In one of my favorite scenes of the film, Superman (David Corenswet), is about to turn himself into the hands of the enemy. He's hurt and at his lowest; everyone but Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) is against him. But this is the only way to find his dog Krypto, who has been kidnapped.

"He's not even a very good dog", Superman says with a smile. "But he's alone out there, and he's probably scared".

For me, this was the moment writer and director James Gunn sealed the deal. This movie understands the hopeless optimism that Superman represents better than anything since the Richard Donner films. Occasionally, it surpasses them, too.

Superman is part origin myth, part coming-of-age-story, and a larger conversation about what an old-fashioned superhero like this means in modern society. After nearly 20 years of the MCU and a couple iterations of increasingly awful DC cinematic efforts, what can Superman bring to the table? Especially in a world where America, effectively his representative country, is speed-running the collapse of an empire.

Turns out, the answer is quite a bit. In Gunn's hands, Superman becomes the story of ordinary decency, kindness, and the capacity to be better than your lineage might demand. It's a smart and surprisingly eloquent way of treating a character who is more aspirational than any other.

Luckily, there's no repeat of Superman's origin. No Krypton, none of the things we've seen countless times before. Instead, we pick up three years into the timeline. Superman is already an established hero, while other meta-humans exist and roam the world. When we first meet him, Superman has just suffered his first defeat at the hands of The Hammer of Boravia; a retaliation of him preventing an unlawful invasion by the not-at-all-subtle stand-in for Russia.

From there, Gunn takes us into the world of Superman on almost workmanlike level. This isn't a colossal, multi-year event. It's basically a week in the life of the most powerful being on the planet. During that time, he goes toe-to-toe with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), romances Lois Lane, and wrestles with his Kryptonian heritage that he can't reconcile with his human attributes.

It's in the latter that Gunn takes the most liberties, and some of the choices are bound to anger those who hold the Superman mythos as something written in stone. For others, it's the kind of daring reinterpretation of the material that is so politically charged and invigorating that it will spark debate and study for years to come.

Said politics extend to the story entire. This is undoubtedly the most political and brave take on Jerry Siegel's and Joe Shushter's epic hero. Originally created as a metaphor for the Jewish experience of the 1930s and 40s, Superman now represents the painful transition from lineage and, yes, Zionism, into a humane world undefined by those violent constraints.

In one of the most ballsiest and shocking moments of the film, Gunn pits a technocrat and a Russian oligarch in a twisted game of torture over a Palestinian food vendor who cries out for Superman to resist against the tide of inhumanity.

It is heartbreaking and staggering and entirely unexpected from a franchise that has coasted by without an identity for so long.

Corenswet, as Superman, does Christopher Reeve proud. He is everything you'd want from the icon. Here, Superman is vulnerable and painfully earnest, refusing to accept a more conflicted world beyond the binaries of helping or not helping. Even as Lois tries to stress the importance of seeing the bigger picture, Superman can't help but exclaim in frustration that "people were going to die!" For him, it trumps over all other objections.

His mirror image, Lex Luthor, played brilliantly by Hoult, is a horrific antagonist. He's the ultimate encapsulation of every broligarch and self-appointed master of the universe. The film doesn't pull any punches as it skewers the Musks and Thiel's of the world, who seek to destroy the planet for their own twisted ideals. This isn't a comedic villain like Luthor in the past. Here, Gunn paints a vivid and frightening image of a man-child with an out of control ego tearing through the social contract.

Despite the heavy themes, Superman never forgets to have fun. This is the essential summer blockbuster, full of excitement, fun, and memorable moments. It just knows how to balance them with something like a full meal. Gunn has grown tremendously as an action director, and the big spectacle is tremendous. From Kaiju fights to traversing through pocket dimensions, his vision of Superman is closer to the Golden Age comics, where everything, no matter how silly, was possible.

Best of all, this is a story that stands on its own. There's very little setup for any other films, no homework from the past, only a rollicking good time for those willing to let themselves be swept up by the goofy, heartwarming antics. It is the perfect antidote to endlessly connected franchises and sprawling serialized conventions.

Superman is a bold, fascinating reinvention that feels timeless and new all at once. It is pop-culture art at its best.