The Official Black Owl Review of "Superman" (2025).

 

The last time I published a blog or wrote a movie review was six years ago. It was months before a pandemic, and was at the end of the first spate of Marvel films; “Avengers: Endgame.” That the subsequent six years have been a roller coaster, mostly at the plummet points, would be an understatement, but something has finally got me back at the keyboard to gush about a movie.

And that something is “Superman.”

I have written entire tomes about the first superhero, and I’ve spent a lot of my life—including situations where that life was in danger—wearing or waving the “S” like a priest with a cross. That symbol and all it represents has been a totem, a charm, a talisman to remind me what an ideal of truth and justice can look like, and though I would not SAY I am superstitious enough to believe that the presence of the symbol, or my faith in what the character represents has actually protected me from harm, I AM superstitious enough to believe that the presence of the symbol, or my faith in what the character represents has actually protected me from harm. 

So, in an age when it feels like Truth and Justice are losing to the cynical, the petty, and the heartless, I was perhaps looking for a reminder, and a reminder to everyone out there, what that character should or could mean. What inspiration should or could look like. 

The last decade or so there have been a few attempts at presenting this character mainstream; some more successful than others. Some closer to what the ideal means to me than others. But this is not a world that lets the potential for repackaging go by, and we can only hope that the person responsible for re-presenting the heroes and legends of our past can do those characters and stories justice. It can be an inherently good thing; every generation should have the chance to discover anew the best of the past. But when those efforts fall short, it makes me sad. I want my descendants in generations to come to experience the type of joy I did when I was six or seven and first saw Christopher Reeve put on a red cape and catch a helicopter. The recycling of ideas is inevitable; the recyclers’ understanding of the characters they portray may not be. 

So with that all out of the way, here is my review of James Gunn’s 2025 “Superman,” starring David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult. I’ll give you a spoiler free version up front, and then warn you before I get in-depth.

Thinking of “Avengers: Endgame” and the MCU, they successfully came along to say, "What if the aspirational, earnest, fantastical characters of old comic books just were real people in our world?" It's worked really well for them. We commiserate with Tony Stark’s fear, and cheer when he overcomes that to build the Iron Man suit and begin to protect others. We see literal alien gods attack, but Black Widow and Hawkeye are still out there with the weapons they have to do their best to be heroes. It’s a grounded world, never straying too far from our own even when the most fantastic or horrific of things happen. 

Then, the DCEU starting with "Man of Steel" says "Let's examine how the real world would deconstruct the aspirational, earnest, fantastical characters of old comic books." Superman can't logically exist without causing the types of epic fights that would bring huge body counts. Wonder Woman becomes so jaded at "man's world" that she basically goes into hiding when she can't return to Themyscira. Batman's "no killing" policy falls by the wayside after more than a decade of fighting crime and the death of his sidekick. Zack Snyder himself said that it’s unrealistic to think that Batman wouldn’t start killing people...in a film that is literally about a billionaire genius resurrecting a dead alien to fight another alien and a Greek Goddess formed from clay. That works for some, mixed bag with me.

James Gunn just came along and said, "What if a movie just had the aspirational, earnest, fantastical characters of old comic books as they were?" He brought everything I love about print comic books to life, embracing what makes our American mythology great, and I'm not sure I could be happier. His Superman isn’t quite as confident as Christopher Reeve’s version, but the desire to take what is literally the greatest physical strength a character can have, and focus that into protecting people and things that can’t protect themselves is there in spades. The refusal to give up when the odds are against him, the honest belief that truth and justice ARE ideals worth living by; this in plain language IS Superman. The film embraces not only the deepest meaning of the character but also the amplified, aggrandized world of the comic book. This is a world where giant monsters and extra-dimensional invaders can show up in the skies over Metropolis, and people all but expect it. Because the biggest enemy? It’s the pride, envy, avarice, and wrath of Lex Luthor. 

