Spoiler Free Plot Synopsis
A young boy learns that he is not from Earth and embarks on a journey of self discovery that not only sheds light on his origin, but thrusts him into the role of hero. A hero which must protect his adopted home from a threat beyond the stars that hopes to claim Earth as their own.
Kick Ass Moment:
This is one of many awesome moments in the film. I wish I had some more clips to share with you guys.
Source: Trailer Addict
My Take:
When Man of Steel was announced, I was both happy and concerned at the same time. I was happy because Hollywood wanted to try their hand at another film for this character and my concern was that it would be another subpar effort leading towards Superman being blackballed from the big screen. While there are elements that people griped about that are valid, that fact is that Superman needed a treatment that was a departure from Christopher Reeve’s interpretation and Man of Steel succeeded in that regard. Some of the criticisms people had were that the film lacked humor or that Superman was too “muscular” ( via Rotten Tomatoes) – which I found to be absurd and completely out of touch with what Snyder hoped to accomplish. Man of Steel was meant to deliver a Superman that was learning the concepts of heroism and the duality of knowing the Kents were not his parents.Those elements were truly the high points of a film that was littered with plenty of Kryptonian-on-Kryptonian violence. Man of Steel sets itself apart from films like Iron Man 3 and The Avengers by not falling into the trap of humor and whimsy and delivering a superhero epic on par with the recent Batman films; which should shock no one considering Christopher Nolan’s involvement. Some of my favorite moments throughout the film were the constant reinforcement of Clark Kent’s relationship with his adoptive father, which was a facet of Superman seldomly seen on screen. It made people connect with Superman more and also gave some insight into his values and how they were being shaped even during his youth.
Henry Cavill had a lot of pressure going into this film and his portrayal of both Clark Kent and Superman was well executed and more in touch with the present day expectations of comic fans and theatergoers . While Superman was not “dark” a’ la Christian Bale’s Batman, he was more in tune with his flaws and his desire to make himself whole and be the hero he was destined to be. The best example was when Superman was learning to fly and how determined he was to get it right. Cavill made Superman his own and much like Michael Shannon did not try to emulate his predecessors.
Superman needed to not rely on Lex Luthor to get this new film off the ground and I applaud Snyder for not going that route and going with General Zod who not only is tied deeply into the Superman mythos, but was a perfect villain for Superman to fight. Michael Shannon did an incredible job as Zod and did not try to replicate Terrence Stamp’s interpretation of the character. Shannon’s Zod was a driven military genius motivated by the need to save his race even at the expense of everyone else. Remember, the best villains are the ones who think they’re the heroes. There was no “kneel before Zod” moment, but frankly it would have sullied a tremendous villain. I also need to acknowledge Antje Traue’s Faora who was an effective #2 to Zod. Her performance was masterful and complimented the slightly unhinged Zod.
The effects in this film were amazing from the first frame all the way to the final battle between Superman and Zod. This was something I expected considering Zack Snyder’s visual style seen in films like 300 and Sucker Punch. While some may complain about the needless destruction caused throughout the film, the fact is that people clamored for a more bad ass Superman and you got one courtesy of Zack Snyder.
Recommendation:
If you are walking into this film expecting a Christopher Reeve-ish big blue boy scout loaded with subtle gags and whimsy then turn around and walk out. If you are a seasoned Superman fan that wants to see the character get a fitting treatment, then this is the film for you. Grab your $20 worth of snacks and soda and prepare your eyes for amazing visual effects that will make the trip to the theater worth it.
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