I went in pretty new to Superman but...

Rating: 3/10 (24 August 2013)

This movie left me so disappointed. The only exposure to superman I had before walking into this movie was Superman Returns and brief looks from the Batman comics. So as far as my being blinded by fanboy obsession with Christopher Reeve, that's just not the case. This movie was boring for one, and totally focused on special effects. I felt like I was watching Transformers. I get that this was supposed to be a summer blockbuster but forgive me if I expect a little more story from such a hyped up film.
Now a couple months have passed and I've had a chance to study the Superman mythos a little bit. I've watched the Reeve films and read a few comics and the only thing I have to say is that my instincts were right on. This movie didn't concern itself with preserving the Superman charm that made the character so popular. Cavill, while physically perfect, was a dark and brooding Superman, which is very opposite from the comics. I also hate that they gave Jor-el such a huge role simply because Russell Crowe played it. They changed more than personalities and costumes and expanded roles, however.
You'll find a few differences from the comics that were so major to me that, even with my limited Superman experience at the time, left me confused about what did and didn't make sense in the DC universe. Seems like DC thought that since the Dark Knight films were dark and serious, this movie should be as well. Except Batman and Superman are pretty much polar opposites. In short, this movie was in one word, incongruous. Superman wasn't Superman as we all know and love him and that's what threw me off most. There's a difference between creative liberty and completely destroying a character's personality in the pursuit of box office dollars and preconceived notions of what it takes to make a superhero popular. The actual man of steel was fine the way he was.