Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen”) has made an extremely worthy reboot to the “Superman” franchise that very well may be the beginning of something huge. It is an inspiring American story in that it shows the humble beginnings of a seemingly ordinary man who is meant for greatness, then experiencing his potential saves the world from an otherworldly villain. On either side of the conflict is Henry Cavill (“Immortals”) as the man of steel and Oscar nominee Michael Shannon as the menace General Zod.
The focused cinematography from Amir Mokri (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”) shows its subjects in interesting, soft lit, extreme close ups with contrary extreme wides. Along with the exceptional special effects, it actually gets to be a little too much – especially in 3D. The continuous action sequences and fights get incredibly chaotic ranging from outer space and back to earth, destroying whole buildings, etc. The overall epic proportion of the 2 hr. 23 min. film is worth the effort, being enjoyable and a visual treat for its audiences – accompanied by another great score by Academy Award winner Hans Zimmer.
The true American feel of the film contributes to the “feel good” aspect in many ways. Superman’s earthly father (played by Kevin Costner) embodies the real life, human hero. In the state of Kansas, it shows the people of Smallville in a variety of ways being humbled by Superman – seeing how he is nonconfrontational, kind, and hard working. No matter how much he is considered an outcast and picked on, he knows he must never tell of his secret with no telling how the world would respond. Only in saving the people of the world will he ever show his otherworldly strength, caring for them more than the reason of the evil General Zod and the planet they are from.
Written by the legendary David S. Goyer (with shared story credit Christopher Nolan), “Man of Steel” is one of the best superhero films since “The Dark Knight.” It offers insight into the human condition and also reminds us that we all have the opportunity to be more than what we are, the American notion of being destined for greatness. Love it or hate it, “Man of Steel” is a must see for 2013.
The film also stars Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Christopher Meloni, Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe. It is a true super-summer blockbuster that deserves its earnings (having already made $125 million from its first week). It’ll be interesting to note its total gross against its estimated $225 million budget.
“Man of Steel” is now playing in theaters everywhere in regular 2D, 3D, IMAX, and IMAX 3D.