So, non-spoiler summary: You’re looking for a completely modern, yet utterly traditional version of Superman that will make kids today tie a towel around their neck and run through the house, while giving their parents a good reminder of how good people act, and what we should all aspire to? Here it is. Is it a little goofy at times? Oh yes; but that is a feature, not a bug. These days incredible special effects are a given; a movie having the heart, moxie, and joy worthy of Superman can be harder to find. Yet, here it is. 

Spoilers from here on out!

What Works: 

Almost everything. From the earnestness of David Corenswet’s Superman, to the way the character feels frustration that stopping a war and saving children’s lives can somehow cause political controversy is just dead on. I know there have been choruses of “This movie made a woke Superman,” but the simple fact is the character laid out by two Jewish teenagers who were themselves the children of immigrants was meant to bring justice to those who could not do it for themselves has ALWAYS been this. In 1938 he stopped men from beating their wives and children (first issue even). In 1939 he went after a mining boss putting his workers in danger to get more money. In 1943 he punched Hitler. In 1947 he smashed the Klan. Now, he stops a shady US ally from invading a country and killing children. He deals with prejudice against immigrants. This isn’t new...if there happen to be real-world events that echo that, maybe we should be wondering which side of that we’re on. Be the person Superman would want you to be.

As soon as I heard Rachel Brosnahan had been cast as Lois Lane, I knew we were going to have a winner there. She has all the bravada the character has had since 1938 (remember, Lois too was in Action Comics #1), and is also a top notch journalist. We don’t know she’s a great journalist because she tells Perry she has a Pulitzer; we know it because we SEE her doing the work, asking ANYONE (including Superman) the tough questions, and calling on sources to get to the bottom of stories. We also have her dive in headlong to back up Mr. Terrific (a highlight of the film, that character) to save Superman when he has put himself in the hands of the enemy. Is this the best Lois we’ve seen on screen? Arguably, yes. (I will always have a soft spot for Erica Durance however.)

And Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor. Imagine if you took a genius intellect, and it lived in a person with Donald Trump’s fragile ego, Elon Musk’s utter cringiness, and Peter Thiel's unshakable conviction that he must be right. It’s a toss up whether they used that inspiration to make a despicable character, or if they made a despicable character and that happens to have those attributes, but that’s this Lex Luthor. How DARE this immigrant come from another place and get the adoration of people who should be bowing to Lex? Lex is ENTITLED to be the most famous man in the world, so why should people love Superman? This leads him to not only want to kill Superman, but he has to BEST him. He has to humiliate him, destroy not just the man but tarnish the image because his very existence is an affront to Lex. It’s motivation taken very directly from some of the best versions of comic book Luthor we’ve seen (and again, maybe real life). “All-Star Superman,” Azzarello's “Lex Luthor: Man of Steel,” “Superman For All Seasons;” that Lex is who we see here, and Hoult absolutely brings it.

The rest of the supporting cast is also wonderful, particularly Edi Gathegi as Mr. Terrific. For years I’ve wanted to see Nathan Fillion play the Hal Jordan Green Lantern; now I will only EVER see him as Guy Gardner. The whole Daily Planet crew is there, exactly as they should be, and initially, I was a little let down they didn’t get to do more, but they are exactly the atmosphere that makes the scenes they do appear in undeniably the Daily Planet. I am excited to find out more about Isabella Merced’s Hawkgirl. Is she the reincarnated Egyptian Shiera Hall? The Thanagarian Shayera Hol? The RE-reincarnated Kendra Saunders? I have no doubt James Gunn knows and is waiting to spring a doozy on us. 

(There are a lot of characters I haven’t mentioned here, but Jimmy Olsen, The Engineer, Metamorpho, Gary, our brief look ahead at Supergirl...all just dead on.)

And let’s talk about Krypto. The Silver Age staple of Superman comics comes to the screen, and he’s a menace. Anyone who has ever adopted a rescue, and knows how you can love a dog that just actively gives into their trauma at all times can feel exactly what it is to have Krypto. Indeed, my second favorite scene in the whole film is when Superman, in order to find Krypto who has been taken by Lex, is going to turn himself over to the Government in hopes of them taking him where Krypto is. Lois says, “He’s just a dog.” And Superman replies, “Yeah, and not even a very good one. But he’s alone and he’s probably scared.” A perfect look at just who Superman is in this movie.

