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Despite an over-stuffed cast and plot that initially feels all over the place, the film soars by the third act with a back-to-basics take on Superman that captures the heart of the character while still modernizing him. The plot starts off in the middle of the story and moves along quickly, leaving both Superman and the audience on the back-foot for a good chunk of the film. While this works well for removing much of the character’s invulnerability, it makes it hard to get a sold feel for this new version of the character at first. Even then, it’s clear early on the David Corenswet’s take on Superman captures the strength and the humanity of the character. Rachel Bronsahan is solid as Lois Lane, who is far from a damsel in distress. The rest of the supporting cast is fine, but there are entirely too many characters at times, and many go from “It’s cool they put them in here” to “Why are they still here?” As far as the villains go, Nicholas Hoult gives a strong performance as Lex Luthor, but his character borders on too comic booky, and also somewhat one-dimensional. (Which is even more true of the secondary villains.) The film looks great, but there are some CG elements that take you out of it at critical moments. There’s a quick mid-credits scene and a post-credits scene and neither are really worth sticking around for.
*** out of *****