Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s … what?! Another Superman???

Yes, summer 2025 offers yet one further iteration of the beloved Big Blue Boy Scout; and it’s no surprise if viewers can’t keep count of actors who’ve played the Man of Steel — going all the way back to handsome, all-American George Reeves on 1950’s TV. (Though there was an earlier one even before Reeves, if you can believe it.)

What does prove surprising is that James Gunn’s latest franchise foray feels fresh and fun. Starring newcomer David Corenswet, with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane and Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor, the newest Superman is handsome, humorous and heartfelt — sleek and modern, yet happily old-fashioned in its glowing affirmation of Superman’s decency, compassion and … humanity.

But it took me an hour to get on board.

The dialog is weak — often betraying Supe’s bombastic 1930’s comic-book origins — while the early action seems overblown, un-clever and not terribly exciting.

On top of that, Brosnahan — a terrifically talented actress best known for Amazon’s Mrs. Maisel — is frankly not the woman to play Lois Lane. I can’t quite pin down why this doesn’t work; could be a persona that feels too real and modern — though that was not a problem for the marvelous Margot Kidder playing opposite Christopher Reeve several decades ago.

In any case, Lois’ mish-mosh wardrobe doesn’t help; among other things, its retro-chic look seems to highlight the anachronism of a bustling and vital city newspaper … where the staff gets info by watching a screen on the newsroom wall.

I was also bugged by some of the absurdities — like escaping a black hole, which should be a whole lot more problematic.

But in its second hour, the movie’s moving mix of humor, heart, handsome visuals and thoughtful plotting really clicks.

Corenswet is an astoundingly charismatic lead, all but guaranteed to hold this role through several sequels. Between his good looks, his humility and his guileless kindness, this Superman really hammers home our hero’s old-fashioned care for every living creature. It’s what saves him more than once — and the fact that it works so well is practically a miracle in this cynical age.

At the same time, Corenswet’s caped Kryptonian is vulnerable — he can be wounded, he can lose; so this layers extra fear and danger into the action.

Hoult makes a dandy villain — temporally powerful but temperamentally weak; and Nathan Fillion plays against type as the self-centered, somewhat witless leader of DC’s Justice Gang. Watch also for a quick cameo by Christopher Reeve’s son Will as an on-the-ground reporter. And I won’t say much on this final bit of casting — but the fetching character called “Krypto” adds substantial flavor to nearly all his scenes.

Use of John Williams’ rousing theme from the Reeve films is judicious and effective, while this new version also proffers a promising plot-point near the end (think “cousin”) — plus two closing-credit scenes.

At that point, I told my seatmate, “I think we’re gonna see a lot more of this new Superman.”

To which I herewith add: Up, up and away!