When the news first hit in late 2014 that Syfy would have a series focusing on the life of Superman's grandfather Seg-El on his home planet Krypton, it was met with yawns. While the Krypton-based sequences of Man of Steel were among the best parts of the movie, it was questionable if a series about power struggles on a planet that we all know would explode is a concept that would work.

Fortunately, thanks to a likable cast, some beautiful imagery, a slightly retooled concept and a high-quality production, Krypton exceeds those initial impressions and comes out firmly on the side of being something good.

One major change to the series -- which was originally going to have imagery tied directly to writer David S. Goyer's Man of Steel film directed by Zack Snyder -- is the inclusion of time travel to the story, courtesy of Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos) who arrives in the pilot to warn Seg-El (Cameron Cuffe) of an oncoming threat that could jeopardize the future existence of Seg's grandson, Superman. This threat, Brainiac (Blake Ritson), is a "collector of worlds" who looks like he's directly taken from the run of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank on Action Comics a decade ago. On screen, this Brainiac is, so far, the most impressive-looking Superman villain in any live-action medium -- and there has been a lot of live-action iterations of Superman.

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Image via Syfy

That time-travel aspect did not seem to be a part of the series when originally proposed; in fact, the trailer that leaked online for a brief moment a year ago, based on the original draft of the Krypton pilot, had less than a half-dozen shots that ended up in the finished product. Even the crest of the House of El -- Superman's family, for the uninitiated -- now resembles the more familiar "S" rather than the "hope" sign seen in Man of Steel. In the end, though, all of these changes (including a Superman cape that warns of changes to the future much like the photograph in Back to the Future where Marty's siblings disappear) have turned out to have been positives.

The other great positive of Krypton is the appearance: The show looks cinematic, which could be a reason it has been in development for so long. If anything, Krypton's look shows off the flaws of a project like Marvel's Inhumans which was rushed to air. Unlike Inhumans, viewers are more likely be talking about how great the series looks rather than how corny it is. The settings -- exterior shots, the lower "Rankless" zones of Kandor, the quarters where people live, and most impressively, a Fortress of Solitude complete with the iconic statues -- are a big win for this show. Aside from perhaps Man of Steel, the planet Krypton has never looked so good.

While not playing Superman himself, Cameron Cuffe is a fine lead for the series, and a protagonist that audiences can get behind. So often with comic book adaptations you get other supporting characters whose popularity eclipses the series lead; in this case, though, this is completely Cuffe's show. I admit that the use of human slang from Seg-El and others takes some getting used to, and Cuffe is much better when playing the scrappy hero vs. playing anger or rage, but that latter thing might just be because he seems more comfortable as an optimist. Even with that said, the show has no weak links, with each character offering layers that get peeled back week to week.

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Image via Syfy

(The other "human" trait that I had trouble getting past sat with Adam Strange and smoking cigarettes; at one point he tries lighting up in a proto-Fortress of Solitude, which just seems wrong. I still have yet to understand why they made Adam Strange smoking a thing; he's not John Constantine. I don't know if it's an attempt to make him more edgy or what, but it does not work.)

As for the rest of the great cast that help make Krypton special, Georgina Campbell and Ann Ogbomo are members of a Zod family that is honorable, and both of their performances, as well as how they interact with Seg, have been fascinating to watch. Wallis Day's Nyssa Vex is a wildcard; I feel like we think we know her but there's a lot more going on than meets the eye, and a lot of credit for that goes to Day's performance. Elliot Cowan plays Nyssa's father, the Russell Crowe-lookalike Daron Vex, whose actions early on in the pilot change the House of El forever.

Admittedly, there are some aspects of Krypton that seem like things we've seen before in other projects, but it isn't entirely a bad thing. Early Seg-El's home life is very "young Luke Skywalker" which would make his parents, Ter-El and Charys-El (Rupert Graves and Paula Malcomson) "Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru." The pilot also has a very Terminator moment. Some of these slightly derivative tropes continue on into the series -- Seg has his own personal "Obi-Wan," after all -- but it doesn't take away from the enjoyment of the shows.

The series also does some things to subvert expectations. Kryptonians bleed. A guy in a blue suit and a red cape might not be able to fly. The House of Zod is... good (?!)  Face it, we've all seen Superman stuff done before, so it really is nice to see a different angle.

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Image via Syfy

As a long-time Superman fan, particularly with an interest in Superman on television, I am ultimately very pleased with Krypton. There are references to aspects of several eras of Superman comics past that die-hard fans will get, but they're integrated in a way that even those who aren't familiar with the canon will be able to follow. The musical score by Pinar Toprak is majestic, and there are a few musical cues that may inspire viewers to hit rewind and listen again.

I will warn, though, as much as I enjoyed the show's pilot and subsequent two episodes, your mileage may vary once you get to Episodes 4 and 5, which is what keeps me from giving this show a perfect rating. Those two episodes aren't as Seg-focused and seem to put more of a priority on setting up the second half of the season. They also feel awfully claustrophobic, a down side to the series always taking place either indoors or in snow. They also seem to be more dour than the first few episodes that include a bit more humor. Hopefully, the producers of Krypton will find a way to take Seg & company to less closed-in environments with time, which might also allow them a chance to take a deeper dive into DC Comics lore as the series progresses.

Does Krypton fly? Absolutely. Syfy, Warner Bros., and DC took a big swing with this project, but it seems like the time and money were good investments. This Superman fan is happy with how it's starting, at the very least, and there's a lot of potential here.

Rating: ★★★★ -- Very Good

Krypton premieres Wednesday, March 21 on Syfy.

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Image via Syfy
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Image via Syfy
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Image via Syfy
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Image via Syfy