Not the Superman movie I was hoping for...

Rating: 5/10 (15 June 2013)

Warner Bros. attempts to reboot the Superman franchise with director Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, a reimagining of the Superman origin story we all know and love stripped of everything that makes Superman, well, Superman. We all know the story of of the film, there is no need to rehash that here. The bottom line of Man of Steel is simple, it's just not a good Superman movie.
The thing with Man of Steel is that it's a movie that has a lot of intriguing ideas and an exceptional cast, but it's missing a fantastic script. Where screenwriter David Goyer struck it rich with Batman Begins, he fails to find with Superman. The plot is murky, often not expanding or fully exploring the ideas presented, and the characters are never given much to do. The story is simply like a Greatest Hits album of Superman's early years, jumping from action scene to action scene, with few scenes that step back and attempt to create character. The end result is a story that left me emotionally cold and often confused, because I did not fully understand what was going on and I just did not love any of the characters because I was never given a reason to love them. Then, there's the fact that Superman actually kills the bad guy at the end of the movie! You can defend that any way you want, but the Superman I've always known and loved would use his intellect to find another way to save the day.
Ultimately, as a die-hard Superman fan, I was greatly disappointed. The casting was pitch perfect, in particular Henry Cavill as Superman, as well, the design work was stellar, but the filmmakers just seemed to have ignored all that has always made Superman who he is. Now, to clarify, I am biased here. To an average moviegoer, this may be a fantastic movie, but for me this movie just did not scratch that itch, so take that into account if you plan on seeing this movie.
I give Man of Steel a 5 out of 10!