Not Batman Begins but not Superman Returns

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2013)

I really enjoyed this film! First the highlights: the visual effects and cinematography are stunning and the action sequences mind boggling. From this film I learned that for the best action and science fiction storytelling a film needs Zach Snyder. I loved the focus on Jor-El and Lara and their reasons for sending Kal-El to Earth. There was such a clarity and humanity to their actions brought out in this movie that I had never seen before. The standouts: Russell Crowe was THE perfect choice for Jor-El. Crowe always brings passion and sincerity to each role and his acting is always superb. Next, Henry Cavill as Clark Kent is THE perfect choice for Superman, he embodied the true spirit of Superman- conflicted yet decisive, serious, charismatic and never cheesy. Plus, he looks exactly like the comic book character! (As the lady army Captain said "I just find him kind of hot") Amy Adams was a wonderful Lois Lane--she was always accessible never over the top and never a whiny damsel in distress (like we sometimes see in movies based on comics.) She stood by Superman every step of the way and was incredibly believable.
As a whole I loved the movie. But there were certain things I would count as negatives. Although Christoper Nolan was a part of this film the captivating dialogue and boundary pushing intellectual concepts were not inherent here like his other films. Do not expect a perfect mixture of thought provoking character studies and action like Batman Begins, The Dark Knight or Inception.
Another misstep for me was the casting of Michael Shannon as General Zod--he came across more like a Power Ranger villain than a maniacally passionate protector of all things Krypton. He wasn't an obsessive fanatic like he should have been but instead came across to me as a mildly disturbed man with some misguided notions.
Thirdly, I would rather have seen a build up of attraction between Superman and Lois over several movies than have them kiss near the end of this one. I felt they were on the right track until they kissed following the death of all Kryptonians except Zod. That felt a little out of character considering that hadn't really known each other that long. Lois and Superman have always had a longer friendship before anything romantic happens. It just seemed a little "We need to have romance here in this movie so let's add them making out even though we/they may not be ready yet." I feel they should have skipped the kiss and it would have been more satisfying to see the step forward they made when Lois comforted Superman after Zod's death. I understand the choice, though, if the producers/studio were undecided about a sequel and were waiting to see how this movie performed box-office-wise.
So there were some great choices made, in my opinion, and some not so satisfying ones. Overall, though, the storyline was fantastic, and its always easier to edit than create so I can forgive most of the negatives I found. Next time I would urge Snyder to have an extra eye edit those kinds of details, and I sincerely look forward to a next time!