I believe that Zack Snyder has a tremendous opportunity within his grasp with the Man of Steel sequel, a chance to correct course and truly make something monumental in the realm of comic book movies. He is certainly a creative and visionary director, but with almost all of his movies, it seems that what he envisions in his mind does not color the pages of a storyboard in quite the same fashion. When his films are released and viewed, they are beautiful and stylized and full of visually stunning effects. Where he goes astray, in my estimation, and in the estimation of many others, is with the story behind the style. His movies, for all of their visual charisma, just do not have any verbal structure to lay upon. They are like stunning pieces of art in a gallery, but with no walls on which to be displayed. With no support to hang them upon, they just end up scattered around the room, leaving the viewer with pretty pictures but no structure or direction.
I felt it was important to provide that subjective background in order to properly justify the points I am going to make. I respect Zack Snyder and I think he is a truly talented director, but his films are always lacking structure. Every time he creates a film, I think, "This is it. This is the one," and I thought that about Man of Steel, but he never fully lives up to his potential and his films are always lacking in structure and coherence. Man of Steel was no different.
I enjoyed Man of Steel, don't get me wrong. It was visually stunning, which is always a given with Zack Snyder, and I thought the science fiction direction it took was a great idea. Superman is always viewed through the lens of "Superman" or "Clark Kent" in film, but what about the perspective of "Kal-El"? What are his feelings about his place in the way of things? I thought Man of Steel was right in exploring that side of the character and it really added to the mystique of the plot.
Where the film really lost its luster was with the ridiculous amount of destruction depicted. Explosions and damage are always a given in an action movie, especially a comic book movie, but the amount shown in Man of Steel was absurd. Smallville was laid to waste, which I thought was completely unnecessary and a tad distasteful, and a large portion of Metropolis, of course, was annihilated. I won't belabor these well worn points any more, but I wanted to briefly revisit them in order to pose this suggestion to Zack Snyder: use the destruction to your advantage in the sequel.
It has been suggested by many readers and regular contributors on this site that in order for the Man of Steel sequel to justify Bruce Wayne being in it, there must be a philanthropic component regarding the rebuilding of Metropolis, a notion to which I happen to agree. However, I believe this needs to be a serious point of emphasis in the sequel and not just some weak lead-in so Batman can appear. The Man of Steel sequel didn't need Batman in it, and now that he is in it, the sequel still doesn't need him. The sequel needs Bruce Wayne. More importantly, Metropolis needs Bruce Wayne.
I think that bringing in Argo writer Chris Terrio was a terrific idea. He and Ben Affleck created something great with Argo and it only makes sense to have him help tailor the sequel to Ben Affleck's take on Bruce Wayne. Plus, David S. Goyer, for all of his success, was really a product of Christopher Nolan's success, and I think he used Man of Steel as his "coming out party," so speak. He was trying to step out of Nolan's shadow and, in my opinion, he overreached. The Man of Steel sequel needed a fresh infusion of writing talent and it got it with the addition of Terrio. Furthermore, Ben Affleck has become an incredible writing and directing talent in his own right, so I think it would be nothing but positive for Zack Snyder to allow Affleck to give some direction to the sequel, as well, especially since his character is quickly becoming the central focus of the film, even though it is a "Superman" sequel.
This is Zack Snyder's chance to finally show he can do more than paint a pretty picture. The destruction that took place in Man of Steel, and the aftermath (both critically and with regard to the substance of the film), has already been written and so it is. There is no going back for him; but, he can move forward, and he can use the damage done in the first film (both literally and figuratively) to create something truly remarkable in the second film.
Mr. Snyder, make Bruce Wayne mean something in the second film. Make him leave an impact on the franchise. Metropolis was wounded in the first film. Use this opportunity to repair and rebuild Metropolis, both for the sake of the franchise, and for the sake of your legacy.