Man of Steel

Man of Steel

Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane

Directed by Zack Snyder

On the planet of Krypton, the planet is dying from overuse of its resources.  Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife give natural birth to a child for the first time in centuries, and they name him Kal-El.  When military leader General Zod (Michael Shannon) try to stage a coup, he's apprehended and sentenced to isolation, and right afterward the planet implodes.  Before the planet dies, Jor-El manages to get Kal-El on a ship and send him to the next planet that shows visible life - Earth.

Kal-El, now named Clark Kent by Jonathan (Kevin Coster) and Martha (Diane Lane), the couple who found him, grows up trying to understand his purpose and why he's different than the other children, while he learns the values of helping others and trying to stay hidden because, according to Jonathan, the world isn't ready for him to be seen.

Now as an adult man, Clark (Henry Cavill) is working odd jobs throughout the world, and keeps having to quit and leave when issues of safety arise and he uses his superhuman abilities to help.  While on a job in Antarctica, they discover a ship in the ice, and investigative reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) catches Clark performing his superhuman traits, and sets out to expose him, which results in the arrival of General Zod, who wants to turn Earth into the new Krypton - even if it results in the extinction of humanity.

Director Zack Snyder ("300," "Watchmen") brings Superman to life in a new and exciting way.  Having a re-boot origin story is a daunting task, because the general moviegoing audience already knows about the person in the film, so having to sit through a lot of boring set-up sequences often drives audiences away.  Snyder takes it in a different direction where he still tells the origins of Superman, but does so in a way that keeps the action going at an almost non-stop pace.  Flashbacks to Clark Kent's childhood doesn't show him wandering around and accidentally discovering abilities, but rather throws him in life-or-death situations and showcasing how he struggles with trying to protect humanity, but also keep his identity a secret.

The action scenes were nothing short of breathtaking, which, judging from Snyder's past, isn't too surprising.  It was like a Michael Bay experience, only it had purpose.  The set designs and graphics were eye-popping, and the acting was surprisingly not very prominent.  I can't remember half of the lines Clark Kent spoke, because it was mostly action sequences and acting based on the body rather than the mouth. 

Personally I've never been a fan of Superman, even in the comics.  I always felt he was too perfect, that nothing could stop him except for Krypton.  Also after watching the abysmal "Superman Returns" I had very low expectations going into this film, and thankfully it not only topped my expectations, but literally blew them through the roof.  An amazing spectacle, housing everything a summer blockbuster should include, and then some more.

My Rating: A