Finally after 33 years the Superman Movie Bar has been Raised!

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2013)

One criticism that stood out as I was getting ready to see it was that the film get excessive with the actions scenes, alien aspects, and CGI. (Chiasmus Warning) Amid liking "Hulk" and the Star Wars prequels, I may not be the one to ask if a movie's CGI is excessive ore even good, but it worked splendidly and convincingly for me. I have to wonder if it's just an adjustment for the uninitiated to see more elaborate Kryptonian settings or images, because this film's props of such felt very familiar in light of what I've seen in the comics and on more recent Supes cartoons. I think about the Kryptonian v. Kryptonian fight scenes that do go for an extended period, realizing that such would be the norm for beings who can both give and take a lot of punishment. I tend to think on how long and drawn the Supes v. Darkseid fight lasted in the animated feature "Apokolips" based on the Superman/Batman comic mini-series. It had over a dozen cases of a big uppercut that sent the opponent flying for miles. So this was nothing new either, and the movements of these fights made the battles completely epic and adrenalizing.
What I loved so much about the 1978 Superman movie was the back-story, showing how much of an influence Jonathan and Martha Kent were on their special adopted son, and this film succeeded in upping the ante on that aspect, seeing Clark develop mentally and emotionally, while struggling to adapt to his incredible abilities. Prior to that we get the obligatory sequence involving Jor-El's facing his planet's destruction, and giving his all to seeing the preservation of his son's life. This too was a major upgrade. Then comes Kal El's pivotal moment when he masters all of his powers, followed by the arrival of General Zod, who created such havoc in his home world to offer the same to earth with hyper-megalomania, and the movie truly shines in creating some major conflict for our hero at this juncture, and Kal El (who, thankfully, does get properly acknowledged as 'Superman' during the movie's run, just won't say where) shows that he's got all the heart and will to meet the challenge head-on.
I saw no slouching by anybody in the cast. I was amazed at Henry Cavill, and how he was completely spot-on in showing his emotions during his many close-ups, he was extremely convincing as both a man struggling to find his place in the world, and a man with a sense of priority in protecting the world he had still come to love. Russell Crowe played Jor-El to the hilt as the wise Kryptonian patriarch, with his world's best interests at heart, and all the heart to help see to earth's defense. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane ably played Clark's adoptive parents, selfless and compassionate. Amy Adams was a wonderful Lois Lane, accomplishing that daunting task of coming off as a hard-working researcher without appearing to be too snoopy. My favorite kind of villain is the megalomaniacal kind, and we get that in spades from Michael Shannon as Zod, who you have to look upon with both disdain and sympathy. Laurence Fishburne's Perry White, Christopher Meloni's Colonel Hardy, Antje Traue's Faora-Ul, and on and on--were all great in their respective roles.
There is a bit of a problem with so many (mainly in Smallville) who are presumably privy to Clark's secret, but for all the scope the entire movie offered, it was worth overlooking. I liked "Superman Returns", just didn't love it for the fact that the action was so understated at a point where so many people were hungry for Superman to deliver on the action after being gone for nineteen years, and after not having been a very strong movie about the Man of Steel since 1980. This one suddenly made that wait worthwhile. It was incredible!