Superman is the first instalment in James Gunn’s new DC Cinematic Universe, with Gunn directing this first entry. Superman tells the story of the titular comic book character who, after getting involved in an international conflict, ends up facing the consequences of these actions, as well as having to battle his nemesis Lex Luthor.

The story of Superman on screen has been a varied one. The original Richard Donner film gave us our first taste of caped heroes on screen, and stills remains a really fun and entertaining blockbuster, however it’s sequels would release to diminishing returns. Eventually DC would try and create their own cinematic universe to compete with Marvel, and so they would reboot the Superman character on screen, giving us Man of Steel (2013). After this cinematic universe ended up becoming a gigantic mess, DC would reboot once again, leading us to this film.

Now, I would like to state that personally, I wasn’t a fan of Zack Snyder’s take on Superman and so I was looking forward to a new take on the character. My biggest hope was we would get a hopeful Superman that felt closer to his comic book counterpart, and we got that in shades. The main theme of this film being that its cool to be nice and kind is exactly how a Superman film should go. Superman was hopeful and positive and that’s exactly what I wanted. Scenes like Superman saving a squirrel may seem insignificant but it’s moments like that, that should make up a Superman film.

Nicholas Hoult is the best Lex Luthor. Hoult is an actor who great in everything that he’s in but this is truly one of the stronger performances I’ve seen in a comic book film. Hoult nails the anger and hate that Luthor feels for Superman, especially in the final third of the film. His performance is balanced by a strong David Corenswet performance who just looks and feels like Superman. They way that they bounce off of each other really sells you on their dynamic. the same can also be said for Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane. Honestly, I think the whole ensemble is great and could really shout out everyone but I lastly want to mention Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific who gets to be redeemed after being wasted in X:Men – First Class.

Overall, this was a strong way to kick off the new DCU. It was a little rough around the edges, a bit messy and a tad unwieldy but it felt like watching a live-action comic book, and surely that’s what these films should feel like. Really it just feel fresh and rejuvenating compared to what the MCU has been doing. If we’re going to keep doing Cinematic Universes, then I’d rather they be good, and this was as good a start as we could’ve hoped for this new universe. Just overall a very fun time at the cinemas.

a very easy **** for this one.