You know, some people will never admit when they’re wrong, even when it’s just an opinion. But me? I have no problem re-evaluating something, and then changing my mind.
Case in point: The Snyderverse. I once despised it, and was glad to see it gone, but I’ve been rewatching some of the films, and I’ve had a change of heart. For example, I now like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and I’m also now a fan of Zack Snyder’s Justice League. So, I thought I’d rewatch Snyder’s first movie in the defunct DCEU, Man of Steel, which I initially hated, and…
Well, I still don’t like it. I mean, I wouldn’t say that I still “hate” it, but I do still think it’s a good movie. Here's why.
Yes, Henry Cavill Is The Perfect Superman, But This Is Still A Bad Superman Movie
Similar to Michael Keaton as Batman, for many, there will never be a better Superman than Christopher Reeve, and cool. I get it. Reeve starred in the two best Superman movies, those being the 1978 classic and its sequel Superman II (Unless you consider the 2025 movie to be the best Superman film, which I disagree with, but you’re welcome to your opinion), so it's only natural that I consider Reeve the best Big Blue Boy Scout.
That said, I'm going to openly admit that I consider Ben Affleck to be the best cinematic Batman (unless you're counting Kevin Conroy's voice in Mask of the Phantasm, and you know, valid), and I think Henry Cavill is the perfect Superman. He looks good in the suit; he’s got the demeanor, the jawline. He’s just perfect as Superman. You couldn’t get a better specimen. So, why is the movie around him so bad?
Look, I’ll be the first to admit it. I’m not the biggest fan of the character, so including stuff like the Phantom Zone and having deepcut characters like Jax-Ur are probably why fans of Supe love this movie. There’s also a lot of action in the film (which I’ll get into later), which a lot of Superman movies sorely lack.
However, the tone feels so incredibly off. Everything is so dismal and full of despair. I know I base all of my Superman movies off of the first two Christopher Reeve films, and Man of Steel is anything but those. Still, how are you going to have the ideal Superman in such a depressing Superman movie? What gives?
I Like The Cast...Just Not The Roles That They're In
Though a lot of people pooh-poohed these Snyderverse movies at the time (including myself), I think one thing that everybody could admit is that these movies had excellent casting. Aside from Cavill, whom I already mentioned, Man of Steel also has Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, and Michael Shannon as General Zod.
Now, besides Shannon as Zod, who I actually think is even better than Superman II’s Terence Stamp, I just don’t vibe with the rest of the cast. It’s not like they’re bad. It’s just that…well, I don’t feel they fully immerse themselves in the roles. That might be more Zack Snyder’s fault, if anything, but I’m never really convinced that Amy Adams is Lois Lane. I mean, Adams plays a good enough journalist, but I just think actresses like Rachel Brosnahan or Margot Kidder are more convincingly the Lois Lanes.
While I get what Snyder was going for with Jonathan and Martha Kent with Costner and Lane, respectively, I just feel they are too big as movie stars to take them seriously as Kansas farmers. I much prefer Glenn Ford and Phyllis Thaxter from the original, and especially Pruitt Taylor Vince and Neva Howell in the most recent Superman.
As for Laurence Fishburne? I mean, he’s fine as Perry White, but for such a good actor, I think he gets lost in this film, so there’s that.
Also, While It's Been Said To Death, This Movie Is Way Too Desaturated
Yes, the desaturation is a problem with all of the DCEU movies (Well, aside from the Aquaman movies, which are surprisingly colorful), but Man of Steel is just way too dark and colorless. Actually, I shouldn’t say that, since this movie has a LOT of blue…perhaps too much blue, really.
That said, I think this definitely dampens the mood and tone of this film. I’m not the first to say this, but Superman is NOT Batman. Ideally, a Superman movie should be the exact opposite of a Batman flick when it comes to tone. Just look at James Gunn’s Superman movie, to which we gave a pretty high review. Personally, I wasn’t in love with the film, but one thing I will say that Gunn DEFINITELY got right was the colors and tone.
2025’s Superman is super bright and expressive, very much like a comic book, and it works for the character. The Superman I know (and I think most others know on a casual level) has always been about stirring music and hope, so the films should reflect that. The original 4 Superman movies are like that (Almost to a fault in Superman III and Superman IV: The Quest for Peace), but Man of Steel is the antithesis of that.
I know the film’s fans think that makes the movie more serious and “adult,” but I just think it makes it feel like it’s not a Superman movie, which is not how I think I’m supposed to feel when watching a Superman movie.
And Yes, The Destruction At The End And Supes Killing Zod Still Rubs Me The Wrong Way
I knew going into this recent rewatch that I would probably still dislike all of the destruction and death, and I haven’t changed my opinion on that. It’s just way too much. Let’s start with the blatant IHOP product placement fight between Superman and the Kryptonian, Faora-Ui (Antje Traue). Sure, it looks like a Dragon Ball Z fight, what with characters flying through walls, but it also just feels like too much for me. Like, I understand, up to this point, we hadn’t seen battles like this in a Superman flick, and I applaud the new approach, but it just feels overblown to me. Admittedly, that’s likely more a "me thing".
What is definitely NOT just a me thing though is the battle at the end with the Metropolis battle, and the eventual killing of Zod. I know people roll their eyes at Superman saving a squirrel in James Gunn’s Superman flick, but I could imagine a Superman who would do that over one who drags Zod across buildings, potentially killing people through collateral damage in the long run.
Then, you have the killing of Zod. I've heard people tell me, “Well, what other choice did Superman have? Zod was gonna obliterate that family,” and my answer to that is, why did it even have to come to that in the first place? Why did the screenwriters put Superman in a scenario where he had to snap Zod's neck? I'm sure there were other ways to write that scene that didn't compromise Superman's soul.
That primal scream of regret Superman gives after killing Zod still bothers me, since I don't feel he should have HAD to have killed Zod in the first place. Man of Steel is a story, and having Supes kill Zod was a creative choice that I still don't agree with. So, in the end, I like the eventual direction of the Snyderverse after this film, but I'm still not on board with this one in particular.
