Zack Snyder Doesn't Pull Punches (Literally)

Rating: 10/10 (1 July 2013)

This seems to be quite the divisive movie, most either love it or hate it. I, for one, loved it and have seen it multiple times. The movie isn't for everyone. Zack Snyder and David Goyer made some bold choices and pulled from source material that not every Superman fan will recognize, which will leave many fans of the Donner Superman movies confused or upset. A word of advice, leave all preconceived notions, of what you think Superman should be, at home. It will definitely enhance your experience.
If you're a fan of Zack Snyder, you will see most of his signature style minus one. That one thing? His normal "slow-motion" fight scenes. I'm sure he did this to illustrate just how fast and powerful Superman, Zod, and his henchmen are, and he definitely got the desired effect. Again, if you're a fan of Snyder (like I am) you will like this movie.
As for the story, Goyer and Snyder really cram quite a bit into the 2 1/2 hour run time, but I thought the pacing was good and I didn't feel overwhelmed by the amount of "origin" they were throwing at me. They employ nonlinear storytelling in the movie, using flashbacks to give you a glimpse into Clark's childhood. As long as you pay attention, everything flows wonderfully. They also really pushed the sci-fi aspect of the story, spending the first part of the movie on Krypton, which was a nice touch.
The only thing that might overwhelm some is the action, there's a lot of it and it's unlike anything you've seen before. While it's broken up throughout the movie, the final act ramps it up to an outrageous level. We get to see the kind of action and destruction one would expect when the 2 most powerful beings on earth collide.
Overall, I gave this movie a 10 out of 10 because I got everything I wanted out of it, great visuals, a good story, adequate pacing, emotion, great performances from the cast, and plenty of action. Snyder worked his magic to make it visually stunning, and Goyer and Nolan delivered on their promise of a more relatable and real Superman. Just a fantastic movie.