It's been said that the one thing that Warner Bros. and DC have perfected are their trailers. This was proven right off the bat back in late 2012 with the release of the first teaser for Zack Snyder's Man of Steel, which featured striking images and Russell Crowe narration taken straight from Grant Morrison's All-Star Superman. The teaser not only continued the feel of Christopher Nolan's Batman films, but it showed that Snyder wasn't going to tone down his style even when dealing with one of the most popular comic book characters in history. Upon release however, Man of Steel garnered middling reactions from fans and critics alike. Many disliked the dark and dour tone that was used to portray one of the most hopeful DC Comics characters, while others just didn't care for Snyder's take on Superman. Personally, I feel a lot of the blame should be laid at the feet of David S. Goyer, noted hater of nerds everywhere. Goyer hasn't been shy when it comes to ridiculing the fans of comic books and his disdain came through with the screenplay.

Luckily, there were numerous highlights in Man of Steel, a film that I'm a fan of. Outside of Christopher Reeve, Henry Cavill is my favorite of the onscreen Supermen. He brings a down-home quality to Clark Kent that I really attach to, and with his performance as Superman, an alien not sure of his place on Earth, there's conflict that's evident whenever he dons the cape. Also of note is Michael Shannon, chewing the most scenery of his career as the villainous General Zod. Clearly having a field day with the material, his Zod is almost Pacino-esque, screaming at every given opportunity with a fuse so short you can almost see it. Snyder also brought his signature visual to style the picture, with the gorgeous imagery and inventive camerawork that's become his signature. Man of Steel may have abundant issues, but in the end, it's a thrilling entryway into the current DCEU.