The More You Try to Reimagine Superman, The More He Remains Gloriously True to Himself,

Rating: 9/10 (16 July 2013)

I must admit I was a bit leery about watching "Man of Steel" (hereafter MoS) after hearing rumors that he would undergo some sort of dark, tortured, and psychologically probing "Dark Knight" makeover, or some sort of Spiderman-like brooding existential angst. No matter how eager you are to confirm realistically Superman's importance to our modern jaded times, you really don't have a lot of dramatic wiggle room with the legendary Kryptonian. We must face facts; for over 75 years, Superman has been as close to God as a mortal can hope to get. How do you reintroduce Superman as a new, fresh character without fundamentally changing who he is?
MoS addresses this unenviable dilemma by, yes, combining some of that Spidey existential angst with the old "journey towards your destiny" plot, while still maintaining and elaborately explaining the basic elements of his origin. This time,though, the realization of his Christ-like destiny as mankind's protector and savior is more tentative, erratic, and uncertain.
Superman has all the marvelous powers we know and love, but he must learn to control, focus, and use them at the right time. The movie's shocking depiction of young Clark's uncontrolled X-ray vision and how it compels him to hide in his school's janitor's room is a novel illustration of this. Also, his forbearance will be interpreted as wimpiness, so he will be unwisely baited by kid and adult bullies to fight back. Clark/Kal-El (buff but endearing hunk Henry Cavill) will learn from his holographic father/mentor Jor-El (a solemn Russell Crowe) that he is the symbolic AND genetic embodiment of his race and must accept the task of not only setting an example for Earth, but also somehow regenerating Krypton. Furthermore, he must accomplish this task without frightening the suspicious, fearful earthlings. This is indeed a heavy Herculean burden.
But, was there any real doubt that Superman could bear this burden? Besides Jor-El, he receives unexpected guidance from intrepid, globetrotting newspaper reporter Lois Lane, no longer the clueless, hopelessly reckless victim of old. She doggedly follows Clark's odd job wanderings and convincingly pieces together who he is and cares about him as a person first (and not a love at first sight). Of course Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) provide the down-to-earth grounding and patient nurturing that Clark needs as an emotional anchor. MoS shows that Superman will need that guidance when the wild-eyed maniacal Kryptonian General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his troops accidentally burst free from the Phantom Zone due to Krypton's explosion, and make a beeline towards Earth as a platform for his own ruthless resuscitation of the old homeworld. There's nothing like a planetary threat to help a superhuman decide what he wants to do with his life.
Of course, this will involve epic, world-shattering clashes that would make the Transformers rust with envy. But once the dust and rubble clears, the iconic, and reassuring Superman (and Clark Kent) personas emerge at last. That is why I mainly enjoyed MoS - it respects what Superman represents and is while still exploring his thoughts, feelings, and hopes for the future, and challenging his values and morals. This is a tricky dance, but MoS executed it well.
P.S. As other posters have logically and thoroughly documented, MoS does have its head-shaking inconsistencies and plot stumblings. For example, we have the infamous tornado scene; Jonathan should have realized that Clark could have saved him at blurry super-speed without revealing his identity. This could have also applied to the school bus rescue. Jonathan's obsession with concealing Clark's true nature was also maddeningly baffling. And, of course, the destructive Superman/Zod showdown. Superman realistically would be facing a tidal wave of civil and even criminal litigation, and the Smallville/Metropolis populace would be outraged and want these aliens gone. Finally, Superman's deadly resolution of the Zod problem was most likely unnecessary. There were numerous other ways to end the threat before resorting to that uncharacteristic act. Nonetheless, MoS is both thoughtful, introspective, and just plain rousing, slam-bang entertainment!