In 1978, Christopher Reeve brought Superman to movie theaters in what many consider the best take on the role. There have been many different takes on the character since then. My personal top three, as of today, are Christopher Reeve, David Corenswet, and Tyler Hoechlin. Superman is back, and acting like the great hero and incredibly caring man many of us adore and prefer. As with all my current movie reviews, I will do my best to remain spoiler free.

There’s a lot of worldbuilding in this movie, appropriate for kicking off yet another new take on a DC Universe. As much of a hero fan as I am, even I will admit a lot of previous DC films and shared worlds had some issues. In my personal opinion, this one did not. There’s some opening text that gives a rough rundown of the larger picture of DC Earth’s history, and it’s very intriguing and has me wondering about a lot of things, and then we launch into the story.

Given all the trailers and commercials, I don’t think it’s a spoiler to say that Lex Luthor is the big bad in the movie. He’s brilliantly played by Nicholas Hoult, and, as someone said once in a different story, “Even his backup plans have backup plans.” Luthor is the mix of blinding intelligence and staggering ego that the best versions of him have been portrayed as, and it’s done well. You arguably can’t really have Superman without Lois, and Rachel Brosnahan does a fantastic job. The Daily Planet crew has a lot of familiar (and a few obscure) names like Perry White, Steve Lombard, Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant, and Ron Troupe. Supporting heroes include Hawkgirl (which of the many versions? No idea), Mr. Terrific (who gets an amazing fight scene), and Green Lantern Guy Gardner. I do not like Guy, but Nathan Fillion gives a great portrayal of the character. Anthony Carrigan, who I absolutely loved as Zsasz on the tv series Gotham, plays obscure but powerful hero Metamorpho. Really, I don’t think there was a bad performance in the movie. There were a few interesting surprise cameos, but I won’t spoil them.

There are all kinds of threats, and a lot of subplots and general societal reactions that seem very topical in the current political chaos America is going through. I have heard that some factions are displeased that Superman’s status as an alien is brought up, and others that he doesn’t act more like the most recent movie version of the Man of Steel. Speaking as a comic book fan and herogeek of many decades, I will say I found this version of Superman to be very true to the character. He was powerful, yes, but he was full of hope and an inspiring character, which is so very needed in the present.

I loved just about every aspect of this movie. The soaring John Williams score from 1978 is adapted several times throughout the movie, and is absolutely perfect. There were so many little Easter Eggs, from businesses to various figures and cities from throughout the DC Universe. With this as the start (ok, officially, Creature Commandos was the start) of the newest iteration of the DCU, I’m looking forward to seeing where they go next.

There are two end scenes which are fun, but, in a new direction, they are just amusing and don’t set up anything new.

What I Liked: Almost everything. These are phenomenal versions of the characters I’ve adored for years. Corenswet is brilliant as Superman. I love that they used the John Williams score as much as they did. They did a good job of building up assorted supporting characters who I really hope we see more of. Mr. Terrific’s fight was a highlight for me, as were the Superman/Lois scenes, the Kents, and a really interesting new take on Jimmy Olsen.

What I didn’t: My dislikes are admittedly fanboyish and nitpicky. I know this. There’s one bit where Superman does what seems like a Bugs Bunny impression for no apparent reason aside from a visual gag, and causes additional property damage. In a movie where the news reports keep mentioning property damage as a side effect of superhero fights, and with Superman being a good man, you’d think he’d know better. To me, the classic superhero costumes are kind of plain in some aspects. All the weird extra patterns and textures just don’t belong there and look weird. I also don’t like the changes/blending of the Mr. Terrific, Hawkgirl, and Guy costumes.

Overall, I will give this movie a very rare 5 out of 5 for me. I am going to see it again, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next.

Supporting Cast Trivia: While the list of actors who have done parts for both DC and Marvel is long and growing (many of them are in this movie), I think Wendell Pierce is the first one to play a role in two live action movies released the same year: Perry White here in Superman, Senator Gary in Thunderbolts*.

T-Shirt Trivia: When I posted about this movie, I included a picture of me in my Nightwing t-shirt, and said there was a general and a specific reason it was the perfect shirt to wear. In general, of course, Nightwing is a DC character, like Superman. In specific, in the comics, when Superman visits the bottled city of Kandor, he has often used the heroic identity of Nightwing there. It’s where Dick got the name. Interestingly, that fact is brought up again in Nightwing 128, out this month as I write this.