What Doesn’t Work: Very little. I initially had a little trouble with how hard they lean into the Kents being very stereotypical hick farmers, but the scene with Jonathan and Clark on the porch discussing who Clark chooses to be (which also I think completes the circle with the character of “The Iron Giant” using Superman to come to the same conclusion that HE chooses what he is, not whatever his background is) is pure gold. And, I’m still wrestling with the idea that Jor-El sent Kal-El to Earth as a conqueror. It’s been done in a few comics, usually in “Elseworlds” style stories, but it’s not my preference. Not a deal-breaker, but not what I would have done. It does let us get a good look at the end of Clark reminiscing over the Kents, and them showing how to take joy in simple things. Perhaps by contrast they make this version of the Kents better. 

My last gripe, I wish we’d gotten more of Superman being Clark Kent. When we see him out of costume for the majority of this film, he’s with Lois or his parents who know. There’s really only one scene where we get to see Clark having to play the persona that separates him from Superman, and I like it, but would like to have seen more. One of my favorite scenes in the original Donner film is when Superman has just flown Lois around Metropolis, and Clark then shows up as her date, and considers revealing himself. Christopher Reeve pulls off this change in physicality and demeanor that absolutely shows why no one recognizes him outside the cape. I think Corenswet is capable of that, but we only get a hint of it in Lois’ apartment when he sits up to respond to her calling him Superman with a bold, “Ms. Lane.” Good, very good; but I wanted more.

So, I leave you with my favorite lines in this film, delivered with an earnest truthfulness and integrity that only Superman can be capable of, and encapsulating the character entirely. Confronting Lex whose nefarious plans to disassemble the persona of Superman before killing him has led to great destruction, Superman responds to Lex’s contemptuous dismissal of Superman as a “piece of shit alien,” with this:

“I’m as human as anyone. I love, I get scared. I wake up every morning and despite not knowing what to do, I put one foot in front of the other and I try to make the best choices I can. I screw up all the time, but that is being human and that’s my greatest strength. And some day, I hope you realize it’s your greatest strength too.”

That understanding of humanity; that hope that even this enemy will one day come around to understand how—as the great “All-Star Superman” says—“We’re all in this together, and we’re all we’ve got.” THAT is Superman. That is a character who will endanger himself to help a dog he doesn’t even like that much, or pull a cat out of a tree, or save a squirrel from a kaiju, or...stop a war he has no political right to be in because people were going to die. A character that shows us strength lies not in what a yellow sun can do to an infant from Krypton, but in our own convictions and desire to help everyone, to believe in Truth and Justice. That is what Superman shows us, and makes us want to aspire to be. This movie understands that and gives it to us for two hours in which I don’t think the smile ever left my face. 

This is a movie that makes you want to look up.

(All images are property of Warner’s Pictures, and no infringement is intended.)

Can we please stop remaking “The Dark Knight Returns”? The Official Black Owl review of “Superman V. Batman: Dawn of Justice

Just so you know, spoilers ahead!

There are a couple of different ways I want to talk about this film, because like its predecessor, Zach Snyder and Christopher Nolan’s “Man of Steel,” there are some babies here I don’t want to see go out with the bathwater, but man is this a troubled movie.  First though, I want to talk about it just as a movie, the second in a continuous series of films, bringing a specific version of the DC Comics universe to the big screen.  So, I am going to judge it on those merits first. Then we will get around to what this person (now much older) thought of it.

Later on you'll see this kid and his Granddaughter

It’s not an awful film.  The production design is fantastic, and the cast is possibly the best assembled in a long time in any superhero film.  When the “Batfleck” controversy first popped up, I said he would be the best thing about this film—for better or for worse—and I was right.  Cavill completely personifies the look of Superman, even without trunks.  I had a lot of misgivings about Gal Gadot, but she certainly looks the part of Wonder Woman.  And, the best thing about Man of Steel, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, is back for the sequel.  (Though, would have been nice if she didn't have to get saved three times.) Good stuff.

