'Man of Steel' was a great film that got a lot of unnecessary hate. I feel that most of the complaints are without basis. I hope I can dissect these problems in a way to help you better understand the movie.
Superman is too serious
No. Just no. He isn't. There were a few Superman type jokes flying around (no pun intended). The interrogation scene and the end meeting with General Swanwick for example both had types of Superman humor. They were both very dry, matter-of-fact jokes. I feel like Superman humor falls in between Batman and The Flash. And in this film, it was portrayed like that. Also don't forget this is a man trying to figure who he is and his place on Earth. So he does have a right to be serious. And when most of the higher-ups in the world are calling for your head on a platter while you are dealing with a potential threat, I would think you have to be serious. Superman may have came off as too serious, but this man had a lot going on the movie. He needed to keep his head straight for most of it.
There is too much destruction
This is the argument I have the biggest problem with. The majority of the destruction couldn't have been stopped. Sure, the attack on Smallville could've been downscaled or taken out completely. Superman was furious at Zod for threatening his mother, though, and we all know Superman doesn't think with a clear head when he is mad. He defended his mother with raw emotion. That meant he wasn't thinking with his head. He could've tried to move the fight somewhere else, but it would be likely that Zod and Faora would've moved the fight right back to Smallville. And the destruction in Metropolis really couldn't have been stopped either. The world engine had already destroyed a good portion of the city. Superman should've tried to keep the fight contained there, but Zod made it clear that he wanted all the humans destroyed. Zod was going to try and cause as much destruction as possible. Superman was stuck in a hard place there.
Superman doesn't care about the civilians
Also wrong. He wouldn't have spent so much time in the beginning of the movie saving them. He saved the men off the oil rig. He saved Lois Lane. He turnt himself into the US military, so they could in turn hand him over to Zod. He might have not done to much in the big fight at the end, but that was because as I said, Zod and his gang where trying to wipe out humanity. If Superman didn't care about the civilians, why would he fight Zod and his crew instead of joning up with them? And why would he kill Zod, which brings me to another point.
Superman doesn't kill
Well where is this written in stone? Superman doesn't kill? He has before. It is a last resort move, but he will kill if it saves the lives of civilians. Zod said it best himself. One of them was going to die. Obviously it wasn't going to be Superman, because WB is trying to start a shared movie universe. Zod was about to kill some innocent people, and Superman pleaded with him to stop. When Zod said never, Superman had no choice. It was time for Zod to die.
Lack of character development
I have the least argument against this. This film gave plenty of development to Superman, Kal-El, and the relationship between him and Pa Kent and Jor-El. There was a lot devoted to Kal deciding his place in this world. Zod even had some development, if you think about it. He was created for only one purpose and he fought for that purpose until the end. He didn't change much, per se. But he stuck to his guns. The main development problem I had was Superman and Lois Lane's relationship. It was too rushed and it never really felt like they had a romantic connection. It seemed like they were just together, because they are Superman and Lois Lane. It just felt like there was little work put there.
Overall, though, this was the best Superman movie to me. It hit all the right beats. It didn't have Superman as a beacon of hope for mankind, yet. But I feel in his third movie, it will. I say that, because if the rumors of him being an outcast in 'BvS' are true, then once he is gone the world will realize they need him. This movie was a stepping stone to getting Superman to where he is known. There were plenty of seeds planted to get this Superman to the one we know and love. It will take some time, but he will get there eventually. What do you think of 'Man of Steel'?
No. Just no. He isn't. There were a few Superman type jokes flying around (no pun intended). The interrogation scene and the end meeting with General Swanwick for example both had types of Superman humor. They were both very dry, matter-of-fact jokes. I feel like Superman humor falls in between Batman and The Flash. And in this film, it was portrayed like that. Also don't forget this is a man trying to figure who he is and his place on Earth. So he does have a right to be serious. And when most of the higher-ups in the world are calling for your head on a platter while you are dealing with a potential threat, I would think you have to be serious. Superman may have came off as too serious, but this man had a lot going on the movie. He needed to keep his head straight for most of it.
There is too much destruction
This is the argument I have the biggest problem with. The majority of the destruction couldn't have been stopped. Sure, the attack on Smallville could've been downscaled or taken out completely. Superman was furious at Zod for threatening his mother, though, and we all know Superman doesn't think with a clear head when he is mad. He defended his mother with raw emotion. That meant he wasn't thinking with his head. He could've tried to move the fight somewhere else, but it would be likely that Zod and Faora would've moved the fight right back to Smallville. And the destruction in Metropolis really couldn't have been stopped either. The world engine had already destroyed a good portion of the city. Superman should've tried to keep the fight contained there, but Zod made it clear that he wanted all the humans destroyed. Zod was going to try and cause as much destruction as possible. Superman was stuck in a hard place there.
Superman doesn't care about the civilians
Also wrong. He wouldn't have spent so much time in the beginning of the movie saving them. He saved the men off the oil rig. He saved Lois Lane. He turnt himself into the US military, so they could in turn hand him over to Zod. He might have not done to much in the big fight at the end, but that was because as I said, Zod and his gang where trying to wipe out humanity. If Superman didn't care about the civilians, why would he fight Zod and his crew instead of joning up with them? And why would he kill Zod, which brings me to another point.
Superman doesn't kill
Well where is this written in stone? Superman doesn't kill? He has before. It is a last resort move, but he will kill if it saves the lives of civilians. Zod said it best himself. One of them was going to die. Obviously it wasn't going to be Superman, because WB is trying to start a shared movie universe. Zod was about to kill some innocent people, and Superman pleaded with him to stop. When Zod said never, Superman had no choice. It was time for Zod to die.
Lack of character development
I have the least argument against this. This film gave plenty of development to Superman, Kal-El, and the relationship between him and Pa Kent and Jor-El. There was a lot devoted to Kal deciding his place in this world. Zod even had some development, if you think about it. He was created for only one purpose and he fought for that purpose until the end. He didn't change much, per se. But he stuck to his guns. The main development problem I had was Superman and Lois Lane's relationship. It was too rushed and it never really felt like they had a romantic connection. It seemed like they were just together, because they are Superman and Lois Lane. It just felt like there was little work put there.
Overall, though, this was the best Superman movie to me. It hit all the right beats. It didn't have Superman as a beacon of hope for mankind, yet. But I feel in his third movie, it will. I say that, because if the rumors of him being an outcast in 'BvS' are true, then once he is gone the world will realize they need him. This movie was a stepping stone to getting Superman to where he is known. There were plenty of seeds planted to get this Superman to the one we know and love. It will take some time, but he will get there eventually. What do you think of 'Man of Steel'?