Man of Steel a Major Disappointment

Rating: 5/10 (16 June 2013)

(Note: The review below does not contain major plot spoilers, but I tagged it anyway, because of my commentary about the end sequence).
Zack Snyder is no stranger to comic book territory, having already adapted several graphic novels. However, Zack has displayed a propensity for missing the point in his adaptations. When he adapted Watchmen, he got the surface elements correct, but lost almost all of the subtext that made Watchmen interesting. Given his notorious lack of subtlety, I had low expectations at first, but recent trailers made it look like he'd turned over a new leaf.
And to be fair...he has. Unfortunately, he has now added unsubtle dramatic moments alongside his unsubtle doses of action.
Let's be fair, though - this film starts off with much promise. Snyder's depiction of a crumbling Krypton breathes new life into the mythos, and makes for an exciting beginning. And for a while, the film's jumps in time between Clark's adulthood and youth manage to paint a touching picture of a child who doesn't understand his origin; what he is, or where he comes from. The problem is, Zach treats this trope like an essay and delivers example after example of this alienation until you want to scream "WE GET IT! HE DOESN'T FIT IN!". A good drinking game might be taking a shot every time there's a scene with Clark crying.
The "Fortress of Solitude" is also re-imagined, and in some ways works, but is also the beginning of the film's undoing. The reason "Batman Begins" was an excellent reboot was partially because it examined something earlier cinematic entries hadn't done in great length - Batman's origin story. However, the initial Richard Donner entry did exactly this, and at good length. Having to see Superman's origin again, and then hearing it re-explained to him by Jor-El just feels like overkill. By the time Superman puts on his cape for the first time, the film has started to feel exhausting...and you're only at the midway point. Zach could have easily accomplished in 30 minutes what he spent over an hour trying to do.
A victim of this expansive length of time wasted on back story is the supporting cast, whose roles are paper-thin. Amy Adam's Lois Lane feels like a pale imitation of the character, whose steely resolve feels forced. The talented Laurence Fishburne barely makes an impression as Perry White. In one scene, he attempts to rescue a co-worker, and one might wonder why the audience is supposed to care, as the film has spent so little time with either of them.
And then there's Zod. Michael Shannon has firmly etched a niche for himself as a character actor, often playing characters who are tough as nails with a reserved demeanor. Although some scenery chewing is to be expected with Zod, Shannon makes he unfortunate choice of gnawing straight through the upholstery, delivering half of his lines with clenched teeth, and the other half with pained, exerted yells. In doing so, Shannon strips Zod of all of the menace that Terrence Stamp brought to the role. That Zod's general "mission" seems to be full of holes that a thinking man like himself should have been able to see through is the least of the film's problems.
At long last, the final battle comes, and it is excruciatingly derivative and agonizing to watch. Resembling the end sequences of Thor, Avengers, Superman II, and every other movie, but ratcheting the destruction up by ten, Snyder manages to create a discomforting conclusion (and I do not mean that as a compliment). In an attempt to avoid spoilers, I won't be specific, but even though the number of on-screen deaths is few, the destruction implies the deaths of hundreds to thousands of citizens...something that is a bit uneasily swept under the rug in the scenes immediately following.
Unfortunately, while there are some exciting moments, all Snyder has given us is a Supes that begs to be cared about...without giving us a reason why.