Movie Review: Man of Steel!

As his last living act, a scientist on a dying world sends his newborn son to earth where he is found and adopted by two farmers. Growing up, he discovers he has amazing abilities and sets out to find both where he comes from and how he fits into his adopted world. Who are we kidding? You know the story. It's Superman! But is this new version of the Man of Steel any good? Here's what we think.

The Good

If you read my blog at all (apparently someone is reading these things), you know that I am a big Superman fan who has been looking forward to this movie for a long time. So did it satisfy me? Absolutely! Man of Steel finally does what no one had yet dared to do: put away the childish reverence of the Donner-Reeve's films and carve out a new world for Superman. And while most of the critics reviewing the film find this to be a negative, I believe it was absolutely necessary for Man of Steel to severe all ties with the previous movies both in content and in tone. It's the only way Superman has any chance of a future on the big screen. Ultimately, this movie is not a remake of Superman: The Movie, but instead takes its inspiration from the comics and it makes for one hell of a ride. 

Aside from the tone, the best part about Man of Steel is the cast; specifically Henry Cavill in the title role. Others have said it but it's the truest statement I can think of: Cavill was born to play Superman. He clearly understands the character and brings out all of the beats in his personality that make Superman who he is. Cavill makes it look easy. Michael Shannon's Zod was an excellent counter balance to Superman. I can't think of anyone who could take on that roll and pull it off with more conviction and depth. Antje Traue is the German actress who plays Faora in the film and she is genuinely scary. Whenever she is on screen, you feel the danger immediately multiply by 10 and her voice and delivery are truly perfect. A big surprise for me was the character of Colonel Hardy, played by Christopher Meloni. I had really only seen Meloni in Law & Order: SVU and had a hard time imagining him in a film like this, but his performance is impressive and will probably be a fan favorite. 

Lastly for "The Good", Man of Steel raises the bar over everyone's head (yes, even the Avengers) in terms of action. For all those that complained that Superman Returns lacked action scenes, you will have NO WAY of saying that this time. The last 40 minutes of the film are a constant barrage of beatings dished out both by and on Superman. Considering we've not really seen Superman even throw a punch on the big screen, this alone is a departure from movies past and, I think, a huge leap in the right direction. 

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The Bad

I hesitate to even use the word "bad" because I really didn't find anything terrible wrong with the film. But if I'm nitpicking, my one gripe is the breakneck pace at which we fly through the first half of the movie. We are given tiny glimpses of Clark as an adult, interspersed with looks at his childhood. I loved the non-linear method they employed, I just wish we could have slowed down a bit to savor these moments. That said, I still don't feel this was necessarily bad, just something I felt didn't work as well as it could have.

All in all, I LOVED Man of Steel. As a lifelong Superman fan, this is the way I've always wanted to see him portrayed on film and, much to my surprise, Zack Snyder was the one to pull it off. I sincerely hope we get a sequel because this version of the character is just way too good to let die.

Have you seen Man of Steel? What did you think? Comment below!

Dusty's Score: 9 out of 10