So after a break from posting movie reviews, I am back and decided I would start back up with my review of Man of Steel simply because of the announcement over the weekend from San Diego Comic Convention that the follow up to Man of Steel would be Superman teaming up with Batman. Being the superhero geek that I am I could not help but be totally excited about this announcement. I was excited for the Superman reboot since it was tied to Zac Snyder directing and Christopher Nolan producing, I knew that this go around would be pretty strong. While I have somewhat enjoyed Superman movies as well as some of the Superman animated shows, I have never really been a big fan of Superman because he is the superhero that seems to have any and all super powers that a Superhero would want or could have. Man of Steel gives us though a completely different Superman then anything that has been brought to any screen previously. While critics have been harsh on Man of Steel because it is not close to the original Superman movie that has shaped the canon of Superman movies. For me the fact that they moved away and left the original as its own and took Man of Steel to be its own complete story of Superman that made it work and be such an enjoyable movie in my mind.
Henry Cavill stars as Clark Kent/Superman and ends up giving a really strong performance. Especially, when compared to the previous actor that played Superman. Cavill was such a perfect fit for where they were taking Man of Steel and the telling of the Superman story. Amy Adams in the role of Lois Lane works. She has a great ability to play female lead roles in which the female lead really portrays strength and is not a damsel in distress. Adams like Cavill is redefining the role of Lois Lane and hopefully with future movies the characters can take this initial depth we have been given and continue to expand on it. Michael Shannon as our antagonist General Zod epitomizes a Superman villain. He is menacing and is truly an equal for Superman to go up against. He is able to match Superman punch for punch, yet while they are equals it is the upbringing on Earth that Superman has had that separates the two in the end. The supporting cast was well cast and really helped throughout the film. For me Russell Crowe was meant to play the role of Jor-El and gives the audience a great view of how a Kryptonian should be and through his instruction that his conscious is able to give Clark Kent allows Clark to see this as well.
The story for Man of Steel was a great one for the reboot of the franchise and really for me the most enjoyable Superman movie that I have seen. The story for Man of Steel while darker then previous Superman movies, it just works. This works for me simply I think because of the similar feel that the Man of Steel has with Batman Begins and the origin story that it told. As I mentioned earlier I have never been the big Superman fan because he is virtually invincible and has every super power possible, yet with Man of Steel, Snyder's direction through the use of flashbacks of Clark and him trying to deal with his powers and his desire to help those in trouble really humanized Superman. This humanization made him vulnerable and for me it made Superman more likable. Personally, one of the best aspects of the story for me was that we were actually given a great look into the planet of Krypton and a good story as to why the planet was dying and even the reasoning behind sending Superman to Earth.
To go along with the story Snyder brought great visuals and action to meld almost perfectly with the story. Snyder used the visuals to perfection. the visuals of Krypton were simply inspiring, it is always cool to see how a director will portray another world. Snyder brings stunning visuals that it truly showed a highly advanced society to me for Krypton. The visuals that continued throughout the movie are perfect as Snyder uses contrasting colors to give an amazing feel to the cinematography. It is amazing to me how he can do it so simply yet subtly, a great example of this for me was that of the contrast in colors between the background and the blue and red of Superman's costume and how Snyder makes it virtually pop off the screen. Snyder also gives action that while it had its moments of feeling rushed it still worked a majority of the time. The battle sequences between Superman and the invaders from Krypton were very well done. While I felt like the climatic battle scene was slightly rushed it still was pretty cool to watch and see.
Man of Steel was not only a really good reboot of the Superman franchise, but I would consider it to be one of the stronger movies that I have seen. Zac Snyder along with Christopher Nolan showed a very strong chemistry together. Man of Steel had a definite touch and feel of Christopher Nolan having a hand, yet it did not overpower the direction of Snyder which the film definitely had his touch especially his contrasting visuals that he does throughout the movie. The acting talents of Cavill, Adams and Shannon really worked well and I felt there chemistry was perfect. I am giving Man of Steel four buckets of popcorn out of five. I would definitely recommend Man of Steel to be one that any movie goer makes sure to see in theaters, and I am now very excited to see the next installment that will have Superman teaming up with Batman.
-The Movie Man
