Superman soars back to screens

Director James Gunn says the film is especially for China which he cites as one of the most significant influences on his career, Xu Fan reports.

"Look! Up in the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman!"

For decades, this iconic phrase has been associated with the arrival of the Man of Steel, the first widely celebrated superhero in American comic book history. With his red cape billowing in the wind, the superhero has always been portrayed as indestructible.

However, 87 years after the first Superman tale appeared in Action Comics magazine in 1938, he now returns to the silver screen in a disheveled state: injured and lying in the Arctic snow. The situation worsens when Krypto, Superman's pet Superdog, comes running like a bullet after being whistled for — only to pounce on his bloodied body, seemingly adding to his suffering.