Uneven, but Competent

Rating: Null/10 (4 June 2017)

I first viewed this film in 2017, well after the DCEU gained its rather divisive reputation, and hence I didn't go in with very high expectations. Surprisingly enough though, it wasn't bad. It was borderline good even, but there are definitely flaws that hold me back from using that word relative to this film. Overall however, I'm relieved to say that this film is at least competent.
Fortunately, the Snyder-isms are substantially less obnoxious here than they wound up being in Batman v Superman, or presumably his other directorial works. In Man of Steel, the presence of slow-motion, snap-zooms, and desaturated palettes are still over-done, but in a way that can still pass off as stylistic choices or visual flair, rather than a complete assault on the senses. There are a few scenes early on in the film that try to create powerful moments, but they aren't always earned and were borderline jarring, meaning that they weren't built up to in a way that felt natural. One instance of this is the first scene in which we see Superman fly (after we first see the Fortress of Solitude if I'm not mistaken). The camera sweeps and the music swells, but it feels a little sudden in contrast to the scenes preceding it. This is but one of the smaller aspects of the film that feel uneven.
The film's first half is mostly well-paced. The opening scene of Krypton was actually pretty solid, and does a rather good job of adding depth to this world. The second half of the film however is essentially a nonstop, overblown action scene. By the time we get to the climax it feels as though the movie is 20-25 minutes longer than it should have been, and it's exhausting. If we isolate the execution of the action, it's generally well done, but in context of the rest of the film it's like a teeter-totter bookended by an infant and a sumo-wrestler. It doesn't balance. It throws off the pacing. That being said, this problem is not substantial enough to disarm it of its competency entirely. I admit this is actually the first Zack Snyder film I've seen, and my impression is that he's perfectly capable of competent direction so long as the writing is in line.
I had initially forgotten that Christopher Nolan shared story credit with David S. Goyer, though Goyer wrote the actual screenplay by himself regardless. Nolan however is presumably responsible for the non-chronological storytelling in regards to Superman's backstory, which is the strongest part of this film (arguably). Though sometimes generic, the way it unfolds allows the audience to sympathise with and follow Clark throughout the film. His character isn't defined spectacularly (meaning that I'd be hard-pressed to distinguish more than two of his personality traits), but his motivations are made very clear. That being said, the death of his human father (Kevin Costner) was somewhat upsetting, seeing as how the shot was long enough to imply that he would have been fine had he just strolled on over to the overpass where everyone else was safe. The concept of his father's death in context of Clark's character-building was good, but the execution in that scene is admittedly questionable. The dialogue was sometimes clunky too, and could have benefited from a few more readings and revisions.
There is also an irritating and unnecessary Jesus analogy in this film. As you can probably assume, it's self-indulgent, self-congratulatory, pandering and obnoxiously lacking in any semblance of cognizance. This is the most blatant insult to the audience in the entirety of the film, but I'll show mercy for now.
As far as performances go, Henry Cavill is good as a courtly and collected Superman and actually feels believable in the context of this role. As Clark Kent, he is reasonably nuanced in his stages as a drifter (with no small help from that fabulous beard), but is otherwise mostly just functional. The actor who portrayed young Clark was also pretty good, or at least not distracting from the film. Amy Adams was fine as well, but there were one or two moments where her line delivery wasn't good, likely thanks to the script. The rest of the supporting cast also did well in this film, though there weren't any clear standouts to me.
The visual effects were mixed for me. The CGI in this is by far the best of the first three films in the DCEU, but the over-processed, desaturated color-correction made the use of the CGI feel glossy and unrealistic. Visually, I'm still not fond of Snyder's style, but at this level of presumable restraint, that's more of a personal preference.
The score was by Hans Zimmer & friends, meaning there were actually three other composers involved (at least), one of which was uncredited in the film, and who knows how many ghostwriters were in on it. As you might expect given that information, from a narrative standpoint, this film's score was a mess. There was one maybe two themes that I could pick out thematic development on throughout the film, and even then it didn't stray very far from the generic, unmemorable, canned & clichÃ©d music throughout its duration. That being said, the score was minimally serviceable to the film, though when you're following in the footsteps of the likes of John Williams that doesn't even come close to making the cut. As I said though, the score is serviceable, meaning it won't affect general audiences, and might even fool them into thinking it's good. But from a critical standpoint, it's thoroughly unsatisfying.
Overall, this is a competent superhero film. It's different enough to serve as a relief from the oversaturation of superhero films, but is also flawed enough so that you'd be fine (or maybe even better off) if you missed it. It's by far the best DCEU film of the first three though, so there's that I guess.
Score: 6/10