Bring on the Justice League

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2013)

With the days of their planet numbered in single digits, Jor-El(Crowe, who brings tremendous gravitas to the role) and Lara(Zurer, doing well with little time) reluctantly send their newborn to Earth. Growing up in the care of the Kents(Costner and Lane, whose talents are warranted these not-starring roles), Clark(Cavill, lending a humble, yet powerful air to the lead) is struggling with his identity and feels alone, isolated, and must keep his lineage secret(this is a realistic take on the hero, and the issue of first contact is dealt with - how do governments deal with knowing that there are aliens?). And when Lois Lane(Adams as the strong, independent woman) threatens to unveil the truth in the interest of journalism, and our world is threatened by General Zod(Shannon, not as hammy as Stamp, or Spacey's Luthor), he will have to decide between these two worlds.
The first issue is of course, does this have a reason to exist. "Returns" was not even a decade ago, and didn't go over well. The answer is, thankfully, yes. This does things that the '78 one, in all its glory, did not, and this is like that in being of its time and generation(hence the angst in this). Yes, another origin story... this fleshes out the backstory, establishing the mythos well, and grants the wonder(and shows the inspirational nature of risking oneself to help others) that has kept this a US icon for 65 years. And this proudly embraces the core elements of the American dream and Superman, with a nobody from Kansas growing up to become a legend, an immigrant finding new hope in his new home and loneliness(something everyone feels at one point or another) and rootlessness leading to aiding the common good.
All of the acting is great, including the kids portraying the titular Man in the numerous flashbacks(this is mainly set in his adulthood). With Nolan having worked on the script until he was happy with it and then fully handing over creative control to Snyder, this is very much the latter's film. This helps DC show that Batman(as envisioned by aforementioned psychological director... who, by the way, would not have fit this man in tights) is not all they've got, like Marvel, they have more flavor to offer(and here's hoping this one will launch that shared cinematic universe).
He brings his comic book aesthetic and compelling sense of visuals to this, wisely opting for film over digital, and a fantastic hand-held cinematography that doesn't confuse. The 3D post-conversion(not his call) robs that technique of some of its intended effect and makes it jarring. Frankly, just watch it in 2D. This is epic(note that we see plenty of rescues and heroics before the cape is donned), with a thundering Hans Zimmer score(OK, so there's *some* Dark Knight-ness in this) and fast pace(making the 2 hour, 12 minute running time, not counting end credits, not feel as arduous). Yes, the third act is non-stop action, and in general, these sequences tend to leave the status quo unaltered(that's why often, stuff like that is left on the cuttin room floor), are at times generic, repetitive(you will believe a man can punch someone all the way through a building) or feel overly similar to other blockbusters. Michael Bay comparisons? How...? You invariably care about at least one person involved, none of them go on for too long and we're allowed to breathe inbetween each of them, when there's engaging character development and drama them.
There is a lot of implied(and nonetheless, inescapable) violence and death(which, along with the 9/11 imagery evoked, is in poor taste) and a little moderate to strong language in this. I recommend this to every fan, of any age, of the Man of Steel, and/or the people involved in making this. 7/10