MAN OF STEEL  3.0****

 

 

 

         “Man of Steel” is not about Lois and Clark, it is not about Superman's dual identity, is not even so much about him being a hero. At its heart, “Man of Steel” is about Fathers and their legacy, it's about family, it's about a man deciding to follow his own path and, yes, it's ultimately about hope.  The mood and story development in the 1^st hour of the film  reminded me a lot of the redo of Batman in  “Batman Begins” with the same serious concerns and conflict.   

For Superman fans the story will be familiar and starts with a newborn baby named Kal-El, who is sent  by his parents Jor-El (Russell Crowe) & his wife Lara Lo from the dying planet of Krypton to Earth on a small spaceship .After the small spaceship lands in Kansas in a small town called Smallville,  Kal-El is found by a farmer couple Jon (Kevin Costner) & Martha Kent (Diane Lane) .They of course name him Clark Kent. About 10 or 11 years later, Clark discovers  that he has unusual unique powers and he feels that he is not from Earth. Then about 20 or 22 years later, he finally discovers that he from the planet Krypton. Then, Earth is threatened by a group  led by General Zod (Michael Shannon).They are also from Krypton and have the same powers as Kal-El. So, Clark Kent must uses his powers to try to save Earth.  The first hour of the film is well paced and retells and modernize the boy-to- manhood years of Superman . After that, and with the arrival of the  villainous General Zod  and his fellow baddies, the movie becomes a  super action story  . The visuals of the action scenes and fighting that follow  are outstanding and use to the fullest extent the magic of CGI  . The only problem I had with this was that these action sequences last way  too long and became repetitive. It could and should have been condensed by at least 5 to 10 minutes. It was so over the top that  the fights between Superman and  Zod end up  destroying almost  half of  the skyscrapers and streets in Metropolis …. and did a number on my ears.  

Man of Steel is a huge production, and the money ( estimated at over $200 millioin) is splashed across the screen in endless special effects and lots of action. What are missing are the moments of surprise and humour… the joys of seeing the superhero making every day magic.  I also missed the charm and humor of the Reeve version (e.g. the magic of the first flight with Lois) are not found here. Just a couple of chuckles.  Some lighter moments might have made Superman a more rounded hero than some gloomy Dark Knight kind of action figure.  

The British actor, Henry Cavill,  is fantastic as Superman/Clark Kent. Amy Adams gives Lois Lane a sense of depth and honesty to her that makes her more than just Superman's love interest.  Michael Shannon is awesome as the villainous Zod. The rest of the  cast which includes Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Lawrence Fishbourne, Richard Schiff  and Christopher Maloni  is outstanding .

Clark