I grew up knowing Christopher Reeve was Superman. So, forgive me if I hesitated to buy a ticket for the James Gunn reboot. I’m pretty sure that many others, particularly from my generation, were unsure about the new Superman film.

Ignoring (if we can) the bluster, the hype, the oversubscribed digital effects team and the addition of several other heroes from the DC stable – I realised after I had seen the film what was really important about this movie. It wasn’t how good David Coronswet looked in those tights. It certainly wasn’t the believability of the romance between Superman and Lois Lane or the swoon rating of their first (or last) kiss). The most important question any kid (and let’s be honest as Superman fans we are ALL kids) wants answered is: do I believe that Superman cares about me?

That’s a statement, I know. But it’s fundamental to our belief in Superman as a hero and crucially it’s the most important factor determining the ongoing success of the new, rebooted Superman franchise.  I know it sounds daft, but to believe that Superman cares about us, we have to also believe that Superman, despite his Krypton heritage, is just like you and me, human. For all the gripes I might (do) have about the new Superman film, I believe that although its flawed, James Gunn truly understands why we need to be able to look at Superman and see ourselves in him. We can’t care about Superman unless we believe he cares about us, and for Superman to care, he has to be just a little like us.

However, it’s not enough to understand that.  We must see the vulnerability, or the human side of Superman and we must have an actor who can make us believe in that humanity. In David Coronswet we have that actor. The scenes I’m still thinking about from the movie are not the big SFX scenes, they are those where Superman shows his humanity, such as where he is truly hurt that humans can believe he means them harm. I won’t forget the scene where he explains to Lex Luthor that he is just like us, that he makes mistakes and that being human is his greatest strength. None of these scenes would have mattered if I didn’t believe David Coronswet or his depth of heart in his portrayal of Superman.

Full marks to James Gunn for finding in David Coronswet, an actor whose heart and humanity shines through on the screen, whatever costume he’s wearing. David may still have room to grow into the role (give him a chance, he’ll reward us) but I’m looking forward to seeing him develop the role in the next movie.