The Superman Movie We Needed

Rating: 10/10 (25 June 2013)

I'm going to try to keep this as brief as possible. I know that critics don't see to be thrilled with the new movie but I think it shines for several reasons.
1. We get the action we craved as Superman fans. In the past, cinematically, Superman rarely threw a good punch. In this movie, he is OBVIOUSLY alien. His movements and raw power aren't like anything we've seen on the big screen. He's jerky and fast and his flight is almost violent in its movements. In the battles of Smallville and Metropolis, we see a glimpse of what he is capable of and, when he destroys the first World Engine, we find out that not even Superman realizes the extent of his power. I love this because his incredible power and Snyder's beautiful depiction of Krypton (I won't elaborate on this) falls in line with stories like All-Star Superman, etc.
2. We see a Clark/Kal/Superman that is vulnerable and INCREDIBLY rough around the edges. This movie is seeps with angst. Clark knows he's different and we see an excellent portrayal by Henry Cavill of him trying to come to terms with who he is and find his niche in the world. Throughout the movie, in flashbacks, we see a young Clark getting picked on and, despite the fact that he doesn't fight the bullies back, he really wants to. A few times, we hear Clark say something like "I really wanted to hit those guys" to Jonathan Kent. Pa Kent always tells Clark that, if he hit them, it wouldn't make him any better than his foes. Now, jumping ahead to the end of the movie (SPOILER), I think that Clark finally gets to "hit the bully" when he kills Zod. He immediately realizes that he shouldn't have made that decision and that Jonathan Kent was right. Snyder needs to be careful with this issue. He could easily tarnish Superman. He is supposed to be a beacon of hope that does NOT kill. He always finds another way. HOWEVER, I think that this is could be a pivotal moment in Clark's development as Superman. This single act should drive him to always find alternatives to simply killing the bad guy. Cue Man of Steel 2.
3. This movie creates a lot of opportunity for Superman to become that symbol of hope and to help people on a smaller scale. At the end of the movie, Metropolis is all but leveled. A co- worker found a website that helped put the damage in perspective. A hazard-assessment team analyzed the final battle between Superman and Zod and found that it would have cost Metropolis a whopping $700 Billion with an economic hit of $2 Trillion. It is also estimated that there are about 250,000 people lost in Superman's rubble-laced wake. BUT, herein lies the opportunity. If Snyder and his team write the second movie well, we'll see a Superman pulling people from the rubble, putting out fires, and helping to rebuild Metropolis. This would also be an interesting place to start introducing Lex Luthor as a financial spring for the restoration of the city. There are a few easter eggs in the movie that show the Lex Corp logo. I'm not saying that I want the antagonist in the next film to be a stereotypical Lex Luthor, but I would love for the character to start to develop.
I could go on all day about this movie. I absolutely loved it. I do think that Snyder and his peers have an impressive task ahead of them, though. They left viewers asking a lot of questions at the end of Man of Steel. I am unwaveringly optimistic, though, and think that, with the sequel, they will paint a beautiful, realistic picture of an alien Superman existing in a modern world.
What did YOU think?