So, about those Man of Steel reviews...

Dannyalcatraz said:

To be fair, there was a lot of citywide scrapping in his battle with General Zod, Ursa & Non...

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Morrus said:

I find the ability to punch robots through skyscrapers more fun! I'm sure collateral damage would annoy me in real life, but on screen - lay waste to cities, baby!

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Umbran said:

'Cause, you know, morality and all

If I want things laying waste to cities this summer, I'll watch Pacific Rim!

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Walking Dad said:

Well, I didn't like the "it has to be dark a and realistic and should not remind of a comic" trend in the Batman trilogy. I think the Marvel approach with just relying more on suspension of disbelief works better for me. Let's see if this movie is too realistic for a comic hero, too.

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Ok, so I saw Man of Steel. Wow! I'm still processing it. Its just so much to take in. I'm looking forward to seeing it again.

Its VERY different than the Donner films. You really have to forget you have seen them, because this movie is so totally different in feel and tone. It really assumes there are no other Superman movies at all. For your max enjoyment, I suggest you approach it with that same assumption.

Its essentially a science fiction/superhero opera. And I mean that in full on Wagner Ring Cycle sense. The movie is very heavy. If you are expecting light popcorn fluff in the mold of the Marvel movies, you won't find it here. I wouldn't say its quite as heavy as The Dark Knight, but its up there.

I think this explains a lot of the polarized reactions that some people are having. I can see why some people hate it, and I can see why some people are hailing it as the best comic book movie of all time. As far as kids go, I think if your kids can handle LotR trilogy, then they'll be fine with this.

First, the action. Its freaking AMAZING! Best superhero action I've EVER seen. If you wanted to see Superman just totally cut freaking loose on the big screen with modern effects, then you'll love this movie. And there is no slo-mo. The action makes Avengers look like a SyFy movie of the week. Super speed, flight, strength, invulnerability, heat vision, x-ray vision are all on full glorious display and its freaking awesome.

Story-wise its solid, but definitely there are more aspects of Clark's childhood they could have spent more time on. In a way, I think the movie should have been longer. Probably a whole other 40-60 minutes spent on Clark's childhood would actually have been nice. As it is the movie is 2.5 hours long but its so fast you don't notice it at all.

You absolutely should see it in the theater. The scope of this movie is incredible. A lot would be lost on the small screen, but I recommend the 2D over the 3D.

So where do I rank it. Well, its better than all the other Superman movies except maybe Superman 1, IMO. And its sooo different from Superman 1, that I don't think its fair to really compare them. I think they kind of stand next to each other as their own thing. Each a valid, but completely different take on Superman.

In some ways its better than Avengers, but in other ways its not. Avengers has better pacing, I think. But I like the action in Man of Steel more. Its up there though. I'd put it as a top 5 superhero movie definitely. Anyway, those are my initial thoughts. I definitely need to see it again to process it more. In a nutshell, I'd say it has flaws but it was still awesome!

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I've seen it twice now, and I actually liked it more the second time. Now that I knew what to expect, some of the pacing and editing issues didn't bother me as much, but are still there. And without spoiling anything, the emotional scenes resonated better the second time around, so that's good.

I did identify some places where they could have lightened the mood a little bit more through better dialog and such while keeping the tone of the movie intact. The movie is heavy and there isn't a lot of outlet for the audience's tension. I think that helps contribute to some people not liking it.

I think this movie will be very polarizing for Superman fans. People with a very specific image of toddler friendly big blue boy scout Superman that doesn't fit this version of the character will definitely have a problem with this movie. While others who want an edgier, grittier Superman will be pleased. You can see this in the polarized critical reaction on Rottentomatoes.com. And anecdotally, In my first screening, the audience was very subdued throughout the whole film, but in my second screening they clapped and cheered, and laughed at all the appropriate moments.

The movie sets up nicely to start a sequel with classic Daily Planet Clark. I think if Goyer and Snyder can add in some of those missing lighter elements in a sequel, and fix the editing, while keeping this new serious Superman, you could have a real masterpiece.

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