"Perfectly Imperfect"

Rating: 9/10 (26 June 2013)

*** SPOILER ALERT ***
Everyone is going to have their own opinions, however after sifting through a number of reviews I have come to the conclusion that the majority (not all) of the negative reviews seem to come from people's preconceived ideas about who Superman should be, how he should behave, or even how the movie should feel in general. This is somewhat understandable since so much has been done on Superman previously and up until now every portrayal has been more or less the same old same old.
Man of Steel is not simply a reboot, but also a re-imaging using some ideas and concepts from Superman that most people know, while making it darker and more realistic (given the source material). The general feel of the movie is more like Batman Begins rather than the Christopher Reeve Superman movies, so if you are looking for a movie with campy-humor and a light-hearted feel this movie is not it.
All of this being said, this is my favorite Superman movie. It was everything I expected/was hoping for and in some cases even more. As enjoyable as the Richard Donner Superman's were, they were not very realistic (sorry people, deal). If you can accept the whole alien/super being premise then the rest I feel just works. Superman may have the genetics of a super being, but he was raised by humans, which means that from a behavioral standpoint he will be far from perfect, which is what this movie shows. He was raised by good people, so in general he is a good person, however he was also faced with considerable confusion, fear, ridicule, etc. growing up. All of this together would not result in the stereotypical poster child for perfection who stands for Truth, Justice, and the American way of life. What it results in is a normal well-intentioned person who happens to have extraordinary powers and many doubts. Someone who doesn't always make the best decisions, who makes mistakes, but is still trying to do the right thing and trying to understand the full implications of having such power and the responsibilities that come with it...and in extraordinary situations.
And, don't believe the garbage that there is no thought to the movie, that it's all just CGI and action. There is that part of the movie, but if you are paying close attention to the dialogue there is also some thought that went into the movie. Just one of many examples is the fact that his biological parents had a natural birth so that he would have free will and be able to make his own choices, yet for most of the movie someone else is still making choices for him...in many cases his adoptive parents. It's not until closer to the end that he starts to make his own choices.
Despite what people may have written, the flashback scenes of Clark as a child work and are not confusing in the least if you are actually paying attention.
The battle scene at the end may have been a bit longer than it needed to be, but it works. If you have accepted the whole idea of super beings then the amount of destruction that occurs is very reasonable. It would be no different than if you or I were put in a city made of children's building blocks.
I noticed that a number of people were outraged when Superman kills Zod at the end. Well, were they outraged when Superman killed Zod at the end of the Richard Donner Superman...probably not. And yes, regardless of any behind the scene looks or alternate endings the way the officially released movie ends it leaves the audience believing Zod is dead...end of story. And, in Man of Steel after Superman kills Zod he screams with regret. People seem to have this ridiculous thought in their heads that Superman should just magically be perfect from day 1. I hate to break it to people, but reality rarely works that way.
Anyways, as I mentioned above, if you can go into the Man of Steel with an open mind and without clinging onto what you know and love about previous incarnations of Superman then there is a good chance you will enjoy the movie.
Good luck and hopefully you enjoy Man of Steel.
BTW...This is the first movie I have ever watched where most of the audience clapped at the end.