Superman arrives on Earth as a baby in a rocket, grows up with a beard, shaves (off-screen), and then faces off a bad guy from his native planet. With rare exceptions, the movies have never been able to get DC superheroes right—especially Superman. The best Superman was Christopher Reeve, who was awesome in the dual-identity role but whose Superman movies were generally cheesy. This version is worse in its own ways, with a dull-as-dishwater Superman/Clark Kent who actually crosses a line that superheroes aren’t supposed to cross. I mean, really? On his first outing with a villain and he has to cross that line already? What’s Superman going to do in the sequel—super-waterboarding? And all that destruction—in the Marvel universe, such devastation had major consequences in “Captain America: Civil War;” at the end of this movie, it’s like nothing happened. Great music, though, and a great performance by Michael Shannon as the villain, who has a lot more charisma than the hero.

Not for Kids

Extra:

• The most convincing depiction of Superman is actually in an animated Batman movie, “The Dark Knight Returns.”