On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 332 reviews, with an average rating of 6.23/10. The site’s consensus reads, “Man of Steel’s exhilarating action and spectacle can’t fully overcome its detours into generic blockbuster territory.”[138] On Metacritic, the film received a weighted score of 55 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating “mixed or average reviews”.[139] Audience polls in North America from CinemaScore for the film tallied an average grade of an “A–” on an A+ to F scale, with those under the age of 18 and older than 50 giving it an “A”.[134] Cavill’s performance as Superman earned mixed reviews, with some critics commenting on perceived stiffness and a lack of charisma.[140]

Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times said that Man of Steel covered no new ground with regard to Superman films, and instead, “we’re plunged back into a mostly-underwhelming film, with underdeveloped characters and supercharged-fight scenes that drag on and offer nothing new in the way of special-effects creativity”.[141] The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr wrote, “What’s missing from this Superman saga is a sense of lightness, of pop joy”.[142] The Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday stated that with “Hans Zimmer’s turgid, over-produced score”, the film “is an exceptionally-unpleasant viewing experience”.[143] For The Denver Post’s Lisa Kennedy, the chief problem with Man of Steel is the “rhythm and balance in the storytelling and directing” which resulted in a film that swings “between destructive overstatement and flat-footed homilies.”[