What a treat, It's about time!

Rating: 10/10 (29 June 2013)

Minor Spoilers contained within this review
This is the Superman that all of us die hard comic book fans have been hoping for since the beginning. That said, it's fun and enjoyable for everyone. I took my wife to see this and she can't wait to see it again, this coming from someone who normally wouldn't sit through a Superman film.
Spoiler #1 There is no Kryptonite in this film, there isn't even the mention of Kryptonite. This is a bitter sweet victory for those of us that know Superman from the comics as well as the movies. Those who've only ever seen the movies are under the very wrong impression that Superman is completely indestructible accept for the influence of the green radioactive fragments of his own home planet. Fans of the comics, Smallville and movies alike know differently. We know that there are actually a variety of things that hurt him or that have affects on him.
Spoiler # 2 No Lex Luthor. With the exception of Superman III, never have we seen a Superman film that didn't have Lex or a villain that is at least somewhat like him.
Spoiler #3 This is probably the most important detail, Superman gets his hands dirty. This isn't a surprise to comic fans either but it is for the casual movie-goer.
The origin story was fantastic. We get to see more of Krypton than ever before and it has a different look to it. Although I like Russell Crowe as an actor, I had my doubts about him being Jor-El but he quickly won me over. His portrayal is better than Marlon Brando's if you asked me. For once, we get to see him actually interact with his Son rather than just giving him fortune cookie advice. This time around, we really get a feel for just how evil General Zod is. We also get to see the type of interaction with Jor El and Zod that we only got to see previously in Kevin J. Anderson's "The Last Days of Krypton". In fact, I wouldn't at all be surprised if Zack Snyder either read that book or if someone on his staff did. That book told the story about Krypton's demise perfectly. It really illustrates how ceremonial Kryptonians were, the bureaucracy and their hesitancy to see their imminent demise. A front loaded origin story didn't choke this down the way I had thought it would.
The metropolis scenes were amazing, the casting choices were great. Everyone pulls their weight too. Henry Cavill really does a great job as Superman. He still personifies what we all know about Superman but showing us a newer and darker side that we've never seen before. We really get to see what lengths he goes to to protect Earth. Speaking of the darker side of Superman, it's plain to see that Christopher Nolan had a strong influence with the making of this installment. This was even better than The Dark Knight and it easily paves the way for sequels and for the JLA.
Amy Adams was a great pick for Lois lane. They even managed to touch on the Army brat side of her that previously we got to see on Smallville. Fans of Smallville will be happy to see that a number of actors from that show were in this movie as well. Lots of familiar faces and characters finally come to the big screen for the first time.
Michael Shannon portrayed General Zod perfectly. It's hard to fill Terrence Stamp's shoes but he did so magnificently. He wasn't the one dimensional megalomaniac bent on revenge that we had seen before. There was so much more depth to his character than what we'd seen before.
In conclusion, this was an amazing experience. It was great to finally see them branch out with Superman and show us the things we'd never seen but always hoped too. They didn't just give us more of the same old or recycle old scenarios with new actors. It had a very dark side to it but also stayed true to its roots. At the same time, there are still a few funny moments in there to break up the seriousness. They really went for realism and plausibility this time around too. If I elaborate more, I'll spoil too much. This is the one movie that you have to see on the big screen, it's well worth the ticket price!