The nice thing about a cultural institution like Superman is that there is a version of the character for everybody. If you grew up in the 1950s, George Reeves is likely yours. Kids in the 1970s and ’80s saw Christopher Reeve as the best live-action interpretation of the character, and that consensus has generally held ever since.

Still, for teens and twenty-somethings in the 2000s, Tom Welling’s portrayal of Clark Kent is quite high on the list. And for moviegoers in the 2010s, Henry Cavill looked like a Superman who jumped right out of the pages of the latest comic book run.

Now, in 2025, another actor has picked up the mantel of the Big Blue Boy Scout, with David Corenswet donning the tights and red cape in writer/director James Gunn’s “Superman,” welcoming a whole new generation of young fans to believe a man can fly.

“Superman” is the first in a rebooted DC Comics big-screen franchise with Gunn as co-chair and -CEO with Peter Safran. With claims that the comic book movie boom has been starting to wane as people lose interest in superheroes, but it turns out audiences were just sick of bad superhero movies. After his prior DC projects, “The Suicide Squad” and “Peacemaker,” Gunn is three for three and shows no signs of slowing down.

With the origin of Kal-El, the destruction of Krypton and a young Clark Kent’s early life in Smallville already adapted several times, this new film drops audiences right into the middle of the action. Lines of text tell us it’s been 30 years since Krypton was destroyed, three years since Clark introduced himself to the world as Superman and three minutes since he just lost his first fight.

Then boom, in fairly quick succession over the next 20 minutes, we’re introduced to Krypto the Superdog, the Fortress of Solitude, billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) and the Daily Planet gang, including reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). And sure, this does all happen relatively fast, but life moves fast when you’re Superman.

In essence, Gunn is taking an approach far closer to the Silver Age comics and the animated shows from the 1970s than any live-action Superman story has done yet, and it’s so refreshing. Two decades of mostly dark, gritty DC stories can only get you so far, and reintroducing the world to the bright, hopeful and regularly comedic versions of Clark Kent and Superman both fit the character and his stories that much better.

Now let’s take a look at this cast. Corenswet is not really a household name, previously appearing in horror movie “Pearl” and thriller “Twisters,” but that general anonymity is on track for how most Clark Kents are cast. Corenswet brings a sense of humanity and relatability to Superman that has been missing. While he certainly can be stoic and inspiring when saving people, it’s the more small-town-boy-in-the-big-city vibe of Clark that really shines.

Comparatively, Hault delivers what may just be the best live-action Luthor we’ve seen yet. Following Oscar winners like Gene Hackman and Kevin Spacey, and even a pretty great Jon Cryer on CW’s “Supergirl,” is no small feat. But while those interpretations of the villain came across as more flamboyant, mustache-twirly and occasionally goofy, Hault’s version is far scarier, truly evil at his core. While other versions are fun, this one you actually love to hate.

And then there’s everyone around Clark that complements the themes and tone this story exemplifies so well. A smart, feisty Lois Lane who makes Clark a better journalist and a better boyfriend is brought to life through Brosnahan, while his best pal Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) becomes more than just the boyish photographer.

But the real scene-stealers of this story are the other supers in the Justice Gang — all of them reflections of what Superman could be but chooses not to be. Edi Gathegi’s Mister Terrific is a genius inventor and tech wiz whose no-nonsense approach offers a lot of great one-liners; Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is a Green Lantern peacekeeper who is a fearless, overconfident and dimwitted jerk; and Isabela Merced’s Hawkgirl is a fierce warrior who packs a big wallop from a lot of past trauma in her 5-foot-1 stature.

You see, as the most powerful metahuman of the bunch, Superman could easily be a self-serious jerk who funnels his past as the last son of Krypton into destroying everyone in his path. But with a focus on those who raised him in Smallville and his friends in Metropolis, this Superman exemplifies the goodness we should all be striving for, super powered or not.