After trying to catch Superman last week, I got sidetracked by my nephews, who begged to see the new live-action How to Train Your Dragon. It was a cute ride, practically a frame-by-frame remix of the animated trilogy, and the dragon effects still make my jaw drop. Still, I was itching to get back to the Man of Steel.

This weekend, the house was finally mine, and I settled in for the long-anticipated feature. I’ve spent the last twenty years muttering that Hollywood is out of runway, and I still think that most of the time. Then I meet a film that catches me off-guard, lights the projector, and I remember why I keep showing up.

James Gunn master of the Guardians of Galaxy movies has my attention again. He doesn’t just restart the Superman story; he reconditions it, polishing the familiar diamond until it dazzles in the light. He honors the DNA of the comics, yet every scene carries a fresh deduction: a new detail, a new heartbeat.

What grabbed me most is his gentle yet firm insistence that Superman represents humanity, full stop. He’s less a cowboy waving a flag and more a backlit silhouette in a crowded planetary scene, a champion for every person, union, and tribe on Earth. The broad smile and the red cape still sweep the sky, but now the sky belongs to the whole planet, not just one corner of it.