Just got home from seeing it. Spoilers to follow, I repeat, spoilers to follow.
If you don't want spoilers, stop reading right here and now........................
LOVED IT.
They have truly elevated Superman's game now. This is the best picture by far.
Now, I get why the first 2 OG's would be so loved and cherished, they established the mold. They "started it all" so to speak. I understand that, but watch them side by side, it would be clear as day which is the more prevalent.
I watched the 78 version a couple months back. When he reveals himself to save Lois and catch the helicopter, it gives me tingles. It's a great scene, but the score is what does it moreso than the acting. The music playing is simply brilliant. The scenes with the people below going "look at that" or "whaaaaaa" Was cool. Showed the world that, something was up. And Lois asks him, who are you? "a friend"
A friend.......that's what we got in 1978.
This movie goes MUCH deeper than that.
If Lois were to ask him, who are you, he would have replied, "I'm trying to find out, but let me show you what I've learned so far"
Johnathan Kent was working on him even as a young boy, teaching him, molding him. Preparing him for what his life would be like someday. Isn't that what all parents do for their children? How does that not resonate? And when he puts his hand up to tell Clark not to come help him............man, all in my feels. I was there, I was in that moment. That was power.
His own father, doing whatever he could to give his child life, no matter what planet it would be on. What parent wouldn't make that sacrifice for their child?
Clark struggles, and doesn't understand the powers he gains as a small boy, struggles with when to help, and when not to. He has genuine good in him, knows that he can help and actually wants to rather than just sitting around abusing his power. He was tought better than that.
This is all very key in what we are given in this movie. Yes, they don't go into much detail about Perry White, or "Jenny" Olsen, but the fact is, we all know who they are. Yes, this is an origin flick, but some details just have to be understood, so to speak.
Rather than focus on Perry White, or the General, or Supes hot *** mom, shift the focus onto what makes Sjuperman who he is. Why he is the way he, what he struggles with, what he learns.
In his search for who he is, he encounters humanity. Guys that flex on him and have no idea what he could do to them. He sees the good, the bad, the way the tough guy "saves" him from the falling cage. Or the trucker tries to fight him, but the waitress tells him to let it go, it's not worth it.
The look at the school bus that brings him back to a memory, the lessons he learned from his father (Costner) the storytelling was very very solid. I liked it a lot. All pieces to the puzzle that is Superman/Clark Kent.
Costner/Crowe were both outstanding. Costner maybe more so, his dialogue was simply terrific. That is the Goyer part of the film, the action was clearly a Snyder production. LOVED Costner's dialogue.
I disagree with those complaining on Zod, he was tremendous. Did you guys see the POWER in his acting? His facial twitches, his simmering rage, the way his mouth would shake, the way his jaw would jut, that dude did his lines with ANGER and ferocity that not a lot of others could have pulled off, especially in front of a green screen most likely. Shannonw as outstanding, imo.
The confliction he showed each time he "killed" Jor El. You could see it bothered him to do that. He was created to save his people, yet, he didn't like killing Jor El to do so. He did it, it was his calling in life, but he showed there was something else there.
The chick was perfect. Sooooooo much better than the og chick. She was a freaking bad ***.
Amy Adams was solid, and looked good as hell to me. I'm not complainin at all. I thought her chemistry with Cavil was top notch as well.
Cavill was solid as hell doin his Wolverine impersonation.
Dude was YOKED. He handled that role splendidly. The quiet loner type early, the unsure learning superhero mid, and the desperate fight to save Earth late. He was everything I could ask for. No more "a friend" crap, he came here and kept quiet and didn't just reveal himself to save his girl, and then a cat, and then catch a couple jewelry theives, he revealed himself to save the planet, without complaint, without worry for himself, and without some truly epic score to make people fall in love with him like 1978.
The nostalgia needs to go, this was the better way to tell the origin story of Superman, not that corny stuff in the late 70's.
My biggest complain, the way they did Zod and crew on Krypton. Ok, they were bad boys, need to be punished, but did they really need to send them to the stars encased in glass dildos?
I seen that **** and was like wtf?
Wife and I both started giggling like you do when you're in church and need to be quiet. We didn't even say a word, we both knew why were were giggling. That's a rough way to be punished man, eternity in an erect piece of glass with duel engines at the bottom of the shaft.
There were some things that could have been cleaned up. They could have spared 10 minutes of action to enhance a few things, sure, but overall it was full bore what you would want a Supes movie to be. The power Cavill let out when he snapped Zod's neck, that's real **** right there. He knew he was saving innocent lives, even tho he was forced to take a life in return. A decsion he did not take lightly, even being the "right" thing to do.
As he said, "I'm here to help, but it has to be on my terms" He's not going to just go assasinate who the government tells him to, he's going to do the morally right thing to do.
New York tho. Rough 12 months. First the Avengers blows that town to ****, now this crap. Couple trillion in damage, several thousands likely dead in all that carnage, Kansas property values all decreasing ten fold.
Solid 8.5/10 for me. Can not wait for it to hit Blu Ray so I can watch this multiple times.