Well, I just got back from the theatre. I got there at 6 and the movie started at 6:20 and there were about 5-10 people in the theatre ahead me. It filled up before the start of the film but it wasn't sold out by any means.
I thought the movie was okay. I didn't walk out saying 'that movie rocked!' like I did with Avengers, but it was hands down 200%+ better than Superman Returns. I don't think re-seeing it will make me cringe as rewatching Superman Returns does. It was entertaining, but I knew the story, so not much on the surprise front. A solid "B".
It was some of the minor things that nitpicked me. Clark not being scared over revealing what he could do in front of other people, not being scared that so many people knew by the end that CK=SM, and stating things like "I'm from Kansas" in front of people not in the know. Jor-El taking over the movie. Clark stealing out of the back of the car, didn't like that... even if it was necessary. The fact that everyone called SM the "man in blue" even though the suit wasn't very blue, looked more steel gray to me (*loved* the velvet cape though). That Zod and SM destroyed Metropolis. Zod's comment about it taking them "33 years" to find Earth. Um... Would that be Kryptonian years or Earth years, and how to calculate "years" in space? The comment made by the female army captain(?) about Superman being 'hot'. :rolleyes:
Henry C. made a great Superman. The beard didn't bother me, because it fit who he was at that point in the film. I had no trouble with it. He definitely did well with the conflicted Clark Kent character. Oh, so, very glad he wasn't dark like Bruce (was a bit worried there)! Yea! Conflicted, worried about his mother, wanting to protect people more than himself, friends with Lois from the get-go, and that hating killing Zod, that's our Superman.
Amy Adams (despite the lack of being a brunette) made a good Lois Lane. I like that she broke the rules for a story enough for Perry to punish her. I like that she hunted CK down and found him. I didn't like that it was so easy (it felt like it took less than those two weeks Perry gave her off). If she could find CK so easily, so could someone like Lex Luthor.
I liked the relationship between Clark and Lois. I liked that Lois always called him Clark, except at the army base (although, I didn't like it that she said it in front of the Smallville PD, but since clearly EVERYONE in Smallville knew Clark's secret, except the stupid town bullies, but that didn't really matter because Zod basically destroyed Smallville).
I liked the new retelling of the end of Krypton (better than the boring one at the beginning of Superman:The Movie - yawn), but I didn't like that they kept bringing Jor-El back, and back, and back, and 'let me tell you how to defeat 'em, son'. Enough already! :rolleyes: LnC did it right. Introduce Jor-El to tell Clark his history and THAT's IT! Let Clark figure it out on his own, Dad! Geeze! No wonder Lois is known as the smart one.
Russel Crowe did well as Jor-El, but once he's dead, could he stay dead. Lara was okay, a little whimpy, but she usually is.
I was pleasantly surprised that I liked Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as the Kents. They did an excellent and understated job. This film might be a little traumatic for anyone who has recently lived through a natural disaster.
Perry was underutilized. Come on, you get Lawrence Fishburne to play Perry and then you give him nothing to do, except yell (kind of) at Lois (once) and hold the hand of his intern. Please! Let's hope he does more if they do a sequel.
I kept looking for Jimmy for half the film, then I remembered I heard they switched Jimmy to Jenny, but then they kept showing all these women at the Planet who could be her, so what was the point? She wasn't distinctive enough to pick her up out of a line-up. Jimmy's role is CK's pal and they didn't say two words the whole movie, so I hope a real Jimmy appears later on.
There was a 'Ralph' type character, too, who's name I believe was "Steve?" He was more recognizable as an actual character as opposed to an extra than the "Jenny" character.
I liked the Army colonel (who's name I didn't catch), but I liked that actor from L&O:SVU. And Hamilton makes an appearance as our beloved scientist, too bad he got sucked into the Phantom Zone with Zod's team.
I liked Zod's right hand woman. Very well done. For a second there, when she pulled the Kryptonian dagger out when battling with the colonel, I thought it might be Kryptonite and I kind of hoped the K dagger might make another appearance.
Zod was annoying, but that's his character. He was raised to save Krypton or die trying. Well, isn't that a sad existence once your planet is dead.
I *LOVED* that they used ShayneT's idea in the movie, but I think he should have gotten at least screen credit.
Go scientists! Trying something "new". I loved what Clark did to that rude trucker's truck. Brilliant. The glance between SM and Pete Ross as SM and Zod were fighting in Smallville. I liked that. I loved the image of Clark on fire at the oil rig. That was cool imagery. So, was Jonathan Kent's protecting his son's secret with his life. You'd think Clark would honor that sacrifice a bit more by not telling everyone that he's SM. I liked the ending scene with Perry introducing Clark to Lois, but I think he should have put on the glasses BEFORE entering the Planet (again not working on hard on protecting his secret). I loved the LexCorp logo on the gasoline trucks in Metropolis that SM and Zod then blow up. I liked the flashbacks, especially with the young Clark at school. We usually don't get to see how scary it was being him. That worked better than telling everything chronologically.
I did get a bit lost though when directly after the spaceship crashes to Earth, we see the fishing trawler. A "33 years later" would have been nice transition there, on the odd chance there is SOMEONE OUT THERE who doesn't know CK's story. (it's possible, right?)
That the Kryptonian explorers didn't make it at any of their outposts.
that Clark learning about his past (interesting that his "Fortress of Solitude" was actually an Kryptonian ship) clued Zod in on where to find him. (Good going there, Jor-El).
that Pete Ross bragged that CK is different, even after they became friends. I didn't like that Metropolis is basically flattened by Zod and Superman's battle.
Absolutely HATED that Superman *killed* Zod. True, Zod was about to burn up a family, but -- come on -- how many people died because of the buildings which fell down and Zod and Superman blasted each other through? Plenty more than that one Earth family. True, SM didn't see any of those people die with his own eyes, but still -- they be dead, too. If you really cared about civilian (human) causalities, may I recommend taking your battle to the death with your Dad's arch enemy OUT OF TOWN! At least, Chris Reeve's Superman did that in S2.
