I will give a superficial and somewhat shallow review of Man of Steel because I am not a Superman guru, DC comic geek, or aficionado on all things related to Clark Kent by any stretch of the imagination. If you plan on reading this post, be forewarned, there are spoilers below:
Man of Steel is the origin story of Superman known by his birthname Kal-El who hails from the planet Krypton. The universe is a dilapidated planet on the brink of extinction. Kal-El's father Jor-El played by Russell Crowe, is a scientist who strategically creates a ship with a forward thinking computer mind that allows Jor-El to manipulate dimensions and secret hideouts which proves to be advantageous for one with access to his private domain. Jor-El knows that his son Kal-El (who is born of natural birth on the planet Krypton) is now a threat to all mankind and General Zod (Michael Shannon) will stop at nothing to ensure his people are protected and that Kal-El aka Superman is destroyed.
Here's where the superficial part of my review comes in.
Kal-El is played by the hotness that is Henry Cavill. The casting directors finally got it right by casting an incredibly sexy man that exudes charisma, charm, and depicts an erogenous vibe on screen with a body to die for.
Watching Cavill's abs on IMAX 3D is definitely worth the price of admission.
I thought Cavill nailed it as man that exemplifies strength and fortitude, but he also balances the dichotomy of vulnerability and insecurity. His performance is in alignment with Crowe's and Costner's (Kevin Costner plays Jonathan Kent). If I were to give one slight criticism about Clark Kent's depiction in this movie, is that it far removed from the Clark Kent of days past played by actor Christopher Reeve. Clark Kent was clumsy, awkward, and well...nerdy. This uber sexy version of Kent does not portray one inkling of nerdiness that I was able to ascertain. The nerdiest moment was at the very end when Clark puts on a pair of black rimmed glasses and smiles awkwardly.
The story took on a different arc than what has also been depicted in earlier films with the Lois Lane/Superman love storyline. In Man of Steel, Lois Lane meets Superman before she meets Clark Kent. I must admit, that moment was a bit jarring for me since the beauty of their relationship was the mystery behind Lane not knowing the duality of what existed behind the Clark Kent/Superman persona. However, these criticisms were not a deal breaker for me at all.
I talked to a few Twitter buddies and they also mentioned that the action sequences were longer than they would prefer, and although I do agree with that feedback, I think it is to be expected to see Man of Steel be more action-centric than story-centric from a filmmaker like Zack Snyder.
The story though is solid. The narrative was told in with such clarity that it helped define Superman's strength and lineage in a much more profound way than the previous Superman films could ever illustrate. I was looking forward to this version of Superman more so because of the fact that it is an origin story. Just the way The Dark Knight keyed us all in about Batman's history in such a significant way, so did Man of Steel with Superman. I noticed that some critics have given this film a lot of negative reviews because of the story's realignment of Kal-El/Superman/Clark Kent. However, I like this new fresher perspective that leads one to wonder what now?
This film had stellar performances, action that went on for several scenes, and eye candy that will have me dreaming of Henry Cavill for the next few weeks. I totally have to go see every film he has been in now that I've seen him as Superman. I'm proud of DC comics putting out a decent film for a change. Marvel has been kicking their ass and taking names for years and this DC film finally got it right. Keep it up guys between Batman and Man of Steel you're two for two.(Green Lantern, Jonah Hex and The Watchmen sucked).
Yes, this review is totally superficial and I spent more time gawking at the hotness that is Henry Cavill, but I can't help it. This man gives me life.
Hope you enjoyed Man of Steel as much as I did. Cheers.
