Man of Steel, Movie of Kleenex? (lots of spoilers. Be warned)

There is a lot to like in the new Superman film, MAN OF STEEL, but I don’t think there’s enough.
The best thing is the casting. I think Henry Cavill makes an excellent, thoroughly believable Superman, and Amy Adams is outstanding as Lois (Laurence Fishbourne and Christopher Melloni in supporting roles are also very good). The F/X are terrific and make the super-battles great to watch. Superman’s joy the first time he flies is one of the few upbeat moments in the film. Russell Crowe redeems his awful performance in Les Mis with a good turn as Jor-El.
Now, the bad:
•Back when Superman Returns was in development limbo, Kevin Smith (who was considered as screenwriter at one point) said some people at Warner Brothers were convinced that since the Batman movies were dark, gritty and successful, Superman should be dark and gritty too. Here, they’ve got their wish; as my friend Ross says, Batman Begins was more of a laugh-riot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad they avoided the camp of the first Chris Reeves movie, but Superman doesn’t work for me as dark (or with the emphasis on Superman showing humanity the way to be better than we are).
The scenes with Kevin Costner as Pa Kent embody this. In one flashback, Pa rips into Clark for revealing his powers to save a busload of his classmates. Clark asks if he should have let them die and Pa’s response is well, maybe he should have. Because keeping the secret is the only way to protect himself.
No way. I could see Pa lecturing Clark (e.g., “You have to find a way to help them in secret.”) but actually telling Clark to let a kid die (I’ve read several arguments he’s not saying that but yes, he is)? And then there’s the scene where Pa chooses to die in a tornado rather than risk exposing Clark’s secret with a rescue. I can’t see Clark accepting this (though Mark Waid, a devout Super-fan, liked it). And it feels very much like they wanted to give Clark an “Uncle Ben” moment.

(For the record, the comics Clark tackled situations like this and found ways not to expose himself. Cover art by Nick Cardy, all rights with copyright holder).
•Superman-as-messiah. The movie recycles Jor-El’s line about how for all our faults, Kal-El can be a shining example for all of us, leading us into the light, and now I know why that bugs me. It takes Superman’s nobility for granted, as if merely being Kryptonian or superhuman made him great by default.
In reality, being superhuman reduces his effectiveness as an inspiration: he doesn’t have to consider personal safety when pulling people out of a burning building, stopping gunfire, etc. What makes him special is how he uses his power. That he never turns tyrant or lets his power corrupt. That he does the right thing. That he constantly works to help people, whether it’s stopping an invasion or stopping a car crash. Which leads us into the next point—
•The killing. The climax of the movie is when Zod tries using his heat vision on innocent bystanders. Realizing Zod will keep killing as long as he’s alive, Superman breaks his neck with a wail of pain at committing even justifiable homicide. Dramatically speaking, it doesn’t work.
Details in Part Two, following immediately.