What Zack Snyder has done with Superman feels markedly different than what Bryan Singer did within the self-created trap of his own choosing. Snyder's Man of Steel feels unchained from what is expected or what has come before, either from the Superman franchise or his own filmography.

A major difference I've felt is in overheard conversations: sometimes in movie theaters, sometimes (more rarely) when just out and about. I very distinctly recall the first weekend that Superman Returns trailers were playing in cinemas across the country. I was in a half-full screening of something or another. The audience collectively groaned, and then a woman behind me said in full voice "are they kidding us with this shit?". The below is how you sell even the most jaded audience on a new Superman.