Man Of Steel

8.5/10.

Just got back from seeing it.  For two and a half hours it went by at quite a clip.  I wouldn't say that I found the movie dark or even realistic, but it's definitely got a grittier undercurrent to it, though.  It's apples-and-oranges with the Reeve films; you can't really compare the two, and anyone who does is setting themselves up for loads of disappointment.

Some stray observations (may be some spoilers):

* Definitely like the costume better than that New 52 excuse to put Superman in armor. 

* Steve Lombard!  Granted, I was hoping for someone a little more Ron Burgundyish, but he's still got that smug womanizing bastard thing going on, when he's not pulling people out of debris.

* The diner sequence was great.  You can tell from Henry Cavill's performance that the poor guy's doing his best not to reach out and snap the guy's neck (irony of ironies!).

* OK, Zod's plan...two weapons of mass destruction sent off in opposite directions, making Superman unable to stop them both, intended to reshape the earth...I'm not sure, but that sounds awfully familiar; not to mention the fact that the villain sets out to avenge himself against the one he thinks condemned his people by brandishing an absconded terraforming device to do it...well, the last director DID promise a new Superman movie that would go all "Wrath of Khan" on us.

* An outpost finds a spaceship crashed in the ice for thousands of years on end, and Kurt Russell in his sombrero and flamethrower is nowhere to be seen.  Heresy!

* "I will find him, Lara.  I will find your son.  I WILL FIND HIM!!!"  I'm not sure, but I think Zod's gonna find him.

* Amy Adams and Russell Crowe in LANE & JOR-EL - the ultimate sci-fi buddy movie.  Make it happen, WB.

* Jon Peters finally got his polar bear in there, I see.  Now can we finally take his name off the credits, please???

* If nothing else, MAN OF STEEL finally beats out SUPERMAN II for Most Product Placement In A Superman Movie.

* And hey, we don't have to worry about Hamilton turning into a deranged super-villain or back-stabbing government stooge creep...at least he was spared THAT fate, right?  Right???

* Jenny Olsen...mm-kay.  As long as they don't pull the "Jimmy's really the little brother" card again, I guess.

But I digress.  Good movie, even if a touch uneven; the constant flashbacking and the last third of the movie being pure action to an overbearing degree weren't exactly my cup of tea.  As for The Act - you can probably figure out what I'm talking about - I guess with the film's general tone it's easier for me to chalk it up to close-quarters combat where hostages or civilian casualties are likely unless one makes a QUICK decision; Cavill's reaction saves it, frankly.  But the cast is great by and large, and the score suits the film.  Not perfect - I've still yet to see a Superman film that is, frankly - but MAN OF STEEL is a pretty good launching point for future Superman films, and barring World War III I'll be there for the next one.