I have to start with the opening credits for the film. Not since the opening crawl of The Phantom Menace have I been so enraptured by seeing and hearing such familiarity. I felt like a kid again. That credit sequence alone ranks as one of the great moments at the theater for me.
The rest of the film is flawed, for sure. I agree with a few of the criticisms above and have a few of my own. There's too much of Lex's henchmen and Kitty, but not enough of Martha Kent and Smallville (wasn't there supposed to be a Jonathan Kent flashback?). Kevin Spacey tried, but he did not surpass Clancy Brown or Michael Rosenbaum as the definitive Luthors. And the ending, while a little too drawn out as is, leaves too many plotlines hanging.
Still, the good outweighs the bad. The action scenes were amazing. There are many great visuals to behold. The kid was sweet and not at all annoying. The relationship between Superman and Lois was moving. Brandon made the role his own and added a new soulful dimension to the character.
In the end, it just feels good to have Superman back in theaters again. As simple as that.
½ out of