and Low” is often regarded as one of the best films to come out of 1960s Japanese cinema. Filmmaker Spike Lee brings that story back to life in his latest film, “Highest 2 Lowest”. 

This new adaptation of the classic film stars Denzel Washington, ASAP Rocky, and Jeffery Wright. The story follows a struggling businessman, who must ransom money when kidnappers accidentally kidnap his chauffeur’s child. It is not yet known what changes Lee will make in his version of the film, but audiences can be certain that “Highest 2 Lowest” will feature the life and flair that Spike Lee films are best known for. 

8. Together 

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s body horror film “Together” is a film that generated a lot of positive buzz coming out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival and SXSW Festival. The horror film has gained even more buzz due to controversy surrounding the film’s script and possible plagiarism. 

Controversy aside, “Together” is one of the most intense horror films of the year with its use of body horror and exploration of complicated relationship dynamics. Franco and Brie, a real-life married couple, play a couple in a struggling relationship that moves to the countryside and discovers a mysterious force in a cave.  

9. Sorry, Baby

“Sorry, Baby” is the directorial debut of filmmaker Eva Victor. “Sorry, Baby” first premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Victor also stars in the movie, which follows the story of a college professor trying to recover from an assault. The film features supporting performances from Naomi Ackie and Lucas Hedges. 

While “Sorry, Baby” might be the definition of an indie darling, it does have a good chance at getting recognition in the Academy Awards in the screenwriting category. “Sorry, Baby” opened in limited release on June 27 and will open for a wider release on July 18.

10. Avatar: Fire and Ash

James Cameron brings audiences back to the world of Pandora in his third “Avatar” installment. “Fire and Ash” brings back the already established cast from the previous two films as Na’vi encounters the dangerous clan called the “Fire People”. 

“Avatar: Fire and Ash” is the biggest film coming out during the final quarter of the year. Cameron’s first “Avatar” film from 2009 is still the highest-grossing movie to date, standing at $2.9 billion. Cameron’s sequel from 2022 made 2.3 billion dollars and is currently the third highest-grossing film on the all-time list. Will the third chapter in the “Avatar” franchise continue the $2 billion trend this winter?

The post The 10 most exciting movies coming out later this year appeared first on Utah.Film.

METROPOLIS — While we are still waiting for story details and actual set images from “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” we are getting more character photos.

The latest photo appeared on EW.com and gives fans their first look of Jesse Eisenberg as the iconic villain Lex Luthor.

Director Zack Snyder had this to say about their version of Superman’s notorious rival:

“He’s not any of the Lexes that you’ve seen, that’s for sure. Other than him being a captain of industry and one person to the world and another person to himself. And bald, of course.”

While people made a fuss about Ben Affleck being the new Batman we here at Flix Junkies thought Eisenberg as Luthor was more of a swing and a miss than Batfleck. While we’re still not sold on Eisenberg we do have to admit that this is a cool pic.

What do you think of the new Lex Luthor? Let us know in the comments or drop us a line on Facebook or Twitter.

The post First look at Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor appeared first on Utah.Film.