However, it is definitely a Nolan film; bloated, overlong, filled with clunky dialogue, and desperately in need of an editor.  There’s probably a really good 100-120 minute film slogging around in these 150 minutes.  At times this film confuses “convoluted” for “complicated” especially in regard to Lex Luthor’s plan.  I love the idea he’s behind a smear campaign against Superman and has been pushing Batman into darker territory,   However, in trying to show you how cool it is, there’s a lot of extra fluff.  Luthor specifically mentioned at one point some “red ink” and notes to help push Batman over the edge, but as part of the tension building leading up to the capitol explosion, Wayne calls for records on his wounded employee, and upon seeing the notes Luthor is talking about mentions seeing them for the first time.  It’s a non-sequitur in a sea of non-sequiturs.  Scenes don’t play into each other, and the result is a sequence of events rather than a plot. 

What the film really suffers from though is being made in the wrong sequence.  This should not be the second film in a series, but rather the fourth or fifth.  For example, the movie tells us Superman is a trusted hero, and that’s why Lex needs to discredit him; where was Superman a trusted hero?  All we know is the Superman who DIDN’T save Metropolis from Man of Steel, (a fact viscerally driven home again in the beginning of this film).  I need the movie in the middle that shows me Superman gaining the trust of the people.  Batman is 20 years into a career beating up bad guys, and is cynical and brutal, likely lost a sidekick, and not nearly so protective of human life.   Interesting but not if I am supposed to take this series on it’s own merits. It is not an interesting character development if you don’t show me a sane Batman at some point.  Now, Zach Snyder loves telling stories out of sequence, so perhaps this all plays in subsequent films which will fill in the gaps; but I don’t have that yet, I only have Man of Steel and this film.  There is no gravitas when Superman sacrifices himself to stop Doomsday; I haven’t seen a reason to care about this emo alien.  Superman died; so what?  You are TELLING me that’s a big deal, but never SHOW me.  And that is the biggest flaw here.  This movie repeatedly tells and does not show.  The short montage of Supergrim Superman saving people with a look on his face like he’s already tired of all this shit doesn’t show me the hero who is later slandered into people fearing him and Batman wanting to literally kill him; it kind of makes Supes out to be a jerk.

The hints at a larger DC universe are nice, even if brief.  Wonder Woman, who is well presented for the 20 or so minutes of screen time she has, has well, 20 minutes of screen time, and is barely more than a cameo.  The future Flash appearance, tied to the as yet unexplained (but I am willing to wait) vision Bruce Wayne has of the coming of Darkseid is as fast as the speedster himself. The fact there’s an Aquaman action figure in stores for his 9 seconds of footage leaves me scratching my head.

Actually, the fact there are action figures in stores aimed toward kids at all leaves me scratching my head.  This is a dark, brutal movie.  In the first 15 minutes we get at least three gunshots to the face, a city falling on thousands, a little girl crying at the fire her mom was in, and a slaughtered African village.  I don’t mind “grown up” super tales, but this is a movie that had really earned its PG-13, and still had two hours and fifteen minutes to go.  We see people branded, immolated, crushed, shot, their faces sliced open with spears…and that’s just what Batman’s up to.  There’s also bare knuckle fight club, legs crushed off, mothers going to be flame-throwered, and a suicide bomber.  In a dream, Superman executes prisoners with heat vision and rips Batman’s still beating heart from his chest.  This is not about Batman and Superman punching bad guys, this is a brutal cacophony of violence.   Nothing here should be marketed to kids. I am again not against violence in a superhero film, heck, I really like Snyder’s Watchmen.  But this is Superman and Batman and toys for four years olds are in stores, including dress up gear so YOU can go around your neighborhood and brand your friends or rip out their hearts. Here’s where I have to stop talking about the movie as a movie, and start discussing Superman and Batman.

