So I can say with great confidence that they successfully restarted the Superman franchise with Man of Steel. Though at times it’s flimsy, it flies high with more action than any movie in recent memory. It’s a Zack Synder film, sans the slo-mo, with a Christopher Nolan script. And what really floors me is that Henry Cavill FINALLY gives a good performance.

I’m not gonna get into plot details, but rather focus on how they handled the Superman mythos. For starters, it’s true that Kryptonian babies are harvested. And when I first heard of this I was adamantly against it. But when watching the film, it felt natural and organic to THIS take on Superman. In particular, my favorite part of the film is the opening Kryptonian sequence. I feel like a kid everytime I see this part of the film as I’m just in a sense of awe. I also love how each Kryptonian wears their house symbol on their chest with a specific meaning to each symbol. Superman’s suit is what Kal-El would’ve worn on Krypton sans the battle armor. And the way it looks does make it feel foreign and alien.

Yes, Jimmy is Jenny, Dr. Emil Hamilton gets put on the back burner unfortunately, and yes, The Fortress of Solitude is a Kryptonian ship, but it all works in this version of Superman.

I do like when Zod sent his broadcast to Clark that he had it translated for the entire world to hear. Michael Shannon absolutely kills it as Zod, but don’t ask me who is better because Terence Stamp’s Zod is different but same. What I love is we learn Zod’s motivations as he says my purpose is to do this, this all I know how to do. When he loses that purpose he still fights for survival. And this in my eyes makes him a tragic villain. He is a man defined by his purpose which is survival, something we can all relate to.
Amy Adams portrays a Lois Lane who is strong and determined. But this is the first where I’ve seen her put someone else in front of a good story. And that what makes her relationship with Clark work. Here is a man who saved her life and right away she knows what he is. And what got me as the credits started rolling is that now we’ll be able to their relationship grow in future films. I really can’t wait for people to see the final shots of this film.

What doesn’t work is the pacing, plot holes, and the overtly cheesy dialogue at times. This movie is structured like Batman Begins flipping back and forth between flashbacks and present day moving to grand operatic action setting up future adventures. Problem is it’s more fragmented and broken up than Batman Begins, which is bad because I feel crucial information is missing such as when did Clark decide to go on his journey? How did he know the Kryptonian ship was in the Artic trapped in ice? Also, due to the fragmented structure we don’t see Pa Kent, played wonderfully by Kevin Costner, that much. He’s such an integral part of Clark’s journey to Superman, that it’s makes the overall impact less successful especially what’s supposed to be a heart wrenching moment involving a tornado. Also, the action gets so out of control it seemed as if it came from a different film altogether due to this film being grounded in reality for the most part.

With those minor complaints, we have a fun summer film that I’m sure everyone is gonna go back for seconds and thirds. This is highly entertaining and despite some major flaws, it’s still worth checking out. And just like Batman Begins, this will leave people wanting more.