I don't know if its good or bad

Rating: 6/10 (23 August 2013)

When I was growing up watching Superheroes, there was a very strange thing that happened. I enjoyed but overall never really liked the Batman made in 1989 (I'll review this soon) but Richard Donner's Superman is in my top ten favorite films ever. When Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight came out, I declared it one of the best films, possibly my favorite of all time. it was dark it was brooding, but also told a very moral and character driven story. It made me love Batman again, as the animated series had for years. So, when i heard that Nolan and writer David S. Goyer would be involved in a Superman reboot I was hyped. Zack Snyder was picked to direct, and then my hype died down a little bit. But I was still excited, i saw the trailer and thought to myself, "Hey, Snyder might do a great movie this time." Folks, I am disappointed to say the least.
This movie is Superman's origin story from Krypton to the final battle scene. Superman/Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) grows up struggling with his powers and is regarded as a freak whenever they come out. One aspect of the story that is actually very fresh and very new is as a child his powers bombard him and he can't deal with it. The scene at the school where he locks himself in and his mother (Diane Lane) tells him to focus only on her to calm him down was amazing. If only the rest of the movie was as good as this! After traveling around the U.S. trying to figure out his place, he stumbles across the Fortress of Solitude and the A.I. of his true father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) Jor-El believes his son is there to lead the people of earth out of darkness and conveniently made a suit for him (with exact specifications of course) But Oh No! General Zod (Michael Shannon) arrives from the Phantom Zone and tries to take over Earth to re-establish Krypton.
Oh Lois Lane shows up in the story, but ultimately is useless, as is everyone else, even Zod. The rest of the cast which I thought would be awesome, were so bland and uninteresting, that I didn't are what the hell they would do. Krypton Looks like something out of a cross between Avatar and a rock, ugly.
This was actually one of the most unpleasant experiences ever watching a movie in general. It looks like Snyder directed the camera during a 7.0 earthquake (I hate shaky cam) and most of the actors have no soul or color within the story. The visual effects look, for the most part, pretty bland and basic, and shockingly, way too computerish. And one thing physically and emotionally disturbed me in the theater, Superman and Zod literally destroy Metropolis. It looks like 9/11 times 40.
People out there who read this. I am the biggest fan of Christopher Nolan. I love Christopher Nolan, but here, what they did just doesn't apply to Superman. It worked well for Batman because he is a man grounded in reality. But Superman is an alien and he can fly, there's really no reason to ground him in reality too. I still love Nolan. I just think if it was directed by him, it would have been amazing. Alas, they gave it to the guy who did Sucker-Punch, worst idea ever.
Gee, there must be nothing I like about this movie. Not true. Henry Cavill packs a solid performance and puts his own spin on the role so effortlessly solidified by Christopher Reeve for so many years, but Cavill comes really close. Some story ideas a really good, especially the scene when he is a kid in school, that was truly amazing. The scene where Superman flies for the first time is incredible too and that is the only time I thought the shaky cam was a great idea. Hans Zimmer's score is awesome. Its not as perfect or grand as John Williams' though, but he should be nominated for an Oscar for making something completely different from Williams, a very hard feat to accomplish.
So overall, my review is as chaotic as i thought the film was. I may change it up later to make stronger points. There were some good things, and some bad things. Like my title, i don't know if its good or bad. Its kinda OK.