Superman (2025)

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Not suitable under 13; parental guidance to 14 (themes, scary scenes, violence)

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This topic contains:

  • overall comments and recommendations
  • details of classification and consumer advice lines for Superman (2025)
  • a review of Superman (2025) completed by the Australian Council on Children and the Media (ACCM) on 14 July 2025.

Overall comments and recommendations

Children under 13 Not suitable due to themes, scary scenes, and violence.
Children aged 13–14 Parental guidance recommended due to themes, scary scenes, and violence.
Children aged 15 and over Ok for this age group.

About the movie

This section contains details about the movie, including its classification by the Australian Government Classification Board and the associated consumer advice lines. Other classification advice (OC) is provided where the Australian film classification is not available.

Name of movie: Superman (2025)
Classification: M
Consumer advice lines: Science fiction themes and violence
Length: 129 minutes

ACCM review

This review of the movie contains the following information:

A synopsis of the story

Three weeks ago, Superman (David Corenswet) intervened to stop the U.S.-backed nation of Boravia from launching an attack on its neighbour, Jarhanpur. The bold act sparked international controversy, raising concerns about whether a single, unchecked individual should be allowed to impose their personal sense of justice on the world stage. Three hours ago, Superman was attacked by a mysterious figure known as the ‘Hammer of Boravia’. Three minutes ago, Superman lost his first battle.

While it appears that Boravia struck back in retaliation, the truth is more complex. The Hammer of Boravia is actually Ultraman in disguise, a powerful metahuman secretly controlled by Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). As part of his plan, Luthor broadcasts a message supposedly from Superman’s Kryptonian parents, encouraging him to rule Earth. The revelation stirs global panic and turns public opinion against Superman. Voluntarily, Superman surrenders to the U.S. government, only to be handed over to Luthor, who traps him in a pocket dimension.

With Superman imprisoned and the world on edge, it falls to Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and the Justice Gang to uncover the truth. Together, they must save Metropolis from an expanding dimensional rift and expose Luthor’s secret deal with Boravia, an arrangement that would grant him control over half of Jarhanpur.

Themesinfo

Children and adolescents may react adversely at different ages to themes of crime, suicide, drug and alcohol dependence, death, serious illness, family breakdown, death or separation from a parent, animal distress or cruelty to animals, children as victims, natural disasters and racism. Occasionally reviews may also signal themes that some parents may simply wish to know about.

War; Crime; Media manipulation; Corruption.

Use of violenceinfo

Research shows that children are at risk of learning that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution when violence is glamourised, performed by an attractive hero, successful, has few real life consequences, is set in a comic context and / or is mostly perpetrated by male characters with female victims, or by one race against another.

Repeated exposure to violent content can reinforce the message that violence is an acceptable means of conflict resolution. Repeated exposure also increases the risks that children will become desensitised to the use of violence in real life or develop an exaggerated view about the prevalence and likelihood of violence in their own world.

There is some violence in this movie, including:

  • Superman lies on the ground, injured and bloody, following his loss to the Hammer of Boravia.
  • The Hammer of Boravia fires lasers into a building with people inside of it.
  • The Hammer of Boravia fights Superman, punching him before throwing him into the ground, where he shatters the concrete. Luthor controls the Hammer of Boravia using programmed attack moves.
  • Members of the public shout angrily at Superman and one throws an object at him, hitting the back of his head.
  • Lois picks up a baseball bat after hearing a noise inside her apartment. It turns out to just be Superman cooking her dinner for their three-month anniversary.
  • Ultraman flies and crashes into a robot, causing severe bodily damage. Another metahuman is attacked by Superman’s dog and retaliates by sending a sphere of nanobots into its head to contain it.
  • A metahuman creates spinning blades and uses them to slice through multiple robots.
  • A small alien monster is sent into Metropolis and quickly grows to the size of a large building. Superman tries to contain it humanely, but the Justice Gang kills it by sending explosives into its stomach. Many citizens are almost hurt due to their recklessness, but Superman holds up the monster until they can run to safety.
  • Superman sees one of his robots die/lose power following an attack on his secret hideout.
  • The Justice Gang fights a large spherical monster, akin to an eyeball with tentacles.
  • Ultraman arrests Superman, shoving him to the ground before handcuffing him.
  • The Green Lantern jokingly threatens to make a giant fist and beat his team to death with it.
  • Luthor holds prisoners in the pocket dimension, including political prisoners and ex-girlfriends.
  • Luthor holds a gun to a civilian’s head while interrogating Superman. He plays Russian roulette until a bullet fires into the civilian’s brain, killing them instantly.
  • Mr Terrific fights some of Luthor’s henchmen. He uses robotic weapons to take them down while they shoot at him with guns. No henchmen are killed, but they are left injured and incapacitated on the ground.
  • Superman punches a henchman who is holding a baby as a hostage.
  • Superman is shot at while trying to escape the pocket dimension with the baby. They are almost sucked into a black hole in the process.
  • Luthor shouts loudly, smashes a cup on the floor and throws a pencil at his girlfriend.
  • Ultraman shoots lasers directly into Superman’s eyes. He then punches him repeatedly in the face.
  • Superman grabs Ultraman by the leg and begins slamming him into the ground before throwing him against a wall.
  • Superman knocks the teeth out of one of Luthor’s henchmen. He shoots many more with lasers, which makes them fall from the sky and hit the ground.
  • Luthor commands his employee to keep the rift open despite the risk it poses to the citizens of Metropolis.
  • Superman is attacked by Luthor’s employed metahumans. Nanobots are sent into Superman’s body, invading his brain and his lungs, rendering him unable to breathe. He survives, later vomiting the nanobots up and gasping for air.
  • The Boravian military invades Jarhanpur with guns and tanks. A soldier aims a gun at a child.
  • Hawkgirl drops the President of Boravia from the sky, causing his death.

