Superman ★★★½

JAMES Gunn’s move to DC has proven to be a masterstroke.

The eclectic writer/director’s new take on Superman is sure to please most fans of the Man of Steel.

Even die-hards who carry a torch for Richard Donner’s much-loved 1978 version will have to acknowledge its new rival.

Gunn achieves a fine balance of reverence for the character with a good helping of the contemporary slapstick humour he successfully brought to the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy for Marvel.

Relative newcomer David Corenswet’s Superman is less bumbling in his Clark Kent alter-ego than previous iterations, but more vulnerable as a superhero in a world that has become used to the presence of so-called meta-humans.

In Gunn’s Metropolis Superman isn’t as all-powerful as we have come to expect due to the advance of technology and the increased vulnerability that comes with becoming more human-like over 20-odd years.

In fact when we first meet Superman he is lying in the Antarctic snow severely wounded after crash landing from a battle with super villain Lex Luthor’s latest creation.

Writhing in agony Superman whistles for Superdog Krypto to drag him back to his ice fortress where a team of robot servants will revive him.

But on arrival Krypto decides to have a play with his master before dragging him to safety.

This is one of many scene-stealing moments from the Superdog that mostly thinks it is, well, just a dog really that wants to have fun and get up to mischief.

Gunn continues to include quirky humour throughout his film, courtesy of a ragtag trio of self-proclaimed super-heroes whose leader, a version of the Green Lantern, wants to officially name ‘The Super Gang’, much to the annoyance of other members Mr Terrific and Hawkgirl.

In this universe Superman is already entrenched in society and in a relationship with fellow reporter Lois Lane played by Rachel Brosnahan, best known from the television series The Marvelous Mrs Maisel.

There is good on-screen chemistry between the two, particularly evident in a scene where Clark allows Lois to interview him as Superman, a move that was always going to end badly.

In case you’re thinking the film is sounding a little action-light, that’s not the case with several battles fought out along the streets and in the skies over Metropolis. The visual and special effects team manages to achieve some of the best integration with the actors that we have seen since Marvel’s Avengers films.

Nicholas Hoult thoroughly enjoys himself as Luthor and Edi Gathegi and Nathan Fillion have plenty of good moments in their respective Mr Terrific and Green Lantern roles.

In keeping with several recent Hollywood superhero films Gunn chooses to include a political statement by having an evil billionaire secretly involved for his own commercial reasons in a carve up of land that will result from one country invading one of its neighbours.

But most of all, the new Superman is just a huge slice of fun that will have you wishing you had your own superdog.

Watched at the cinema.