There is no need to look at any wrong in any movie. It's not like there's justice to be served by criticizing a movie. It's small talk.
The more people watch a particular movie, the more it would be talked about. That's all there is to it.
That, and it's fucking
Superman. Like I said in another Superman thread, I'm not the biggest fan of Supes, but I admit that I really enjoy the character when he's in the hands of capable writers. Writers that really get him, and understand that Superman is just as much a story of Clark Kent as it is the crazy superpowers he has. If Clark isn't handled well, Superman isn't handled well, and that's where Snyder's take on the character falls flat, and why so many people are upset by his portrayal in Snyder's films.
I will say this, however; the Clark and Superman we get in Snyder's movies makes perfect sense when you look at the Kents. I absolutely buy that Clark would turn out the way he did with
those two as his parents. Especially Jonathan. It's surprisingly consistent follow through of characterization. The problem is that, as a result, he just doesn't feel like Superman.
I love DC, and I love Marvel, so what I'm about to say next isn't meant to incite a Marvel vs DC war, but I look at how Steve Rogers is handled in the MCU, and I feel like he's a much better Clark Kent/Superman than what we've gotten from Warner's movies. It shows how you can have a character that is fundamentally a good person, resonate and be relevant to audiences, despite how so much of Captain America could easily fall into "Rah Rah America!" style propaganda. Like, Steve Rogers is a good man, much like Clark Kent. They have a strong moral center, as well as a desire to do right by everyone, not just themselves. Snyder's Clark is constantly coming off as apathetic and disinterested in helping others, though it makes sense considering that his father told him he probably should have let his classmates die on that sinking bus.
You can still tell a Superman story about him wrestling with his purpose, and feeling isolated because of his gifts, and having the world be afraid and uncertain having a god among them, without making him apathetic towards helping humanity, or treating it like a chore. Clark wouldn't hesitate for a moment to help someone in need (which young Clark did when he saved his classmates; only to have Jonathan chastise him for it. like, what kind of lesson is that instilling in his son? Spoiler: a shitty one). If you fuckup the Kents, you fuck up Clark as a result. The three of them are linked that strongly. The "real" Kents instilled such a powerful sense of responsibility in Clark that he would sacrifice his own personal well being to do what's right especially if it meant saving someone's life. You look up altruism in the dictionary, and there's a picture of Clark Kent, Steve Rogers, and Peter Parker giving each other a high five. It's just who they are, deep down to their core.
Snyder and the writers want to ask these deep, philosophical questions about Superman, his purpose, his nature, and whether or not the world needs/wants a Superman, but fails to actually answer that question, whether through Clark himself, or any other character in the film. There's a genuinely compelling concept to play around with in Man of Steel and BvS, but he absolutely bungles the execution. Another scene I loathed is when Clark goes to the pastor to get guidance on what he should do. I felt like it was such a missed opportunity to not have him go to his mother instead. Like, besides Jonathan, Martha is the only other important person in his life, and I feel like he would have 100% gone to her for guidance. Though the advice she does give him is that he doesn't owe anyone anything. Which is, sure, technically true, but that's just not something Martha Kent would say to Clark. Man, how do you fuck up the Kents so badly?
One of the scenes in MoS I actually loved, is the moment between Clark and Martha where a young Clark is overwhelmed and freaking out when his X-Ray vision manifests during his class, and he locks himself in a room. I thought it was a really touching moment where Martha is talking to him from the other side of the door, calming him and comforting her son. I foolishly thought that the rest of the film would have those moments of humanity and compassion. I was wrong.
