Man of Steel - Movie review

The latest live-action adaptation of Superman released on the 75th anniversary of that comic, managed to gross three times its $250-million budget. Zack Snyder directs the 143 minute epic, which by all accounts is a sloppy convoluted and complicated mess that still manages to entertain every step of the way. Henry Cavill stars as the title character as we see his origin story on Krypton has a baby and blasted off to small-town Kansas where he becomes the most powerful humanoid on the planet. While I’m not a fan of all American superheroes being played by English actors, Cavill does a great job in the title role, perfectly balancing that seriousness and sly likability. Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Christopher Maloney, Richard Schiff, and Laurence Fishbone, round out the gigantic supporting cast. Most of which turn in fine performances except for Amy Adams who felt out of place in most scenes and appears later is a convenient love interest just because the plot requires it. The action-packed cold open gives us explosive glimpses at Krypton, Superman's home world, as it’s ravaged by disastrous earthquakes from within. And it's in these scenes that we get to see Shannon’s intense determination to save the planet and later, his motivation on becoming the villain, in a role he absolutely nails. The pg-13 rated film keeps itself emotionally grounded as it balances between flashbacks of a young Clark Kent dealing with childhood struggles, and Cavill, dealing with superhero powers in modern day society. While Costner warns his adopted space baby: “People are afraid of what they don't understand”; Crow is meanwhile encouraging his son to use his force for good and represent an ideal. If this interplay between the two father figures that gives audiences a better understanding of the Superman character than ever before. So when the evil Michael Shannon arrives on Earth to capture Supermen dead or alive, or destroy Earth in the process, you appreciate the stakes that much more. While I have nothing against Hans Zimmer’s score, John Williams’s is iconic theme is sorely missing from this picture. When the ignorant US military foolishly captures the title character, he coyly says in a powerful interrogation scene: “Let's put our cards on the table” to clearly indicate that he is cooperating, not by force but because he's just polite. And apparently that’s why we all love the Man of Steel—he’s the ideal embodiment of heroism. But is it necessary that every single fistfight he gets into has to destroy a building in the process? The biggest issue I had with this movie is the fact that during the climax Superman and Zod destroy every building and structure in Metropolis. It is neglectful actions likely result in the death of hundreds of thousands of people. It is something that is never addressed in the film and not anything audiences can ignore. Although he could have eased up a bit on the annoying product placement, director Zack Snyder does a good job of intensifying these ridiculous fights with quick camera moves and loud sound effects. The slowly paced action film crescendos into a loud and visual ***. The special effects here are incredible but the action sequences are so far removed from reality, they are devoid of tension or dramatic elements. They become nothing more than meaningless cartoon fights—you have two super mortals battling each other between a rock and a hard place, neither of them can defeat each other so what is the point? And when the flying spandex-wearing aliens aren’t killing each other, the movie is far too serious for its own good. It could definitely use the Marvel treatment and just wrote a few jokes here and there. I definitely enjoyed any sequence where the military was trying to cooperate with Superman. The dialogue there was really interesting and fun to watch unfold. But a secondary plot running parallel to climax involving Daily Planet workers trying to outrun falling buildings, did absolutely nothing for me. I don't know who they were or why should care about them. I'd be totally fine watching them get crushed by concrete. Assembled like a delicate house of cards, this movie collapses under intense scrutiny. Dozens of plot holes and contrived conveniences ruin this movie if you actually look close enough. But if you just lay back and let the empty Hollywood fluff wash over you, this is a supremely entertaining and totally enjoyable movie for all fans a superhero films and action movies. A commendable and interesting reboot but this is easily the grittiest and most somber picture in the franchise. I won’t have issue watching it again but there was a lot of untapped potential here and I hope they go in a lighter direction for follow-up installments. Man of Steel: excessively violent, but emotionally compelling. Those are my thoughts on this blockbuster now let’s see what you had to say in the YouTube comments. Let's take a look at Man of Steel the rate-o-matic: a double SEVEN. Somewhat controversial opinions on this one with people rating it everything from a ten to a two. You thought the movie was all over the place, but still had a good time. Your scores averaged to a COOL. And I completely agree. There were parts of this movie I liked and parts I hated. At the end of the day though, I left the theater with a smile on my face and that's all you can really ask for. I thought it was COOL as well.