Man of Steel review

MAN OF STEEL:

A ROUSING BLAST OF SUPER ACTION, SPECIAL EFFECTS, AND A WELL MADE REBOOT OF SUPERMAN!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Henry Cavill as Superman in Man of Steel

Superman is back on the big screen in this new reboot of the Superman franchise, Man of Steel, directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy), and stars Henry Cavill as the Man of Steel himself, Superman. It’s definitely an improvement over the last attempt to bring Superman back to the screen with 2006’s Superman Returns, starring Brandon Routh, with Snyder’s stylized action sequences and visual effects, and Nolan’s visionary filmmaking, this duo not only brings us an exhilarating summer blockbuster but a well made tribute to the popular DC Comics superhero.

            During an epic battle on the planet Krypton, Superman’s father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe-Gladiator, Robin Hood, Les Miserables) sends his newborn son to planet Earth to live as an average human being and to keep him safe from harm. As a young boy, Clark Kent finds out he has extraordinary powers and his adoptive father, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner-Field of Dreams) warns him to keep his gift a secret from others because he may put himself and his loved ones in danger if everyone knew of his powers.

            After time passes, Clark gets a message from Jor-El explaining to him that he was brought to Earth to protect the humans from General Zod (Michael Shannon-Premium Rush) who is trying to destroy the Earth and rebuild Krypton on top of it. So he dons the jumpsuit and red cape, and becomes Superman, he’ll do whatever it takes to keep Earth save from Zod and his team.

            Man of Steel is definitely one of the best summer films out at the moment, it’s pretty much a powerhouse of special effects, insane superhero action, all plunging into an eye popping, heart pounding climax that will leave you at the edge of your seat. And while I do like the cast they picked out for this film, I don’t think Henry Cavill is a better Superman than Christopher Reeve, Henry is amusing to watch and very charming but I just didn’t think his portrayal was better than Reeve’s, Christopher’s portrayal was a little more classical and iconic than Cavill, but Henry was better than Brandon Routh.

            The rest of the cast is amusing and fun to watch as well, Amy Adams (The Fighter, Enchanted, The Muppets) as Lois Lane is very likable, Russell Crowe’s performance as Jor-El is very good, and Michael Shannon as the villain, General Zod is just phenomenal. It was the second time I saw Shannon deliver an outstanding performance as a villain, the first being Premium Rush, he puts a lot of energy into it and really brings out the character.

            While I enjoyed Man of Steel, I wouldn’t consider it to be better than Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, I personally thought Man of Steel had better action than The Dark Knight trilogy but The Dark Knight movies had better character development than Man of Steel, but I guess I’m just nitpicking now. So as a whole this Superman flick is highly entertaining and blasting with classic comic book action and visual effects, it definitely surpasses most of the previous Hollywood Superman flicks over the years (Superman III, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman Returns), with its impressive visuals, action, cast, and an impressive final showdown between Superman and Zod, this Superflick takes flight.