Not My Superman

Rating: 6/10 (23 January 2019)

Recently rewatched this for our podcast (After Credits Cast). Here are my two cents.
This film isn't horrendous. It isn't a good first step to start a universe, but it isn't an outright stumble. There are plenty of visually impressive moments, well played characters, and excellent action set pieces worth your time. I really enjoy the opening segment on Krypton and wish that had just been the whole movie leading into another Superman-focused film. That said, this isn't my Superman and here's why.
First, let's talk about the neck-snap nearing the end. I won't say Superman shouldn't kill. What I will say is that in doing so, you set a very bad precedent. If you have a film in which Superman is not only able to kill, but also willing to kill when pushed to it, when what challenge is there in a future film? As powerful as he is, if he is willing to kill, there shouldn't be a single force on Earth capable of stopping him. This is further problematic when you consider this is a build up for the Justice League. Why are ANY of the other members of the League necessary when Superman is willing to kill enemies? What do any of them add to the table that Superman can't just break or beat or kill to resolve? From a narrative standpoint, this creates future problems for sequels and spin-offs. It's also an issue that doesn't get fully address in BvS (but that has its own problems going on).
Second, I really dislike how they handle Pa Kent. I understand the prevailing logic that mankind might fear aliens (I personally think that attitude may have changed in 2018, but I could be wrong). But the point is Pa Kent is wrong in Superman's ability to handle what the world would say or how it would react. He died for literally no reason when there are plenty of things Clark could have done while still hiding his abilities. Pa Kent, in the comics, was a lot like Ben Parker from Spider-man. He would preach responsibility and doing the right thing to Superman growing up. And this feels like such a departure from that, which really changes the core of the character.
This brings me to the final point, which is the heart of Superman is lacking in this film. There's an aspect to Superman throughout the comics and animated works where he tries to find alternatives to defeating foes. There is a focus on saving lives. All of them. And this just doesn't tackle that. It's not bad. It's TRYING to be different. But it's not Superman.