I'll start off by saying that the Zod controversy isn't that big of a deal to me. I rather liked the idea of a Superman that has to actually learn to be close to perfect, rather than just knowing what to do in every situation. To be honest, it always bothered me a little bit that Superman was always so certain about everything. I saw Zod's killing as laying the groundwork for Supes' strong convictions. With billions of lives at stake, I'm glad that Kal made that choice. Of course, the writers wanted this. I am certain things could have been done differently. Honestly, how much different would it have been from Smallville to just trap them in the Phantom Zone? But it's been done in the comics, and the movies. I applaud the new take on Superman, as long as it doesn't become his "thing". Now that he knows what it feels like to take a life, it seems more understandable why he would regard life as a precious thing. I suspect that the sequel will explore the consequences of his actions. If true, I'd find that interesting.

In Superman 2, dude crushes the shit out of Zod's hand and throws him a few hundred feet across the Fortress, most likely shattering every bone in Zod's mortal body. Zod falls down a seemingly bottomless pit. Superman did not save him. Nor did he try to save Non or Ursa. Instead, he and Lois smile at each other, and hug after they've just killed two people, and did nothing to save a third. Superman also seeks revenge against the guy who whooped his ass while he was mortal. So with all of that in mind, I don't get the reverence for the Donner era movies. They have their charm, to be sure. They laid the foundation, but there can be other stories. This was the Superman I've always wanted to see and I have been a lifelong fan of Superman in the comics, and film. I just don't get this insistence that Superman is supposed to be perfect. Having been raised on Earth and in the "heartland of America" by two loving people does not mean he'll always know what to do a few hours after discovering his true heritage. I looked at this movie as Superman Begins. Hell, he was barely called Superman, because he didn't really earn it. I think that was deliberate.

Another thing I take issue with is the complaint over collateral damage. In the Battle of Smallville, Kal is outnumbered and I'd say it is normal that he lost his cool after Zod attacked his mother. I'd be more troubled if he hadn't started wailing on Zod. he did try to protect the soldiers, but he was in a situation that he'd never experienced, so shit gone blown up. In Metropolis, Superman wasn't even present for the worst of the damage since he was off destroying the master World Engine. I could have done with the nano-tentacles though. By the time, he got to Metropolis, most of the city was already in shambles. Frankly, if people were still hanging around, fuck 'em. I mean damn, Zod announces that the world will suffer, and folks are still hanging around in high rises? I'll admit, Supes was a bit reckless, but Metropolis did seem fairly deserted by the time he got there. If folks weren't high tailing it out of Metropolis by the time shit really went to hell, should we be surprised by the collateral damage? That shit happens ALL the time in the comics, and shit is always getting destroyed. As comic bookish as some of the scenes were, the damage shouldn't be so shocking if we are to believe that Superman is as powerful as he is portrayed on screen and in comic books.

I loved the non-linear story telling in this movie and the Krypton sequences. The way Superman's powers were showcased was some of the best shit I've seen in a comic book movie. It was quite thrilling to see Kal take flight. I was quite captivated during the scenes where Clark discovers his heritage and pleased that the film-makers stressed his alien nature. I would have actually liked to see more panic on Earth at this discovery. It was completely glossed over in the Donner movies. I'm not trying to shit on the Donner movies though. Just pointing out that they too had room for improvement, but they get a pass from most people when they don't even seem to realize how many mistakes were made. And don't even get me started on Gene Hackman's Luthor portrayal or the time reversal bullshit. Man of Steel may not have been perfect, but the movie was much better than most critics are admitting. I could have done without some of the cheesy dialogue of course, and the kiss. Still, no way in hell it should be below Superman Returns.




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