For many people, an especially child of the 80’s, Superman is the first superhero they loved. Seeing Christopher Reeve with the red cape, blue tights, and iconic ‘S’ on his chest felt like seeing a God. Over the decades we’ve had different iterations of the Man of Steel, both animated and live action. None of them have given audiences the same feeling 1978’s Superman did.

After the DC Extended Universe crumbled, it wasn’t clear what version of Superman would be next or if/when there would be a next.

Writer/director James Gunn (Guardians of the Galaxy, Peacemaker), who previously had success at Marvel Studios, has taken the charge to resurrect the DC Universe. His first film…Superman!

The plot feels like a two-part episode of Superman: The Animated Series. Superman (David Corenswet) is getting beat by The Hammer of Boravia, an armored superpowered villain. The Hammer is destroying Metropolis because Superman stopped Boravia from attaching their neighboring country Jarhanpur. Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) is the mastermind behind this mess and is using it as an opportunity to create public distrust in Superman. The fight also a distraction for Lex’s sinister plans for Superman.

Meanwhile, Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is investigating the ties Lex Luthor has to Boravia. With the help of Lois Lane and the “Justice Gang” – Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi), Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion), and Hawkgirl (Isabella Merced), Superman takes on Lex and his metahuman task force in hopes of stopping the conflict between Boravia and Jarhanpur from boiling over.

James Gunn’s version of Superman is a lighter and more introspective character. With the world being unsure with how they view him, Supeman is unsure about this place in the world. Corenswet brings a warmth and humanity to the character that has been missing since Christopher Reeve. His Superman is just as strong a capable of doing all the Superman things, but it’s his kindness that sets him apart. His greatest battle in the film is with himself. A lot of what Superman is battling is trying to reconcile who he is as a Kryptonian and who he wants to be as a human.

The warmth and Boy Scout charm of Superman is highlighted by how insane Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor is. His Lex leans into the evil tech billionaire persona. His driven by jealousy, fear, and a need to be the smartest man. Hoult’s portrayal is fantastic and never feels too over-the-top. Everything from how genius his plan is, to his pocket dimension feels like something this Lex would do. Like a real life billionaire, Lex invests in flooding social media with misinformation and using it as a tool to distract from his bigger more nefarious plans.

Like previous James Gunn projects, the film mix of great visual effects, humor, some fairly high stakes, and more humor. Some of the best comedy comes via Krypto aka Krypto the Superdog. He has the same powers and abilities as Superman. Imagine Air Bud had the same powers and abilities as Lebron James in his movies – that’s Krypto. Every time Krypto is onscreen, it’s a comedic bit or something funny happening.

Superman isn’t reinventing how superhero movies are made; however it is giving writers and directors license to make these movies fun. After the success of The Dark Knight there was a push to make superhero movies feel grounded and gritty. Sometimes, superhero films need to feel big and bright like comic books. Gunn’s true greatness is brining audiences in and allowing them to get lost in the story. It makes people care about issues and characters they didn’t know they cared about.

The character of Superman has been in the public eye for decades. He’s a pop culture icon. This version is a version that’s necessary for the times we’re in. Gunn and Corenswet crafted a Superman that has all the strengths and boldness of a Kryptonian and all the messy inconsistencies we see in humans. It’s a Superman that’s still learning who he is and growing to be the man he wants to be.

Superman is a fantastic first step into whatever James Gun has planned. It’s fun with a well paced plot with a lot of action and comedy to fill out the rest of the film.  There are a few nice cameos, one that teases a future DC Studios project. Hopefully this film is a glimpse of what’s in store for future DC projects.

Grade: A-