Leaving aside the actual movie for a moment, but it’s nice to be on the ground floor of some DC thing that’s actually good. I’m sorry, but Zack Snyder was pretty miserable, in the sense of nothing being actually fun. (Exception: the only Aquaman movie I saw. Which I’m sure wasn’t actually by him.) So I’ve seen The Suicide Squad, which predates James Gunn taking over but which is definitely included, and I’ve seen the first season of Peacemaker, which ditto, and I’ve also [very recently] seen Creature Commandos, which is in his official era, and half of Peacemaker season 2, the most recent thing that is still airing. Also the most unfortunate of them, because unlike the rest, it had spoilers for the newest Superman movie. I think if I’d known it would drop on HBO halfway through the season, I might have waited. Either way, right now I’m 100% caught up on the new DC Cinematic Universe.

So the thing about James Gunn is, he gets what makes Superman, well, super. And it’s not his powers, and it for sure is not how intensely conflicted he is. …okay, the powers help. But what is his actual deal is, is he’s nice. He wants the best for people, all people, and he believes in people, again all people. Even the ones who might transiently piss him off. He’s a lot like Jesus before Christians got a hold of him, you know? Well, okay, probably very few people know that. (Gandhi did, I hear.)

So anyway, this is a movie in which Superman faces atypical challenges, by virtue of living in a world where doing the right thing is often controversial, or at the very least not politically expedient. Also, obviously, Lex Luthor. But you don’t really care about any of that, because you either like Superman or you do not. All I’m really here to say is, this one is a nice guy who wants to do the right thing, and also it comes naturally to him. So if that’s the guy you like, he’s back.