Superman revived for the 21st Century

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2013)

After a string of underwhelming installments, Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) and David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy, Da Vinci's Demons) resurrect the Superman franchise for the modern age.
Henry Cavill (previously dubbed "The Unluckiest Man in Hollywood") takes on the lead role of Clark Kent/Kal-El and successfully brings his struggle to life. An outcast trying to find his place in the world, Clark attempts to discover the truth behind his otherworldly abilities.
Clark is helped in his struggle by his foster father Jonathan who embodies the most interesting aspect of the film. Kevin Costner plays a unique paternal figure who advises his son to hide that part of himself, as he is an extraordinary being who the world is not yet ready for. Diane Lane's Martha Kent proves a wise figure who teaches Clark to use his powers for the greater good.
Russell Crowe brings a level of humanity to Jor-El, who makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his son and the future of his people, while Michael Shannon cuts an imposing figure as General Zod and embodies the character's determination and drive.
While Academy Award nominee Amy Adams has undoubtedly proved her merit as an actress, her character Lois Lane is not particularly memorable or interesting. The way in which the character is written, anyone could have played her.
Surprisingly, the film's standout performance is Antje Traue as Faora, Zod's write hand woman. Given some of the best dialogue in the film, she manages to make the character both elegant and menacing.
Goyer's script is well written and includes a lot of inspired dialogue, while Hans Zimmer's score is excellent. But Snyder's directing gives the film it's unique style.
Snyder is very much a visual director, and nowhere does he excel at this more than Krypton, which contains a lot of throwbacks to classic science fiction. For the most part the planet looks like something from Star Wars, while the technology harks back to the Alien franchise (the helmets worn by Zod and his supporters very similar to that of the Space Jockey).
That being said, the film does have some flaws. While the action scenes are impressive, there are too many of them and they start to drag out towards the end. Though the flashbacks of Clark's childhood help to humanize the character, the last one is very corny and forced and the film would have been better off without it.
Overall, a very good film and a decent revival of the franchise. It will be interesting to see a sequel and where the series goes from here.