Here’s everything you need to know about Batman: he’s still a little boy who never ever wants to see anyone die. That’s it, everything else about him is driven by that.  Not here.  Here, like the mistaken Tim Burton before, this Batman racks up a body count.  Here’s everything you need to know about Superman: if he were a human born to the Kents and had no super powers at all, he would still be out there doing the right thing and inspiring others to do that as well.  Here, he is nothing but burdened by his powers.  Henry Cavill, who was amazingly charismatic in “Man from UNCLE” is not allowed to enjoy being Superman for even a moment, and does nothing but question if he’s actually helping.  Now, I don’t need the raw “gee whiz” of Christopher Reeve (though, it would certainly help), but at least give me a reason to like this guy other than I am supposed to because he’s Superman.  This is a deconstruction of Superman and Batman, taking the elements of the mythology and showing how awful they would be in the real world…

…just like “The Dark Knight Returns.”  And here is the fundamental devil in these details.  DKR, which came out in the 80s the same time Watchmen did, like Watchmen, is a deconstruction of the superhero myth.  It shows us why those impossibly good superheroes can’t really be impossibly good. It is a fine literary criticism of the superhero genre for that, just like Watchmen was.  However, rather than leave it in the dystopian future realm of a one-off story, the fact fans like me (and yes, I am guilty) loved it so much meant WB has gone back to that well again and again.  Now, for 30 of Batman’s 77-year history, we’ve been deconstructing the poor psychotic bastard and not let anyone put him back together again.  Both film and comic have now done that with Superman as well.  Here’s a hint, Superman IS the impossibly good hero who can’t exist in the real world.  That’s the point: The aspirations he allows us to imagine, inspiring us to be more (I’ve talked at length about that here).  Man of Steel and this movie are like Watchmen, and I don’t think I need that anymore, I think I’ve had enough.   I know I sure as hell don’t want that out of a Superman movie.  If you’ve made a Superman film that you can’t take a ten-year-old to, you have failed.  If you make a Superman film that doesn’t fill the audience with hope,  you’ve failed.  If you give me  Superman who doesn’t reflect  the best we SHOULD be, rather than mixed bag we are, then you’ve failed.

I know, you’re sitting there saying, “Dan, it’s 2016; George Reeves and Christopher Reeve and heroes who stick happily to their moral code are a thing of the past and can’t be done for a modern audience.  No one wants to see that.”

Cap and I call “bullshit.”

So, for me as a Superman fan, this movie fails.  As a Batman fan, there’s some stuff to like, and Affleck pulls it off.  As a Wonder Woman fan, it leaves me wanting more, which I suppose is success. 

It’s not a terrible movie.  But it’s something I never need to sit through again, unless it’s to edit it myself.  I do hope someone here learns a lesson and when Superman pops out of that coffin (c’mon, can you telegraph THAT any more loudly?) he’s found a sense of humor in the afterlife.  A new respect for truth and justice.  A desire to SHOW me he’s a hero, and that he can inspire us all to do better rather than just TELL me. 

I don’t need funny, I don’t need corny, but I sure do need Superman.

And so do we all.

The official Black Owl review of “Man of Steel.”

As with all reviews on my little blog, spoilers, spoilers, and more spoilers.

This one is going to be tough; do I review this as a movie?  Do I review it as a Superman movie?  It’s no secret that I hold an almost religious reverence for Superman, and that certainly affected how I perceived this film.  OK, here’s the quick “just plain movie review.”  An overall very cool science fiction story with a great cast gets bogged down in the last 30 minutes with so much destruction the audio in IMAX actually left my ears ringing for a couple of hours afterward, as if I had just spent a couple of hours on a C-130.  A satisfying overall experience though.  B-

Now let’s talk Superman.

Hmmmm.

