Not the garbage nor the masterpiece some say

Rating: 5/10 (22 June 2013)

Avoid reviews that tell this is the "best (superhero) movie ever made" or the "best movie of the year"; likewise, avoid reviews that say this movie is garbage and the worst ever. Neither one nor the other.
Some of the 10 star reviews seem written by movie studio workers or teenagers, many who do not know the rich history of cinema, they exaggerate the movie qualities; in this age of technology, instant communications and unlimited information from a pocket device, for most people the more CGI and fast action, the better the movie. The Internet and Information technology age has decreased the attention span of people, believe me, there are papers from scientific researchers about it, even a book.
My template is the best Superman movies to date: Superman: The Movie (1978), Superman II (1980) and Superman II: Richard Donner's Cut (2006). Man of Steel is a remake of these three movies as Superman Returns is a homage to the same three.
We have essentially the same story: starting on a dying Krypton, Jor-El and the elders send General Zod and his henchmen to oblivion in the Phantom Zone, Krypton is destroyed and Kal-El is sent to Earth. He arrives and is raised by his terrestrial parents, struggles as he discovers his powers, then General Zod is free from the Phantom Zone, and arrives to Earth to conquer, terminate most humans, rule and have his vengeance killing Kal-El.
Many aspects of this story are enhanced further on Man of Steel, which is good, the problem is in the execution. First we have Krypton, a fascinating world, but...but, we have Jor-El flying a giant bird (Avatar, Lord of the Rings anyone?) and swimming and diving. It feels totally out of character. Richard Donner's Superman vision, handles Krypton with much economy, but there's a hint of mystery, coolness and 'tripiness', all those scenes are absolute and masterful science fiction. Then, Kal-El arrives to Kansas, which in Man of Steel is in constant flashbacks throughout all the movie, which gets tiresome. It would have been so much better to tell a chronologically straightforward story, which would have allow more discovery from the audience and character development.
When General Zod arrives we are in alien invasion territory, not bad, but not outstanding; mediocre films like Skyline, Battlefield Los Angeles (a shame because its FX were great) or Battleship have degraded this sub genre. Then we have lots of action, very well done, but I felt sometimes I was watching a Dragonball Z movie and is so much action and so fast, that your emotions are detached and you almost do not care.
Good points were Superman treated as an alien enemy from the military, Jonathan Kent's sacrifice (but again, showed in a flashback when the movie is well advanced, so it does not have the emotional impact it should) and when Zod arrives to Earth and Superman is revealed to the world.
Bad points, some hard to miss plot holes, excess of action and destruction (how much of Metropolis population were killed? Superman did not care?) and the epilogue when Clark Kent arrives at the Daily Planet, his disguise is not believable: Miss Lane (which finds out easily who Superman is), a bunch of classmates from the old days, hence at least half Smallville, already know he is Superman. How can you work a sequel with that tiny detail, suspension of disbelief? Not for me.
About the music, the same standard byproduct of many many Hollywood movies of the 21st century, nothing to write more about, just that I hear the same music score in almost all high profile action/adventure films. Boring. I remind that John Williams score in the first two Superman movies is a masterpiece.
Making some defense, for some critics there is huge moral problem when Superman wastes Zod, according to them, Superman does not kill. Well, he did kill Zod in Superman II, so what's the problem?
Man of Steel is just another summer blockbuster movie, not bad, not great and it certainly does not approach the greatness of Superman: The Movie and Superman II. It's a shame because it had the potential.