A staple of pop culture since the 1930s, Clark Kent or Superman to the masses, has had a rough time adjusting to the feature film format. It might be that his benevolence contrasts the cynicism Western audiences expect from films, or it could be a case that the hero is just too conventional. This latest entry makes no great argument for the caped hero.

James Gunn’s Superman opens with Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult) plotting revenge against the titular superbeing he regards as an affront to human values. Indeed, the eponymous hero is seen fighting the monster Ultraman, in a loud and obnoxious fight scene that culminates in Superman (David Corenswet) lapsing out of consciousness. Rescued by his dog Krypto, the hero recuperates in Antarctica, only to wake up and discover his pet has been kidnapped. The rage that has been buried far beneath his costume comes out.

Corenswet is, putting it mildly, boring to watch in the lead. He barely puts any effort into Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent, a reporter madly in love with Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan). Audiences see nothing beyond bravado and pectoral glory whenever he is onscreen. Other Supermen (such as Christopher Reeves’s) made sure there was a distinct difference between the two sides of the character, but this iteration feels more like Dr.Manhattan from Watchmen (Zack Snyder, 2009); a socially awkward, somewhat autistic, behemoth capable of great acts of good and evil.

The director elects to leave Luthor enjoy the quasi-Nietzchean monologues, but Hoult never truly gets his teeth into the villain’s menacing side. It doesn’t help that Luthor literally walks across a room, devices blowing up all around him, and he emerges unscratched. The green screen is very poorly done for a movie that cost $225 million. As it happens, some of the flying sequences are shabbily expressed; Corenswet looks uncomfortable pulling all sorts of stentorian faces with his arms thrust in front of him.

Gunn, much like he did with The Suicide Squad (James Gunn,2021), is guilty of letting the pyrotechnics run amok. Explosion follows explosion, debris comes crashing down, and there are simply too many lasers zapping all over the place. It’s a noisy and immature watch: with a focus of special effects rather than character development. Skyler Gisondo’s Jimmy Olsen, another mainstay of the comic books, is given precious little to do, and looks lost among the mighty explosions going around him.

There is one actress who comes across well onscreen, and that is Brosnahan. Her Lois is feisty, quippy, and sexy even. Best of all, Lois feels like a well-rounded person rather than some window-dressing Superman/Clark Kent has to put up with. She is a competent journalist who uses intellect where the men in the flick utilise brawn. She makes it her mission to tackle Lex Luthor with her mind; the pen being almost as mighty as the sword.

Like so much in this work, the possibilities and creative diversions are given a short thrift, and Lane’s subplot isn’t as well developed as it could be. Gunn is like a small child, excited with his CGI toys. This makes for a vacuous, empty and lightweight viewing experience. Whether or not Superman should return to the big-screen isn’t the question at this time. It’s why anyone thought this was the director or project who could salvage the hero.

Superman is in cinemas on Friday, July 11th.