Not so long ago, it would have seemed unlikely to the point of impossibility that James Gunn would be the filmmaker to preside over a bigscreen return to form for Superman. The character whose debut in Action Comics #1, more than eighty-five years years ago, introduced superheroes into popular culture, tumbled dominoes all the way to our modern era where it can feel like the costumed, heroic figures have subsumed all other mainstream commercial cinema. In his most emblematic renderings, Superman is pure-hearted, earnest, and even a little corny. These are basically all qualities absent from the spoof-y and joyfully crass art created by Gunn over the years. Even Gunn sensed the disconnect, dismissing overtures to take on more central characters the comics line and eagerly opting for the marauding messiness of The Suicide Squad as his inaugural DC Studios vehicle during the brief exile from Marvel that initially brought him to the distinguished competition.

In the time since Gunn’s flawed debut under the DC Studios banner, he’s been given the helm (alongside Peter Safran, a longtime creative partner) of the whole endeavor, charged with guiding the longtime comics publishers stable of characters into a set of interconnected blockbusters in roughly the same manner that Kevin Feige has managed with Marvel. Although there are a couple other television projects that officially or semi-officially serve as the preamble to this effort, Superman feels like the proper starting pistol, so it makes a certain amount of sense that Gunn is the writer and director. The relaunch is his responsibility, so it makes sense to forecfully sign his name to it.

From the jump, Gunn makes sound decisions. He largely bypasses the character’s oft-told origin story and gets right into the meat of the plot, beginning with a badly beaten Superman (David Corenswet) thumping into the arctic snow within trotting distance of his Fortress of Solitude. One of the common criticisms of the founding father of superheroes is that he’s so powerful that it’s difficult to imagine scenarios where he might be in danger. Gunn establishes the character’s vulnerability before he’s even said a word.

From that point on, Gunn does his best to pack in everything that might be expected from a Superman adventure while staying true to his own rascally sensibility. The main antagonist is Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult, tapping into mighty reserves of loathing), and all of the familiar employees of newspaper The Daily Planet are accounted for. Superman is called upon to battle jumbo monsters and incredibly strong brutes. Gunn also makes room for more offbeat do-gooders, notably the gadget-wielding genius inventor Mr. Terrific (Edi Gathegi), swooping, petulant Hawkgirl (Isabela Merced), and proud jerk Green Lantern Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion), the last of whom insists on calling this crew the Justice Gang.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Gunn fares better with the elements that are more tried and true. It’s more engaging to watch the inner workings of The Daily Planet as ace reporter Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan) and scrappy burgeoning journo (and, in a new twist, stealth playboy) Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo) use their journalistic superpowers to take on Lex Luthor’s shady business dealings than it is to get clanging punchlines from a batch of Gunn’s patented misfits. The film really could have used more time with the workplace of Superman’s alter ego. There’s really one scene with Corenswet playing nebbishy Clark Kent — which he handles nicely, if not quite with the transformative magic Christopher Reeve achieved back in day — and other straight-from-the-comics characters Steve Lombard (Beck Bennett) and Cat Grant (Mikaela Hoover) are so thinly drawn that the film would be better off without them, especially in the closing action sequence where they’re literally just along for the ride.

James Gunn’s Superman benefits immensely from the generously graded curve that results from comparing it to Zack Snyder’s putrid abominations that have stood as the character’s cinematic representation for the past decade or so. If Gunn’s mission is to provide a much-needed corrective, he’s accomplished it. Whatever its shortcomings, the film is packed with ideas, including plot threads about wealthy industrialists meddling in government and society’s easily stoked reactionary fear of outsiders that have only grown more pertinent since Gunn conceived of them. Gunn is also unafraid of the more colorful parts of Superman’s mythos, a courage that means Krypto, Superman’s similarly powered pet dog, has a prime place in the film. The caped pooch is both an absolute delight and drastically overused.

When everything Gunn brings to the film comes together successfully — as it does during the middle stretch that involves a pocket universe and a wild, emotionally potent escape — it’s easy believe that the filmmaker was the only man for this job at this time. With the weight of history and the demands of a marketplace dependent on rolling franchises, this Superman was burdened with an almost impossible task. If Gunn doesn’t quite clear it with a single bound, he soars high enough to point to the sky with thrilled disbelief.