Moving and thrilling - for what's a very complex film

Rating: 9/10 (26 March 2016)

I went to see this film in 3D IMAX, having not read any reviews so as to not bias my assessment. I honestly was so pumped and excited after this film. It even moved me to tears at points, which is more than I can say for any other superhero film. People don't seem to appreciate that DC films are difficult to make. The Dark Knight film set a precedent for both gritty fantasy, but still realism and not shying away from difficult moral choices the hero needs to make. This has pleased the general public. At the same time, lots of these characters carry huge baggage from the comic book narrative arcs - and the comic fans cannot be offended either. Well this film achieves pleasing both - homage is paid to Frank Miller's comic The Dark Knight Returns, where Bats and Supes face off, and to the comics featuring Doomsday. Yet there's no pandering. A new, inventive story line has been written that twists and turns when you least expect it. This is why the feature length will not leave you bored once.
Are there problems? Yes. Lex Luthor lacks a full exposition of why they just hate everyone, and his total crazy twist on the character won't be every fan's cup of tea (instead of the very calm, collected cleverest man on earth traditional take). The sci-fi element towards the end won't be to everyone's liking, in contrast to the first half's realism. Yet with Man of Steel, that choice was already made. There are, as with any film, minor plot holes, such as: why doesn't superman use his super hearing more to rescue a particular person. I'm also not so convinced by the Daily Planet's stereotypical editor.
Overall though, a thrilling ride, and these series of films has produced a very vulnerable Superman (which you can therefore empathise with). I think - best to immerse yourself in it on a big screen. No amount of HD TV will make this the same. Some films just have to be seen on a big screen.