3. Fists, Punches, ACTION!
One of the biggest criticisms lobbied at 2006's
Superman Returns was the fact that Superman does not even throw a punch in the film. Looking to make up for the lack of action in the last movie, Snyder crafts a third act that makes the Battle of New York in
The Avengers look like a charming Syfy channel TV show. In terms of epic scale, I don't think we've ever seen anything close to the levels of destruction in a superhero film. Kal-El and Zod are god-like beings on Earth and their brutal fights send shockwaves through Metropolis. If you thought Batman caused a lot of property damage during the three
Dark Knight films, you haven't seen anything yet. There will be a lot of construction jobs available in the city. Perhaps the best part of the action sequences was that Kal-El legitimately felt threatened during them. A main complaint about Superman is that he's basically invincible so it makes it difficult to care about his safety during fight scenes (since we know he can't be hurt). By pitting him against a Kryptonian warrior that is his equal in every way, Snyder makes us fear for our hero. We all knew Superman would live to see another movie or two, but I appreciate the decision to give him a great match in terms of physicality. Zod could kill Kal-El without Kryptonite and that made the action sequences more interesting. In the next film, I hope Snyder continues this and uses another villain who could be a real challenge for our hero in the sequels.