Okay, the gist is that I actually really enjoyed this movie.
However, there's a number of caveats that go with this. (and I'm trying to be as general as possible, or talk just about things people already know about superman, to avoid spoilers.)
1. The only way I can understand that 43% of RT reviewers said this was worse than it was better (i.e., yes or no on it) is that it's different in tone than the other superman movies. I think this is why someone else here has said they heard, "It's a good movie, if you're not a superman fan." It's definitely a little different in tone, and grittier, than the supermen movies you have seen in the past, including the first two. But I still think they got the essence of the character correct. For me personally, the tone of the original two movies was a little too sweet and campy for me, even when I was 20-30 years younger. This treatment seemed a little more realistic in some ways.
2. I happen to like smackfests between two invulnerable characters. If you do not, or you find them boring, then you will dislike parts of this movie. I think the fight scenes were pretty kick-ass in terms of the "knockbacks" and prop smashing. The very last fight in the movie seems extra and like it could have been skipped (it seemed a little too much when it started), except it sets up a very big decision for Superman in terms of characterization.
3. The secondary characters were decent but I wish we had gotten a little more depth and nuance in the writing, in regards to them. Just a little deeper, please. The most fleshed out were Superman's two dads, and I think they were well-cast even if I didn't need to see Russell Crowe go all gladiator for a bit. This interplay is very important, and Clark is very much a blend of his two fathers, who represent his two heritages. it's a tribute to the movie that Clark actually tries to find a way to honor BOTH of his fathers (right before Father's Day? ha!) with his choices in the movie. I think the overall casting in the movie was pretty decent. It was nice to see Diane Lane in an extended role, even if she could have been written better.
4. This movie really focuses on Superman being a child of two worlds in a way that many of the other movies did not -- especially because in this movie, he is being pitted between the needs of those two worlds. As an adopted child, he's still trying to figure out where he came from, so that he can figure out who he IS and what to do with his life. He's never felt like he fits in, and that people will be scared of him -- he'll always be an alien. Then he happens to discover his heritage, and embraces his past, right before a bunch of people from his true home show up.... and they turn out to be asshats who don't want to compromise on the living space. Now Clark is forced to make some hard choices between the adopted family he never felt he belonged to vs the asshole bio family whose values he does not share. This dilemma and this theme permeates the movie. How does Clark resolve it?
5. There were themes in the movie that are very relevant to me, but might not be to other viewers. I have raised children, and I have adopted a child. So I was really choked up whenever there were scenes with either set of Clark's parents, because I understand what sacrifices they were making and what their hopes and dreams and fears for their child would be. I also could really empathize with Clark and what decisions he had to make, in terms of his loyalties.
6. The #1 reason I liked the movie is because I believe in Clark. I understood his struggles; I could see the choices he had to make; I understood why he made the decisions he did; and you can see how earnestly and passionately he fight, giving it everything he has, for the causes he believes in. The "S stands for hope" line you've seen in the trailer might sound kind of goofy, but it's actually true: When I watched Superman in this movie, I felt hope.
A number of us applauded at the end, when the credits started. That doesn't happen much in a theater, but it did today. I felt like the movie was more than the sum of its flawed parts, when all was said and done
And, oh yeah, the Zimmer score was definitely a step up for this.
Speaking of The Dark Knight:
Bring on The World's Finest with Bale and Cavill.
Highest grossing picture of all time--calling it now.
Who do you think could write and/or direct this, once they kick-start it?