...And I still really liked him, and thought he was a perfect Lex, especially as far as his danger-level goes, and as far as his motivation.
I think he definetly needed a quieter, more memorable villainous turn of a phrase; I think that, oddly enough, might be the one area where Goyer might be a better dialogue writer than Terrio. Because I can quote just about every Goyer villain; villainous monologues are just about the only type of writing that actually go perfectly fine with over-dramatic and unrealistic speech styles.
The one line that I think could have been made a bit slower and more foreboding would be the one about how "God is either not good, or dead." It does encapsulate what I think makes Lex such a good villain, because in the context of Eisenberg's portrayal of the character and the scene, it's clear he has an irrational, emotional reason to hate Superman, one that he tries to rationalize but can't quite do so logically. It's kind of the great tragic element of the character; he's lashing out, just like Batman, but Batman at least is doing so in a vaguely constructive way, while Lex is engaging in a Sisyphean struggle that's ultimately counterproductive to what vague ideals he does have.
I did love two great, quick little scenes, that I think encapsulate Lex's cunning and manipulative nature in a way that I think does make him a better anatagonist than other villains: the smile he gave when he discovered his kryptonite was gone, making it clear that his plans were far enough along it didn't really matter who had the kryptonite, and (this is one I'll have to watch for on my next viewing) a smile he gave when Superman saved him from Doomsday. They both show a guy who, to use Tv Tropes language, may not quite qualify as a Magnifiecent Bastard, but is definetly a Diabolical Mastermind and Manipulative Bastard.
