Stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Henry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Antje Traue, Laurence Fishburne with Diane Lane, Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner Directed by Zack Snyder The cinematic journey of Superman has been fairly rocky, even taking into account the Richard Donner classic that brought Christopher Reeve to public consciousness. When Bryan Singer, who had guided the X-Men to big screen glory took on the Big Blue, the result was too referential and reverential to Donner's version that the movie barely soared. Brandon Routh did give it a good old try, had the looks too, but couldn't lift it from the doldrums. So now, with the writer of the most recent Dark Knight trilogy, the director of that holding the producer reins, and the director of fairly successful comic book adaptations, 300 and Watchmen, at the helm, it looks like the Man Of Steel has a chance to prove just how relevant he is on the big screen today. With an all new vision, a remarkable cast and a visionary visual director, this is a daring new take on the old hero. So, what works? Henry Cavill does a remarkable job as our hero, be it Clark Kent, Kal-El or Superman. Given the new take on the character, Cavill delivers a mostly emotionally grounded performance, delivering a far more 'real-world' take on the Superman character than ever. The approach is intriguing enough to carry through the story and Cavill does well to carry the movie on his fairly broad shoulders. But he is very ably supported by a trio of truly superb stars that run the gamut of emotional mirrors to Cavill's performance. Russel Crowe lends gravitas to Jor-El, a role that leans close to being God-like, especially in the holographic form he takes throughout the film. It doesn't help the religious undertones either that usually accompany the Superman origin story (from baby Kal being put in the 'basket' and sent away as the future hope of a race to the Christ-like pose Superman takes right before moving to save the world). Kevin Costner surprises as Jonathan Kent, who gives Clark his humanity and heart. It is a very strong performance here, but the surprise is Michael Shannon as General Zod. Zod isn't just some megalomaniac out for power. There is a drive there, a purpose to his actions, and Shannon delivers a chilling villain. It's not quite the amazing camp of Terrence Stamp, but it is definitely his own. Then there's Amy Adams as Lois Lane and in comparison, this is a Lois Lane that is truly a hardcore reporter who is not some lovesick damsel occasionally in distress. The nature of the story itself gives Adams breathing room to create a Lois that lives and breathes her job and ply her investigative skills, delivering quite a surprise, plot-wise. Diane Lane (as Martha Kent) also gives us a solid foundation, a home for Clark to return to and protect. The cast is remarkable here. Writer David Goyer does some interesting things with the overall plot - although Star Trek (2009) did pop into my head at several points throughout the entire film. Some might say that because of Zod and some of his actions, it might be Superman II that was the source material. But for me, it was similarities to Star Trek - not quite beat for beat, but close on certain points (birth of Kal as he loses his father, hero finding his place, taking out the bad guys) but peppered with loads and loads of massive destruction as the super-powered beings bash it out all over the place. And it was really a lot of destruction that went from the "wow" to "really?" to "enough already!" in fairly quick succession. It could have been just me tho. As spectacular some of the action scenes are, the fatigue did set in for me after a while. The destruction that happens is so massive, to reflect the power of the combatants, that it just seems… excessive. Snyder does a great job at wrangling everything, keeping a grip on the reins of his own style. So there isn't any of his usual 'speed-ramping' and the action is all the better for it. Backed by Hans Zimmer's pounding score, quite reminiscent of the Dark Knight soundtracks, the movie does cut its own path to create a visual feast with a well worn and proven story and some solid characters. I do have some other issues, but for that, click through to the Wordpress site for a more spoiler-filled write-up and other reflections. In all, Man Of Steel hits the mark at creating a Superman for the ages, dealing with some truly emotional and moral issues where the character is concerned. The few flaws are minor and everything else is close to perfect. For the comic fans, there are some easter eggs to spot too (particularly with one particular satellite). Not so sure about a 3D presentation tho, especially at the pace that the action plays out. And just be mindful about bringing the very young 'uns along. It may be PG-13 but it does get very intense, especially towards the end.
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