An Excellent (If Poorly Paced) Evolution of the Ultimate Superhero.

Rating: 10/10 (26 June 2013)

The content in this movie is incredible. The horrid pacing... isn't enough to detract from my overall enjoyment of this film. I know it's making everyone think the movie is just Michael Bay-esque explosions, but it's not. Get past the pacing, and you'll find an intelligent, well made sci fi that pays respect to my most beloved superhero.
Points of Controversy I'd Like to Counter: -The destruction caused by Kal. I have watched the final fight between Kal and Zod dozens of times on Youtube. Kal ALWAYS takes the fight to the side of the building or in places where people wouldn't readily get hurt. It is in fact General Zod who takes Kal and throws him into buildings. The only problem I have with the destruction is the pacing of it and the fact that there is one building that falls which would most likely be responsible for a lot of deaths that Kal doesn't really do anything about (again, he isn't the cause for it, it's General Zod's heat vision that takes the building down, it's just he doesn't really try to save the people under it).
-Lois Lane being brought aboard Zod's ship. People seem to think that she was brought on board the ship as nothing but an exposition device and that General Zod had no purpose for her. In actuality, Lois' name was broadcast on national television by another news reporter as having a connection to Kal. Given that she is the only other person who seems to have a special relationship with the Kryptonian, Zod decides to bring her on board and contain the situation entirely. There is another thematic reason Lois is brought on board, and I will detail that in the next point.
-Perry White's character arc, and various other "unnecessary" plot threads. These "unnecessary" plot threads are actually enforcing a thematic value of the story- that everyone can be a hero. Jor-El himself says "Everyone can be a force for good." These "unnecessary" plot threads are actually bolstering his claim. They give everyone their chance to be the hero, from a small scale, such as Perry letting Jenny know that there was still someone who cared in the midst of the end of the world, or the scientist figuring out how the Command Key works, to a large scale, such as the Colonel sacrificing himself to kill Faora or Kal's antics himself. Lois' involvement on Zod's ship also gives her a chance to be the hero, showing that she wasn't brought in just as an exposition device, but as a thematic expression too.
-Various references to Jesus. I don't know about you, but regardless of what it's referencing, I prefer there to be allegories to renowned texts, be it religious or not. Biblical allusions are not a negative (and this is coming from a Muslim).
-Above all, the ending decision. Many people have decided to base their entire opinion on Kal's final decision in the movie and have written the movie off as a pile of garbage simply due to this being "out of Superman's character." Have you recognized that throughout this review/counter argument, I have only referred to the protagonist as Kal, and not as Superman? This is because Kal-El, for the most part in this movie, is not Superman. He is Kal-El.
One of the main themes in this movie is that of choice. From the beginning this is explored, with Krypton's selective "bloodline" system that removes freedom of choice, to Jonathan Kent's talks about his son (and his death). Not once in his life had Kal acted on impulse (aside from the school bus scene, which he was later scolded for). He always played it safe. Never tried to act on his own feelings but based on what everyone else was telling him was right. He had never explored the other area of choice- the ones his instincts were compelling him to make.
In that final, climactic scene, General Zod threatens to kill a family. After Kal beats him outright, and he realizes his "you die or I do" mentality wouldn't work in a normal battle due to Kal's morality, he shifts his focus to killing as many people as he could before forcing Kal's hand ("Stop!"- "Never."). Kal finally decides to act on impulse. He snaps Zod's neck. Realizing what he has just done, he drops to his knees and screams.
This scene is not only respectful of Superman's character, but easily one of the most powerful advancements of it I have ever seen. Kal finally explores the "other" area. He acts on impulse and stops Zod, but he realizes after that the price he paid (taking someone else's life) was far too great to pay. Just as in Superman: Executioner (where he similarly executes Zod) he decides from then on to stop killing. From that moment on, he truly becomes Superman, and not Kal. He realizes that he isn't supposed to give into the constraints of choice. When there are two options, he creates a third (he even tells General Swanwick that he will help only "on his own terms" shortly after). That is what Superman is. And through that final scene, that is what this origin story has helped Kal El become.
The reason I am giving this a 10 is to raise the score as far as it possibly can go. I believe that it truly deserves at least an 8.0 on IMDb.