Man of Steel was possibly the best superhero movie I’ve ever
seen, and that’s because in many ways it wasn’t a superhero movie. Directed by Zack Snyder, creative genius
behind 300 and Watchmen two of the greatest graphic novel film adaptations ever made,
the film focused heavily on Superman’s history which gave the viewer not only
Superman’s back story but also allowed for the significance of his arrival on
Earth to be all the more compelling.
Henry Cavil is fantastic as Kal-El, the first natural born baby on
Krypton in centuries. His father,
masterfully played by Russell Crowe, rescues his newborn son from the
destruction of the planet and the grasp of the evil General Zod played by
Michael Shannon whose goal is the survival of their race at any cost. Arriving on Earth, Kal-El is discovered by a
farmer and his wife (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) who understand the
significance of such a discovery.
Instilling in their son the utmost belief that he is special the parents
make him understand that one day, when the world finds out of his existence, it
will change humanity forever. Stunning
visual effects and intense action sequences make Man of Steel an exceptional
science fiction film and this overall theme of the discovery of life in the
universe which is at the heart of the Superman story is incredibly well
done. People overlook the fact that the existence
of Superman means the existence of not only intelligent life, but highly
advanced life in the universe besides us, a realization that will have a
profound effect on humanity as a whole.
With the arrival of General Zod on Earth, Superman must wait for the
appropriate time to not only save the planet, but reveal his existence to the
human race changing not only his life but everyone’s forever. The nearly 3 hour run time is necessary with
a film like this which masterfully crams in an incredible amount of storyline
and character development. Jumping back
and forth between Clark Kent as a young
man, searching the world for answers and himself as a young boy coming to terms
with his powers, the film paints a brilliant picture of the man of steel. Overall, the movie was a remarkable
achievement and not only stands up alongside The Dark Knight as one of the best
superhero movies ever but also stands alone as one of the best sci-fi movies I’ve
ever seen. I wish I had more thumbs,
because “two thumbs up” is an undeserved understatement. I cannot WAIT for the sequel.
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