It should never be easy for the hero, it makes the victory better. For me anyway the problem is still the heroes journey along the way regardless of who the hero is. If we take this film for what it is then Clark isn't really an interesting person in the first place, he might be a good guy, but his journey to discovering who he is and his place on Earth is haphazard in its execution and at times flat out boring. Discounting what is to be expected of Superman the final battle still poses no emotional resonance whatsoever, it's not enough to say the world is at stake, that's generic, there's nothing emotionally at stake for Clark. I look at something like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes were the final climax is filled with heightened tension due to the events that transpired in the lead up to the battle. Superman and Zod's relationship is virtually non-existent for the finale to have any real meaning, nor is anyone personal to him in any great danger for a long period of time during the final act. So what we are left with is a clunky journey for a character that doesn't really lead anywhere interesting or have any great payoff at the end for him, a villain he has no real connection to other than heritage, and underdeveloped relationships with the supporting characters. This isn't even about the traditional Superman traits, it's not even really about Superman himself, it's about a heroes journey and telling that right.
Idk, I think all the things you said were missing were there. And don't require much digging to find them.
Zod was a very obvious threat to not only Clark but given how weak the military was against 2 Kryptonians, the world. A world of people Superman had shown to care enough about to save strangers. Whether the oil rig workers or soldiers trying to shoot him. Not just Martha and Lois. That's Superman.
There doesn't need to be some significant connection to a villain but I fully bought into Zod's anger. The groundwork was laid out throughout the movie. His vision, the Kryptonian culture that led to his single minded focus, the codex in Clark.
Why would there be any more to it than that and why would it be necessary?
And then the end gives us events that will unfold even further in the next movie. I for one welcome a slower build of character growth, especially in a Hollywood addicted to sequels. If it's going to happen, use it. None of this one and done, now we have our hero. Fully grown.
This young Superman, a character who plenty of people think they know and think is corny and outdated, will grow on screen.
Someone told me once that if WB was thinking about a sequel when making MoS and that's why it can be argued that he's not his fully mature self on screen at the end of the movie, then it's stupid and bad filmmaking.
No. I don't accept that. It's their money. If they want to set it up so his growth continues... I think that's smart. The long term is the best way to have a new Superman attempt to replace the image of Reeve in people's heads.
And Snyder, going all out and taking risks is the way to go.
He's not a guy I can see getting timid about "Well...what if this movie fails? Then what?!"
Sorry for going off on a tangent but my point kinda stands on the topic.
I think WB and Snyder were open to a slow growth from the beginning and I hope that's what we see play out. And I think MoS's big fight was deliberate, putting him in a position to really show what the character is about in the next movie and possibly even Justice League.
I don't doubt It'll be polarizing though.
