All four of us took in James Gunn’s Superman this afternoon. Nothing like a matinee!

David Corenswet imbues the DC icon with a jocular, joyful sense of humor which threatens, at the outset, to silo the character in the kind of boy-scoutish wholesomeness that defined Christopher Reeves’ version of Superman, and the dour, all-too-seriousness of Henry Cavil’s portrayal. But Superman reveals an unexpected depth, considering the character’s legendary unassailability.

Gunn’s signature style comes through in Superman. There’s one combat sequence, where Mr. Terrific dispationately dispatches with a squad of lackeys, while Lois Lane, protected by a force field, observes the battle from safe harbor. A poppy song accompanies the scene. It’s like the opening scene of Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy, where the team battles a space monster to the tune of Mr. Blue Sky by ELO.

The casting in Superman is: suberb. Again, Corenswet is decidedly not Cavil. Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner is spot on; Hal Jordan would have been competition for Superman, so choosing the US-Agent-like Guy Gardner is a great choice. The “Justice Gang” and Metamorpho make for an odd mix of allies; this felt very Suicide Squad-ish, but delightful. Mr Terrific steals the show: utterly rational and unemotional–only Superman can crack the façade. I was leary of Krypto the Superdog but found the portrayal clever: Krypto is annoying, difficult to heel, utterly oafish but lovable, and deus ex machina when required. In the end, it’s Superman’s drunk cousin’s dog. What a guy.

Corenswet plays Superman with a humorous weariness; it’s genuine, not saccharine. As I watched the film, I intuited Gunn’s intimation: Superman is more like you–like me–than he has ever been portrayed. To this end, Superman delivers a soliloquy to Lex Luthor at the end of the film. It wasn’t a subtle touch.

This is certainly the most enjoyable Superman yet.