This "new" rendition of Superman played on cuteness and nostalgia. Do not overthink the plot. The story made no sense. A super villain that was able to make a pocket universe but wanted only half of an Eastern European country? Why didn't he just make the pocket universe bigger and made himself king of the universe? The Justice Gang made no sense, either. They were plot devices to push the story forward.
Of course Krypto was cute.
Now, the nostalgia part. From the poster the new Superman posed like Christopher Reeves, to his eyeglasses that looked like Christopher Reeves, to him saving children, women, a squirrel. Every pose had been done before.
I do like one part that Superman wasn't completely selfless. When the Justice Gang was fighting a giant floating squid-thing, Superman didn't help them. He was more concerned about finding his lost dog. I thought that was cute.
Nicholas Hoult was great as a hero and as a villain (Nosferatu, Renfield, Mad Max Fury Road). I hope to see more and more of him in diverse roles in the future.