Man of Steel (2013)

     Finally, one of the summer's most anticipated movies is here. Ever since its very interesting trailers began to debut online, Man of Steel has been rapidly gathering hype, causing people to ask questions such as "Can there be a good Superman movie?". "Will this make up for the AWFUL Superman Returns?" "Is Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan really a good match up to make this movie?" The answer to all of those questions is, fortunately, a resounding YES.

Plot

     One of the things I like the most about this movie is how it manages to take a story we all know by heart and make it interesting again. The movie opens on planet Krypton, a world about to meet its end. Jor-El and his wife have just had a child, the first natural birth on Krypton in centuries. Knowing that Krypton is lost, Jor-El decides to send his son, Kal-El, to earth, along with the genetic code for all Kryptonians, so that Krypton will live on someday. Kal is sent into the depths of space just in time, despite the efforts of General Zod to stop the launch. Zod then swears that he will find Kal one day and retrieve the codex. Without revealing too much of the plot, from this point it becomes the Superman story we know and love. Kal is adopted by the Kents, and is renamed Clark. Eventually, when Clark is about 30, Zod comes to earth, having located him. Crazy battles ensue, and so on. I appreciate that the writers weren't afraid to spend a good amount of time on Krypton. In a very short time, they have created a very rich world with rich history. It makes the rest of the movie make more sense and feel more real. However, the really interesting thing about the plot of this movie is the fact that you find out things about Clark's history on earth throughout the movie, rather than all at the beginning. Halfway through the movie, backstory is still being provided in small bits. This keeps you guessing throughout the film as to why things are happening, and makes it all the more satisfying when you learn the reasoning behind characters' actions. The themes in this movie are also very interesting, and haven't been explored before in a Superman movie. The movie wonders, 'what would happen if there really was someone as powerful as Superman?'. Superman is treated with suspicion and fear, as he would be if he was real. Superman doesn't reveal himself to humanity until he is over 30 years old, because his adopted father thinks the world isn't ready for someone like him, and that society would reject him. So he doesn't, even to the point of not saving people to conceal his power. The movie explores themes that go much deeper than the average superhero movie. In all, this is just a very solid, interesting story with almost no holes, which is uncommon for most movies nowadays. 

Acting/Writing

     The acting in this movie is also very solid. Henry Cavill gives a brooding, troubled version of Superman that gives the character a  more realistic feel. If a man had been through what he had, he wouldn't be cracking jokes all the time. He is slightly awkward in some scenes, but this could be intentional. After all, this is a character who's only just coming on to the superhero scene, and might not be completely comfortable with himself yet. Amy Adams brings a departure from the usual sharp-faced, black-haired Lois Lane that we're all used to, but still delivers on the feisty attitude that is essential to her character. She doesn't receive much development in this movie, but I think we can expect that to come in later films in the series. Another excellent actor in this movie is Michael Shannon as General Zod. Zod burns with intensity and determination consistently throughout the movie. When he screams at Lara that he will find her son, you really believe that he will stop at nothing to follow through on his threat. However, he is not completely ill-intentioned, which makes him an even more interesting character. There are many supporting characters in this movie, all of which are steady, particularly Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent. His loving yet gruff demeanor is instantly endearing. The writing in this movie is, while mostly simple, very powerful. The script is short and to the point for most of the movie, and delivers its themes very effectively. The plot has a few twists in it that really deepen both Superman's character and the characters around him in ways that have never been explored in the shallow Superman movies that have come before Man of Steel.

Visuals/Audio

     One thing that we know about Zack Snyder is that he has always been able to bring us some completely crazy fight scenes, like in 300 and Immortals. Man of Steel is no exception, and it brings some of the most awe-inspiring, completely destructive fight scenes I have seen in a long time. When it comes to destruction, Avengers has got nothing on Man of Steel. Buildings are toppled by single blows, steam engines are hurled as weapons, and combatants are knocked miles by the force of the blows exchanged. This movie definitely makes up for the relatively action-less Superman Returns, and then some. However, it does all this while still looking very good. Never does the action become muddy, or unrealistic looking. It really looks like if there were fights like this in real life, this is how they would look. Also, the visuals during the scenes on Krypton are stunning. They really took their time with creating the world, even though only 20 minutes are spent on it. All of the design on the Kryptonian vehicles and armor is top notch, and is a joy to look at. The movie in general is just beautiful to behold. Also, the soundtrack is one of the best I have heard in a long time. Hans Zimmer delivers another masterpiece, full of heroic, wistful, and just plain superman-ish emotion. In all, the surface level stuff on this movie is just as good or better than the deeper material. 

     This movie has rekindled my love for Superman. When I was little, I loved Superman, but after watching the previous films, my interest turned away. Man of Steel movie has shown me that, given creators who are willing to take risks, a Superman movie can be a deep, emotional, visually-captivating experience. I'm greatly looking forward to future films in the series. Score: 9/10

Content

     As far as negative content goes, this is about the same as other superhero movies that have been released in recent years. Language is kept to a minimum, with only occasional uses of mild swear words. Violence is a big part of this movie, and many people meet their demise at the hands of the villains. However, this is not a bloody movie, and the violence is largely comparable to The Avengers. There is no sexual content in this movie; only a few kissing scenes.