Here’s what’s good about this movie—and there is quite a bit—as a fan:

The cast.  I didn’t find anyone out of place here  (but for one exception I will get to in a minute) and in some cases got the best versions of these characters we have ever seen.  Henry Cavill is very good in this role and a welcome addition to the rolls of Supermen.  His Clark is great and though I expected him to be all emo, it really does work and play out pretty well. 

The real high point here though is Amy Adams as Lois Lane.  She is simply wonderful.  Smart, quick thinking, not a damsel, resourceful, and I say again, SMART.  There’s a marvelous bypass of the whole “glasses disguise him” thing with her, and though it accelerates their relationship quite a bit, it works here and I didn’t mind a bit.  I also want to say how good Michael Shannon is as Zod.  He brings great, great gravitas and motivation to the role.  

Antje Traue as the Kryptonian villainess Faora steals nearly every scene she is in with utter ruthlessness.  Kevin Costner’s Jonathan Kent is wonderful (and part of what is in my opinion the best scene in the film).   Diane Lane give Ma Kent a real heart. Russell Crowe brings some Maximus to Jor-El, but that’s not a bad thing. 

 

I definitely want to mention Christopher Meloni though; his Colonel Hardy has a wonderful arc and gives us one of the great examples of human heroism we see in this film as well.  Some players are a little underused (Perry White), but they are great where you see them.

Krypton is more fleshed out here and gives Zod a wonderful motivation and backstory.  There’s enough borrowed from various comic incarnations here to be instantly recognizable, yet unique to this version, and I loved every minute of the tech and style. 

Jonathan Kent’s death.  Not unlike All-Star Superman, I cried here when Jonathan died, and the circumstances are so emotionally involving, you will too.  Jonathan, in full view of Clark and Martha is going to be swept away by a tornado.  Clark could easily save him, but Jonathan waves him off to protect Clark’s secret.  How marvelous that whole scene is, and how much does that bring to the origin?  Lots and lots.   Terrific.

The First Two Hours.  Honestly, though I have already pointed some things out, let me wrap it up like this: The first two hours of this movie are as perfect a film as Richard Donner’s “Superman: The Movie.”  Perhaps more so, as we get a Superman at once relatable and realistic without losing the ethics or grandeur of the character.  The oil rig rescue, the diner scene, Clark’s relationship with Pete Ross, all wonderful.  Lois is AMAZING as she does what no prior version of the character has done and TRACKS DOWN SUPERMAN.  Her decision to keep his secret is not only integral to the plot, it speaks volumes her character.  As I said, this is the best Lois has ever been, and I normally don’t even really like Amy Adams.  She’s just about perfect here.  The Science Fiction heavy plot plays out, and you start to get a hint of the capabilities of these beings and it’s just great.  For two hours. 

Then there are 30 more minutes, and here we get not-so-great.  Most of that time is spent killing several million people in the most exhausting ways possible.  Really, I walked out feeling shell-shocked there was so much destruction.  I am not even sure the next movie can be set in Metropolis as I don’t think there can be much left.  No really, where does the coda at the Daily Planet even happen; have they rebuilt EVERYTHING already?  The destruction was where the Nolan realism should have reigned in Zack Snyder some more.  And this is where we start to lose Superman as a character as well.  He is so involved in fighting the bad guys that he stops saving the good guys.  We lost characters who should by all rights have made it, and Superman should have saved them.  When we have the big Superman/Zod fight that we know is coming, they slam through and around buildings, and thousands must be at least endangered if not outright killed.  That’s not even my real complaint though: it’s just too much.  The scope gets so big as to become irrelevant.  In my theater’s viewing, people actually started laughing.  We got tired of it.  I would gladly trade ten of those minutes for ten more minutes of Krypton, or Jonathan, or Lois, Clark doing some more heroic stuff in the suit.  Indeed, Man of Steel could have used a bit more Man of Steel.

