Say what you will about Zack Snyder's take on Superman, but his opening sequence, depicting the destruction of Krypton, was a visually stunning, thrilling way to kick off the movie. The very first moment we witness is Lara giving birth to Kal-El, but her and Jor-El have no time to celebrate, as Krypton's unstable core is going to result in imminent obliteration, and General Zod is desperately trying to ensure that the Kryptonian race is preserved. In a crucial moment that only reveals its importance later, Jor-El then allows the Codex, the genetic information of the Kryptonian race, to be absorbed into Kal-El's body, and prepares Kal-El a ship to take him to Earth. At that moment, Jor-El is attacked by Zod, who mortally wounds him, and as Zod is taken into custody and promptly banished into the Phantom Zone, he warns Lara that he will find Kal-El eventually. Lara looks on as Krypton is destroyed, and the planet's only hope hurtles towards Earth. With its lavish depiction of a Krypton like we had never seen, complete with flying creatures, this made it clear that Man of Steel truly was a Superman movie for our time.