I have read that comic, and it's nowhere near as grim as this movie.

The tone change at the end kind of works against the film because just a few scenes ago, Superman snapped a man's neck and gets over it pretty damn fast. So, sitting there, all I'm thinking about is the fact he killed Zod and now we have women crushing on him and him being all smiles. It just doesn't work.

Another issue I have with the last two Superman movies is that they spend so much time on Superman. Clark Kent is meant to be the average working Joe that people can relate to. Maybe not as many now as he's a little bit of a boyscout (I can at least relate to him because I had a similar upbringing and never acted out against my parents as much as other kids my age), but that's mainly his whole thing. Superman is the man you aspire to be because he does great things, and they're the same person! Which goes to show that regardless of all the flaws you have, you can still aspire to do great things. They can't hold you down. And for the last couple of years (on film at least) no one seems to be able to understand this simple premise.

The Superman/Batman relationship is pretty much the optimistic versus the realist. Superman likes to see the good in people, Batman views them as untrustworthy, and I think that's another reason a lot of people side towards Batman because people have proven time and time again to be untrustworthy. But Superman has always contrasted Batman's darker tones. This Superman is just as dark if not darker than Batman is, so I just don't see it working in this universe, but the next movie may prove me wrong. I don't know.

I went on a rant here, man. Boy.

Edit: Agreed, Shauna. I hate the muted colors.