Another disappointing "remake" of Superman 2

Rating: Null/10 (13 June 2013)

After seeing Man Of Steel, I'm still not entirely sure what Chris Nolan's "big idea" for Superman was. The film is less a mythic story and more a propulsive study in consistent movement, in a way that will remind people of J.J. Abrams's Star Trek films.
The picture starts strong enough, with a prologue set during the final hours of Krypton, as Jor-El (Russell Crowe) spirits his infant son to Earth in the hopes that his son will thrive as his home planet dies. There is a rather off-hand sense of fantasy here, with random flying animals, fantastical production design, and pure gee-whiz action on display. But once Kal-El is on Earth, the film gets choppy and unfocused for the rest of its running time as nonlinear flashbacks of Clark's childhood are intermixed with present-day journeys which leads directly into a third act that takes up the entire second half of the film. The flashbacks themselves are fine and occasionally moving, as Diane Lane and Kevin Costner make a terrific Ma and Pa Kent (kudos for keeping Ma Kent at the center of the story throughout), but the flashbacks seem randomly inserted into the film, with no rhyme or reason in regards to which one appears at what point in the story. Producer Chris Nolan's tendency to explicitly spell out character motivation and themes first rears its ugly head in these early moments, a pattern than continues all the way up until the end.
Henry Cavill makes a frankly terrific Clark Kent/Superman when the film actually lets him act. But this is a a film almost completely lacking in scenes where characters actually talk to each other. The emphasis is on over-complicated plot, burdened by the inexplicable need to explain every little plot detail while precious running time drips by.
It's a pumped-up, seemingly dumbed-down, and action-packed franchise reboot apparently designed to appeal to the stereotypical mass audiences that allegedly like their blockbusters big and simple. The picture looks great (in 2D at least), with peerless technical credits on every level, and is mostly well-acted. But it is hobbled by a terrible script and a disjointed and rushed story that fails to gel as an emotionally-coherent adventure film. I take no joy in expressing disappointment in a film like this.
My grade is 2/10. (just for the CGI).