After Scathing ‘Superman’ Review Leak, Another Early Review Breaks Embargo

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In the run-up to its release, there’s been a bit of chaos surrounding James Gunn’s Superman. A day or two ago, The Daily Beast accidentally leaked their review, publishing it five days ahead of schedule. The headline wasn’t exactly subtle; it declared, ““The Awful New ‘Superman’ Film Is the Last Nail in the Coffin for the Superhero Genre.”

The piece was removed in just five minutes, yet the damage was already done. Snapshots of the critique quickly circulated across various platforms, leaving Warner Bros.’ PR team with an urgent problem on their hands. Inadvertently breaching an embargo is one matter, but doing so with such a provocative headline? That’s the kind of action that triggers warnings.

Next, another subtle critique emerged, this time from Variety’s Peter Debruge. In his review of “Heads of State,” he subtly compared Idris Elba and John Cena’s chemistry to that of Superman, implying that the film is more entertaining albeit just as unconventional. This wasn’t a harsh criticism, but it was evident he found Gunn’s direction less than satisfying.

Recently, in a surprising turn of events, even The Sunday Times has breached the embargo, but this time the critique was far more favorable. In fact, the critic hailed the movie as “a resounding success” and stated it was “the film that the Superman character truly deserves.” The review further reflected on previous incarnations of Superman, acknowledging that Richard Donner’s 1978 film left audiences spellbound when Christopher Reeve was cast as Kal-El. However, it seemed that the Superman storyline went awry after that. The reviewer commented, “Brandon Routh and Henry Cavill are often overlooked, with Cavill being deemed dull. It seems nobody knew how to handle Superman effectively until now.

The abrupt shift from a harsh critique to lavish commendation has left things rather puzzling. Could the early Sunday Times appraisal have been yet another error? Perhaps. However, it’s tough not to suspect the timing might be significant. Whether this was an intentional move by Warner Bros., or simply another coincidence, remains open for interpretation by others.

At this point, having just two opinions – one that criticizes and one that applauds the film – we can’t definitively determine whether Superman is truly excellent or not. We find ourselves in a bit of a predicament without a decisive verdict.

In the new DC Universe, known as the DCU, James Gunn serves as both writer and director for the film titled Superman. David Corenswet portrays Clark Kent in this movie, while the ensemble also includes Rachel Brosnahan, Nicholas Hoult, Isabela Merced, Nathan Fillion, and others. The plot revolves around Superman’s struggle to navigate his dual identity as an alien from Krypton and a human brought up on Earth.

The filming process began in Norway and primarily progressed in Atlanta, Georgia, while a few scenes were captured in Ohio as well. By July 2024, production wrapped up. The cinematic story draws inspiration from the popular comic book series, “All-Star Superman.

Warner Bros. has announced that they will premiere the movie “Superman” in American theaters on July 11, 2025. This marks the beginning of a fresh storyline for the DC Universe titled “Gods and Monsters“.

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2025-07-07 09:45