There’s another issue for me in the post action coda as well.  This movie paints a pretty honest picture of the military.  They detain Superman because they have to, but COL Hardy recognizes “this man is not our enemy.”  Soldiers walk into or fly into certain death to save their world.  We don’t see stupid soldiers, or cowardly soldiers, or evil soldiers; we see soldiers, doing their best with what they have…until.  We get this female Air Force Captain—and you probably saw her in the commercials—who when faced with Superman gets all giggly and states, “he’s kinda hot.”  It is completely out of the tone of the rest of the film and really paints her—the only speaking female Earth military service member—as a bimbo.  That was a shame considering how well they portrayed the Military up until then. 

So what’s possibly the worst this in this film, or maybe even in the modern history of Superman?  Superman kills Zod.  Snaps his neck.  Yes, in the scene Superman is forced to do it, or allow more civilians to die (how about the previous ten minutes, Clark?), and yes IN THE COMICS in 1988 Superman executed a version of Zod with Kryptonite.  I know.  But you can’t tell me a smart writer who got the first two hours SO right with SO much from various incarnations of the character couldn’t have found a better way to end this without Superman having to brutally snap Zod’s neck.  Yes, it works in the context of the movie, but this is a “new generation’s” Superman.  Reinvented for people now in the 21^st Century.  This movie will be for eight to ten year olds now what Donner’s Superman was for my generation.  Henry Cavill will be THEIR Superman.

And he snaps bad guys’ necks.  He’s Superman, there has to be a better way.  Yes Goyer and Nolan, you did manage to maneuver your story to a “he had to do it” point.  Just because you could doesn’t mean you should.  What affect are you going to have on the mythological Superman?  You’ve made Superman a killer, not in some obscure 30 year old comic, but in what will be the cornerstone of the DC movie universe for the next decade.  And for decades hence.  My grandkids will see that as their Superman, unless I work really hard to get to them first.  This was a conscious choice on the part of the writers, and I really think it could have gone a better direction.* Does it ruin the movie for me?  No, overall I did enjoy the film; only time will tell though if they have ruined Superman.

I suppose Tim Burton making Batman a killer didn’t alter The Dark Knight forever; oddly the same writer as Man of Steel made Batman’s reluctance to kill a major plot point in Batman Begins.  But I feel sorry they did this.  They should have done better because Superman deserves it, and there is so much here as a Superman fan to love.

It took Nolan three films to show me Christian Bale was not THE Batman.  Instead he was a broken person who put on a suit for about 18 months and divorced himself entirely from his responsibility by faking his death.  Nolan may have saved me time here and only waited two hours to show me he wasn’t making a movie about THE Superman but rather a superman.  Perhaps, sequels to this film will do the opposite of the Batman series and get better with successive additions.  I need to see this dealt with, I need to see it become a lesson learned for Superman on why he needs to find the better path.  I need to see that because those eight year olds watching need to see it too.  This series can be salvaged; this Superman can be redeemed.  I hope sequels will do that. 

After all, Superman is about Hope.

*So, I hear you: “All right, smart guy; if they could have done it better, what would be better?”  Reprinted here, verbatim, is a message I sent to a good friend within about 30 minutes of seeing the film.  Pardon personal message typos:

1) "You've ripped out my soul El; you're no Kryptonian. With me, Krypton dies." Kills self.

2) *Zod, flying into Metropolis sees the Phantom Zone generator destroy his ship.* "No, El- with us dies Krypton!" *Crashes scout ship into Superman, he tries to stop the crash, Zod is killed by the Kryptonian tech/engine/metal and Supes barely escapes.*

3) Faora escapes being pulled into the zone, realizes that if Kal-El is dead there is no chance to raise Krypton, takes Zod away herself allowing that specter of return to hang over them.

4) Kal clamps his hand over Zod's face, and beats him into unconsciousness. Then:

a) Uses the hyperdrive that MUST still be on the leftover Kryptonian scoutship to reopen the Zone and cast him in (possibly saving the Colonel and Doctor Hamilton in the process).

b) Imprisons Zod using the material from the scout and asks the Gov to help him build a ship to take Zod to a planet with a red sun: they recruit Lexcorp to help. Sequel prepped.