Ignore the critics, it's actually a good movie.

Rating: 7/10 (3 July 2013)

Very, very minor spoilers. Man of steel is an extremely solid superhero origin story. The trailers do project an image of a much better movie, but the film does not disappoint given what it is. To make it absolutely clear, this is very much a Zac Snyder film not a Christopher Nolan film, and therefore it absolutely should not be compared with the work of an entirely different director. However, the movie is not by any means as bad as sucker punch, nor as simplistic as 300. Instead it is a highly enjoyable blockbuster film, which perfectly handles the challenge of paying respect to DC comics lore and adding something new to the equation.
For starters, Henry Cavill suited the role of Superman perfectly. He had the right look, and was able to portray the struggle of Clark Kent to grow as a man and a hero very well. His relationship with his father, Jonathan Kent (played by Kevin Costner) is the emotional core of the film. The flashbacks we see of his life as a child dealing with his powers is done very well, though in a non-linear style. Kevin Costner was also gave of a strong performance yet subtle, he was exactly who he needed to be.
Russell Crowe performed very well, his character Jor-El was charismatic and inspiring. Amy Adams performed well. There's not much more to be said about the acting since this kind of film usually doesn't require Oscar-level performances, but it did have a negative side. Michael Shannon as Zod. I personally could not stand him. He delivered his lines as if he was reading them off a book, and when he tried to use emotion it looked bland and cheesy. If you just saw Benedict Cumberpatch's performance in the new star trek, don't expect a villain anywhere near as good as that.
The story starts of reasonably slow for the first half which is mainly attributed to character development, but the second half is filled with non-stop action. The action and special effects were absolutely breathtaking, and you could see where Zac Snyder's trademark talents were starting to come through. The movie was visually fantastic, and unlike in superman returns we actually see him fight this time, instead of him just picking up an island and taking a bullet in the eye.
Some other things I liked were: the way that Krypton matched the version in the comics, Faora's bad-ass fight scenes, Perry White, the well-developed romance between Clark and Louis, the fact that Henry Cavill seems to be the only one playing superman who bothered to lift some weights before putting a tight suit to avoid looking like he was rocking up at comic-con. Some things I didn't like: Zod, the tentacle scene (no, not that.), and some major potholes (but I didn't expect there not to be)
Superman and Superman 2 were both solid movies, but outdated by today's standards. 3 and 4 were absolutely cheesy and awful. Returns was boring and disappointing. This is the only superman movie that provided me with a worthwhile experience. It had a strong main actor, well developed adaptations from the comics, beautiful effects, and it was very interesting to see the way Clark Kent grows as a hero brought to live-action cinema. I'm excited to see where it goes next.