'Superman' review: Can James Gunn's reboot get DC back on track?

On one hand, Superman is big summer fun, with just enough laughs and action to get by.

However, it also makes several lofty promises, by way of narrative and theme, that it doesn't always keep.

Its off-kilter visual approach is surprisingly effective, shaping the contours of a detailed, politically charged comic book universe.

The film ends up overstuffed with super-powered supporting characters, to the point that Superman 's own ethical quandaries feel too easily resolved.

At the movie's core lies a tale of internal dilemma over American identity in 2025 , and the cruelty of nativism as enacted and permitted by government forces.

While there's much more Superman to be found, the film doesn't spend nearly enough time on the Clark half of his life.

The movie's breakneck pace renders those human elements secondary once it's all said and done.

It has vital, meaningful themes surrounding what Superman 's allegiance to truth, justice, and "the American way" truly means in 2025 .

But in the end, it rushes past these tenets of its story in service of big-idea fireworks that make its creative ambitions feel a little too small.