Even the 3D sucks.

Rating: 4/10 (29 June 2013)

I loved Zack Snyder's debut movie, the thrilling 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead; it must have been beginner's luck, because everything I have seen by the guy since has been utter garbage, with Man of Steel being no exception. Two and a half hours of superficial, overblown, CGI packed nonsense that fails spectacularly to make an emotional connection with the viewer in the first hour and thereafter settles for mindless action, the film is worse than I expected—and I never expected it to be good.
The special effects employed in 1978's Superman The Movie might have been crude in comparison to the spectacular mayhem presented here, but as an overall experience, the Christopher Reeve film wins hands down, director Richard Donner giving his audience humour, pathos and a genuine sense of awe, helped in no small part by the wonderful John Williams score; Snyder achieves only boredom, his huge explosions and random destruction rapidly becoming extremely tedious.
Tall, muscular and handsome, Henry Cavill makes for an impressive Supes (even in his dingy 21st century version of the iconic costume), Michael Shannon is suitably imposing as General Zod, and although Amy Adams is miscast as feisty reporter Lois Lane, I never complain when she is on-screen. But as hard as the cast might try, the magic is simply not there, David S. Goyer's plot-hole ridden script and Snyder's soul-less direction making this as bad as, if not worse than, Superman Returns (2006).
4.5 out of 10, generously rounded up to 5 for Ms. Adams—who is as lovely as always—and that bad-ass, dark-haired Kryptonian chick, both of whom helped prevent me from dozing off.
***EDIT*** I've changed my mind, this is only worth a 4 at best.