The movie that showed me why I love Superman.

Rating: 8/10 (29 June 2013)

I'm not going to go so far as to say I've always been a big Superman fan, but I will say that the Man of Steel has had a not totally insignificant presence in my childhood; a few comic books, the original Superman movie, and, of course, the DCAU have all served to keep me regularly entertained with Superman story lines in at least 15 of my 18 years on this planet that sadly doesn't have the big blue boy scout to look out for it.
I've always found myself a little irritated by people who dislike Superman, and while I'm sure that there are totally legit reasons to dislike Superman, the ones I've heard are rarely of the sort; more inclined to people complaining about how "boring" Superman is, and how "perfect" he is, both of which I find to be completely unfounded.
This movie was very assuring, in a way, it confirmed that my love for Superman wasn't just an immature act of rebellion and will to stand out, since disliking him seems to be the norm.
No, what Man of Steel represents is hope, and faith in mankind's ability to better itself. I've always viewed myself as an optimistic person, and it helped my enjoyment of this movie quite a bit, as its themes resonated very well with me.
The movie also reminded me of another side of Superman that I'd long forgotten: that no matter how much people may love him (as the DC universe's Average Joe is wont to do), and no matter how many allies or friends he may gather, Superman is completely alone in the world, there is no one he can turn to to help carry his burden. Clark was "that weird kid" growing up in Smallville, and he grew up with a constant fear of being rejected.
And despite this, and despite all the power he possesses, he fights for us, he looks out for us, and he does everything in his power to guide our race to a brighter tomorrow. It could've been so easy to abuse his power, and yet he continually dedicates himself to our cause and our future.
It also managed to point out an aspect of Superman that I'd not really considered before, that he's not perfect. I'm assuming that quite a few people died in the movie, and we all know Supes isn't the biggest fan of premature death. On a few occasions he had both the power and opportunity to save them, but he couldn't, because a bigger threat had to be dealt with. But you can be quite sure that he was aware of it, what with those super senses of his; that's got to be bad for your mental well-being.
These are the reasons why Superman is a hero, and the reasons why this movie, and the character, deserve all the praise we can give.