Material that may scare or disturb children

Under fiveinfo

Children under five are most likely to be frightened by scary visual images, such as monsters, physical transformations.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children under the age of five, including the following:

  • The appearance of some metahumans within the story may scare young children due to deformed/mutated or intimidating features.
  • Luthor may scare younger audiences through his frightening appearance, tone, and behaviours.
  • The appearance of the alien monsters may frighten some viewers.

Aged five to eightinfo

Children aged five to eight will also be frightened by scary visual images and will also be disturbed by depictions of the death of a parent, a child abandoned or separated from parents, children or animals being hurt or threatened and / or natural disasters.

  • Nothing further noted for this age group.

Aged eight to thirteeninfo

Children aged eight to thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic threats and dangers, violence or threat of violence and / or stories in which children are hurt or threatened.

In addition to the above-mentioned violent scenes, there are some scenes in this movie that could scare or disturb children aged eight to thirteen, including the following:

  • Luthor creates a dimensional rift that tears apart the fabric of the Earth.
  • As the rift reaches Metropolis, buildings fall and cars crash into each other while trying to escape its path. A woman is almost crushed in her car but Superman saves her just in time.

Thirteen and overinfo

Children over the age of thirteen are most likely to be frightened by realistic physical harm or threats, molestation or sexual assault and / or threats from aliens or the occult.

  • Nothing further noted.

Product placement

The following products are displayed or used in this movie:

  • Toyota.

Sexual references

  • None noted.

Nudity and sexual activity

There is some nudity and sexual activity in this movie, including:

  • Lois and Superman make out on multiple occasions.
  • Luthor and the President of Boravia spread rumours that Superman has a secret harem.
  • A journalist gets a flirtatious text asking if he wants to meet up. They later embrace on the street and the woman blows him air kisses as she leaves.
  • A man gets asked by some women on the street if he would like to come over.

Use of substances

There is some use of substances in this movie, including:

  • A journalist smokes a cigar.
  • A woman stumbles around, supposedly intoxicated.

Coarse language

There is some coarse language in this movie, including:

  • Shit
  • Bitch
  • Heck
  • Asshole
  • Rot in hell
  • Piss off
  • God damn
  • Green Lantern creates a giant middle finger.

In a nutshell

Superman is a superhero action movie and the first film of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DC Universe. The film features many classic DC characters and caters to an established fanbase, with limited explanations to character backstories (though the film can still be enjoyed without prior knowledge of the DC Universe). Due to the themes, scary scenes, and violence, the film is not suitable for children under 13, and parental guidance is recommended to 14.

The main messages from this movie are that your self-identity is chosen, not inherited. Superman struggles to reconcile the hero of the people that he strives to be and the ruler of Earth that his parents intended. He ultimately rejects his parents’ desires and follows his moral compass instead. The film also puts forth a need to help anyone in need. This is seen through Superman, who strives to help anything, from saving animals on the street to stopping the invasion of Jarhanpur to prevent the deaths of innocent civilians.

Values in this movie that parents may wish to reinforce with their children include:

  • Integrity
  • Teamwork
  • Justice
  • Courage
  • Selflessness
  • Critical thinking.

This movie could also give parents the opportunity to discuss with their children attitudes and behaviours, and their real-life consequences, such as:

  • The film features some commentary on current geopolitical conflicts that parents may want to consider before watching (an apparent anti-Israel/pro-Palestine stance, and what could be perceived as the movie’s equivalent to Netanyahu being dropped to his death by Hawkgirl).
  • The film highlights the danger of accepting media narratives at face value, with Luthor’s manipulation revealing the bias and vested interests that often shape the news.