A new Superman for a new generation

Rating: 8/10 (15 June 2013)

I believe that one should judge a movie on its own merits. It would be ludicrous to judge "Predator" with the same criteria I would judge Twelve Angry Men" by, and it would be insane to judge Man of Steel by the same criteria as The Godfather. Man of Steel should be judged as a superhero action movie, and by God does it do a magnificent job of it!
First of all, Man of Steel is a very different beast to Donner's Superman, which was a whimsical adventure movie (a great one at that!). Superman and his world have changed dramatically over the last 35 years, Superman is no longer the boy scout who pulls his punches and makes witty quips. If you want to see that Superman go and watch your DVD of Superman The Movie, but for the Superman fans who want to see Superman as he's been in the comics since the '80s, this is the Superman movie we've been waiting for.
Many "critics" have complained that Superman is too dark in this movie, I for one couldn't disagree more! Whilst the world in which Superman exists is much darker than Donner's the character of Superman is still the fundamentally good hero that we all love. His every action is driven by his desire to help others and his love for human kind, with no concern for himself. The darker world of Man of Steel makes this movie so much more powerful, for it is in the dark that the light shines brightest.
This of course is not to say that the movie is entirely dark and brooding, as many "critics" have claimed! After reading a number of reviews (always a mistake) I entered the cinema expecting a movie with the tone of The Dark Knight or Watchmen and was delighted to find a number of humorous moments alleviating the tension of the action, although not so many as to break my excitement as the story progressed.
The actors in this movie are, in general, excellent in their roles. Henry Cavill IS the new Superman! In the same way in which Christopher Reeve perfectly embodies the Superman of the '70s, Cavill portrayed the modern Superman; one always driven by his innate goodness, but also capable of great anger when presented with Zod's atrocities.
Amy Adams was also a far more satisfying Lois Lane than has been portrayed in the many iterations of Superman over the years, this Lois isn't some "damsel in distress", she's a real feminist woman, a dogged reporter and a brave and heroic woman who actually plays an active part in the defence against Zod's invasion.
Michael Shannon was exceptional as Zod. He was a menacing figure throughout the movie, although he is principally driven by his xenophobic and racist views (one of the core themes of the movie, something which many of the "critics" seem to have overlooked when dismissing MoS as "shallow" and lacking in "substance") Shannon plays the character so expertly that one can also feel sympathy for his desire to revive Krypton even though we disapprove of his methods.
This isn't a flawless movie by any means. There was room for some more character development (although not to the extent that some have suggested, this is an action movie for Christ's sake, not high drama! I also think that now we have covered the Origin Story, the sequel will have plenty of development), and some of the fight scenes did drag on slightly, but ultimately I didn't really care because it was fun, and I was emotionally touched by the movie; I was overwhelmed by feelings of joy and excitement as Superman first stepped out into the snow in his costume and slowly learnt to fly, I felt Superman, Jor-El and Zod's pain as they each had what they loved taken from them and I felt an all consuming feeling of hope as I left the cinema. This, for me, is what I want to feel when I go to the cinema.
TLDR: MoS is a really cool and touching action movie, just don't go in expecting another Reeve movie, we already have plenty of those!