"Man Of Steel" Review: "You Might Want To Step Back.."

As regular readers of this blog already know, director Richard Donner's Superman-The Movie put me on a path to want to make movies, and then ultimately led to the creation of The Last Reel. I am by no means the only one...The 1978 classic inspired lots of folks to catch the film bug. Bryan Singer's Superman Returns tried to recapture the spirit of the original film but ended up being meh under the weight of the earlier film's legacy...

When it was announced that the team behind the recent Batman trilogy--Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer would have a hand in rebooting Superman for the big screen in "Man Of Steel" I was elated...As a fan of director Zack Snyder's Dawn of the Dead 300 and Watchmen I was stoked that Nolan chose him to call action...

While I can live with many of the key character changes that the team decided to make here--there are some that I had a very hard time with....

The origin of our hero remains in tact--The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core, resulting from years of exploiting Krypton's natural resources. The ruling council is deposed by the rebel military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), and his followers. Scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife Lara (Ayelet Zurer) launch their newborn son Kal-El on a spacecraft to Earth, infusing his cells with a genetic codex to preserve the Kryptonian race. After Zod murders Jor-El, he and his followers are captured and banished to the Phantom Zone. As Krypton explodes, Zod and his followers--including Faora (Antje Traue) are freed.

The infant Kal-El is raised as the adoptive son of Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner Diane Lane), who name him Clark. At the age of 9 Clark's (Cooper Timberline) Kryptonian physiology affords him superhuman abilities on Earth, which initially cause him confusion and ostracizing, but he gradually learns to harness his powers to help others. Jonathan tells a teenage Clark (Dylan Sprayberry) that he is an alien and advises him against using his powers publicly, fearing that society will reject him.

After Jonathan's death, an adult Clark (Henry Cavill) spends several years living a nomadic lifestyle, working different jobs under false names, while saving people in secret.. He eventually infiltrates a scientific discovery of a Kryptonian scout spaceship in the Arctic. Clark enters the alien ship, and it allows him to communicate with the preserved consciousness of Jor-El in the form of a hologram. Lois Lane (Amy Adams), a journalist from the Daily Planet who was sent to write a story on the discovery, sneaks inside the ship while following Clark and is rescued by him when she is injured. Lois's editor Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) rejects her story of a "superhuman" rescuer, so she traces Clark back to Kansas with the intention of writing an exposé.

Zod and his crew seek out other colony worlds, and eventually follow a Kryptonian distress signal sent from the ship Clark discovered on Earth. Zod demands that humans surrender Kal-El, whom he believes has the codex...

While I understand that Snyder, Nolan, and Goyer had to stay as far away from the Christopher Reeve era films--I can even understand changing certain aspects of said origin that were once considered sacred...A non spoilery example of what I mean would be the manner in which Jonathan Kent dies. In their effort to give us a more "grounded" or "relatable" Superman" MOS never really soars.  The tone of the film is indeed so serious that even as our hero does his thing you are not given the chance to feel relief or exhilaration--Instead we move on to the next big action crisis

The performances are OK here given what I stated above--Cavill wears the "S" very well--but is barely permitted the chance to smile here. The film is humorless save for two brief moments. I get it.. Realism. But even in the cold real world humor exists. I honestly think I chuckled more during Nolan's Bat-films and 2 of then had the word "Dark" in the title...The Lois/Clark dynamic is taken to some interesting places that I am sure will be explored in Man of Steel 2 Still the whole meet/cute thing is muted Shannon's Zod is all menace all the time. As the Kents Costner and Lane give the film much needed warmth home spun Americana.

The action in MOS is insane---particularly in film's last 45 minutes where both Smallville and Metropolis are practically leveled as the Supes and Zod square off in Snyder's traditionally chaotic style. By this time though you're kinda use to things moving at super speed.

A word now about composer Hans Zimmer's work--like the film it's rather heavy driving with lots of percussive force--but its quieter theme is very noble and earnest That said I am still partial to the iconic theme that John Williams wrote for the character.

The much talked about ending which I will not spoil here is controversial and forever alters the character for as long as Cavill has the role (go here if you want to know) by breaking a key tenant of our hero--making the Man Of Steel ironically more "human" then Nolan's Batman.

Reading this review--you probably think I HATED the film--Nope. I honestly look forward to seeing what happens next...I just think Batman is the Dark Knight and Superman is "The Light to show the way" and you should be able to see the distinction whether they appear together in the same film or not...