9. The Shadow Of Superman Returns
By my estimation, Man of Steel is now the third superhero movie that is overly preoccupied with avoiding and making up for the mistakes of its predecessor. Unlike Batman Forever and The Incredible Hulk, Man of Steel probably trumps Superman Returns, though Returns is still a movie I unashamedly love and will defend till blue in the face. Still, it's a little disappointing how little faith Zack Snyder has in keeping our attention. During the film's opening scenes, it's like he counted how many lines of exposition were absolutely necessary before Zod shows up and starts blasting everyone. There are all manner of cool ideas throughout the film, but they're drowned out by too much action. All the big setpieces in the film amazed me, then confused me, then just left me numb. You just don't throw out that Jor-El has a winged beast of burden on speed-dial or that Krypton's entire culture is powered/created/whatevered by a freaky alien baby skull without some form of explanation. Almost every moment in the film is turned up to eleven. A lot of nerds are taking a poop on David S. Goyer, but he's created a lot of interesting, new ideas for a seventy-five year-old character. They're strong enough to stand on their own without the hyperactive camera or the percussive bombast of Hans Zimmer. There are two dialogue scenes that hold their own. Kevin Costner's "You are my son" scene gets a little monologue-y at the end, but the dramatic beats land. And the interrogation scene plays remarkably well - a moment where Snyder is willing to let the story play out naturally, honestly. I wish there were a few more moments in the film like it, but these scenes prove that Snyder is a better storyteller than most people (including myself) give him credit for.