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It’s a new approach (not unlike “Guardians of the Galaxy,” which James Gunn also directed) that isn’t afraid to make contemporary parallels.

Superman (nicely played by David Corenswet) is the object of a smear campaign by tech billionaire Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult). He paints the metahuman as an alien, an outsider, an illegal immigrant, and wants the public to target him for expulsion. That sets up an awful lot of fight scenes and gets Supe in a prison that takes plenty of fellow heroes to crack.

Green Lantern (Nathan Fillion) and Mister Terrific (Edi Gathegi) lead the charge, but they, too, have issues. By the time Gunn gets everyone in line, it’s time to wrap up the picture.

“Superman,” as a result, moves quickly, leans into humor and makes some myths just that.

Rachel Brosnahan, as Lois Lane, represents that new world order. She’s open about her relationship and isn’t afraid to call out Superman on his reticence to speak. With photographer Jimmy Olsen (Skyler Gisondo), she’s able to get insider information from LuthorCorp and a clue as to the whereabouts of Superman’s pocket dimension prison. That opens the door to even more characters and the possibility for spin-offs in the future.

Because Gunn doesn’t light very long on any of the lesser characters, he has an opportunity to reinvent Superman (not unlike Luthor). He shows him leaning into kindness and gets great mileage out of the superdog, Krypto. Every time someone pushes Supe down, he gets back up. There’s a kryptonite scare, too, but it has a turnaround that only serves to polish the Man of Steel’s image.

Clark Kent, oddly enough, doesn’t get as much screen time as you’d think and when Superman isn’t fighting his detractors, he barely speaks. Only an “interview” with Lois offers an inside look at either identity.

Brosnahan and Corenswet are good together; the Daily Planet could use fewer TV screens in the office and more reporting on the street, particularly since few have the platform Luthor enjoys.

Gunn’s parallels to today’s political news are plenty. Like a late-night talk show host, he isn’t afraid to call out those who don’t practice the kindness they preach.

While Hoult auditioned to play Superman, he’s terrifyingly good as his nemesis Luthor. Just watching him bark orders in his control room makes you wonder what kind of film could come from focusing on a lesser character in his employ.

The special effects run the gamut (Fillion’s wig on the lesser end, that pocket prison on the upper) and give typical Avengers situations new interest in the DC Universe.

If there’s more life in this version of “Superman” (and there should be), Gunn would be wise to concentrate on Kent and show just how difficult it is to maintain that façade.

“Superman” takes off and never lets go. Super.