A Fresh and Energized take on Superman

Rating: 10/10 (15 June 2013)

Note: Spoilers
As a Superman fan, this was the reboot I've been waiting for. This movie helped erase all memories of the lackluster Superman Returns and paved the way for a take on the 75 year old character that feels both fresh and energized.
The Good: First and foremost, this is a Sci-Fi story at its core and I loved that most about this movie. It was great to see a look of Krypton that did away with the crystalline structure of the Donner films. This movie feels much closer to some of the more recent comics including elements of John Bryne's Man of Steel and Superman Birthright (where we see Clark traveling around the world and taking up various odd jobs). I really enjoyed the non-linear style of story-telling, it was very reminiscent of Batman Begins. Jumping between an older and younger Clark Kent helped us get to know him, without spending too much time treading on old ground.
Performances: Henry Cavill does an excellent job portraying the Man of Steel. We see a Superman that's lonely, conflicted and struggling to find his place in the world. One of the character traits I, personally have found very relatable. Amy Adams, what can I say, shes awesome. A much better actress and way more attractive than Margot Kidder or to a lesser-extent Kate Bosworth. Michael Shannon nearly stole the show as General Zod, compared to the campy (but still great) performance of Terrance Stamp, we get a Zod that is both ruthless and menacing. Finally, Russell Crowe as Jor-El. One of my favorite characters from the Superman mythos and Crowe absolutely blew me away. He provides the explanations for why Krypton becomes ultimately doomed, why he sends his only son to earth and why Kal-El must use his gifts to help others. Another one of my favorite aspects of the movie was that we got plenty of screen-time with him (both on and off Krypton). I was entertained ;)
Special Effects: The CGI was some of the best I've seen yet! The scenes with Henry flying around are absolutely spectacular and almost realistic looking. Compare that to the final scene in SR where Brandon Routh looks like a poorly modeled PS3 character.
The Not-So-Good: Feels a little rushed in a few areas,Maybe a little too much action for the first movie and not enough time spent developing some of the characters. I'm sure we'll get some more of those in the sequel, but the main focus of this movie is Superman.
Overall: 9.5/10
Warning MAJOR SPOILER ALERT: To all those complaining about the controversial way Superman finished off General Zod, Superman HAS killed before. He killed Doomsday and several Kryptonian criminals from the Phantom Zone.