Superman's back and he's ... moody?

Rating: 6/10 (18 March 2015)

It's a bird, it's a plane no it's another Superman reboot, a large statement of intent of big blue's return to the big screen. After the living atrocity that was Superman Returns in 2004, DC comics needed to do something truly special if Superman was to have a future in movies, and what they did was very unexpected both in good ways and in bad.
Starting on the negative; I felt that at times the film lacked substance and only had mere glimpses over what should have been the more effective. I felt the opening scene on Krypton was too rushed and should have been longer and I was outraged by the fact they did not show Superman landing on earth and being discovered by Martha & Jonathan Kent, one of the most important scenes in Superman's story. The flashbacks, in my opinion became too repetitive and I never really got a feel for Superman's struggles as a youth. It should have started from his days a youth and developed to his adulthood, this would have emphasized his journey more. There should have been more on the relationship between Superman and Jonathan Kent (played very well by Kevin Costner). It was too quick and his death was over played as a way of getting rid of him quicker. The selection of Amy Adams as Lois Lane was a very poor choice, more of a celebrity choice. She left out most of the sass and wit that comes with the character. Finally, Superman has had a history of integrity and having him kill Zod at the end almost completely ignores this important aspect of his nature.
On the positives, they got the most important part of telling the story correctly and that is selecting the correct actor to play Superman. Henry Cavill not only looks the part but also brings a humble integrity that not many actors could. Michael Shannon plays Zod well, and by well I mean he makes the general a complete bad-ass. Zod is not only brutal but has a desperate motivation which is dealt with professionally by Zod and well supported by his crew who prove just as menacing as Zod as himself. Hans Zimmer creates a wonderful score that fits the story as he always does. Kevin Costner brought one of his best performances in years and I just wish he was kept in the film longer for he just brought such a tender emotional aspect to Clark's journey which would have been more effective if he was kept in the film. The graphics are also revolutionary, the best I have ever seen in a comic book film and the graphics team behind the film, along with Snyder's directing truly made the superhuman actions of the Kryptonians seem possible. Overall, though Man of Steel is not as good as it seemed in the many trailers it still kept me interested. In terms of a Justice League film being made, I'd have to see a second installment of this Superman to be fully convinced. Overall I'm glad I saw it and I will probably see it again.