My review of Man Of Steel.

Hey guys, this is my first time reviewing a movie on this site so forgive me if it's not perfect. Now, I think it's easy to say that for a lot of us, Man Of Steel is one of the most highly anticipated movies of the year. There's 2 chief reasons for that:

1.The trailers have us pepped for a masterpiece of a Superman flick that will take us to the deeper roots of his origin. I cried a little myself when I saw trailers 2 and 3.

2. There arguably hasn't been a great Superman film since the 80's. Superman III and IV being critically panned and and Bryan Singer's Superman returns has a mixed response.

So I've just returned from the 3D screening of the new Zack Snyder (Watchmen, 300) helmed flick produced by none other than Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy). It follows the spirit of most Superhero reboots that have been out recently such as The Amazing Spider-man and the Dark Knight trilogy by bringing the characters we've known and loved for many years into the modern era of realistic approaches to Superhero flicks. So does the movie finally deliver the Superman film experience that we've always wanted or does it fall prey to being just another Big Bang summer blockbuster lost in an endless ocean of Summer blockbusters? The answer is that it's kind of a mixed bag. Let's go for the pros first.

1. The Acting: Henry Cavill(Immortals) takes over the role of the Man Of Steel, Superman. He doesn't just play the role...He OWNS it. Everything from his facial expressions to the calm way he says his lines just screams Superman. He looks the part and he embodies it in a way that reminds me of my younger times when I saw the Donner helmed films. I think the legendary Christopher Reeve would be proud. I wanted to see Superman on screen, that's what I got. Kevin Costner(Waterworld) provides the heart of the film as Jonathan Kent. He shares great chemistry with the young and old Clark and provides one of the most touching scenes in the film. Russel Crowe(Gladiator) does a great job as Jor El, Kal El's(Superman's) birth father and I think one notable mention is Michael Shannon(Revolutionary road) as General Zodd. He provides the film with a sense of menace, similar to the brilliant Terence Stamp(Superman II).

2. The Score: Han Zimmer(The Dark Knight trilogy) provides an excellent score as we've come to expect from him now. Ranging from the epic battle scores for Kryptonians going at each other on a large scale to the lower but touching piano themes for young Clark. His score brings out emotions in a way similar to the Dark Knight trilogy.

3. The Cinematography: Despite some shaky cam shots which were a little irritating at times, Zack Snyder brings out some pretty awesome eye candy. After all, isn't that what he's famous for? Scenes such as destruction of Krypton or even close ups of characters talking in beautiful landscapes were well shot.

4. Visual Effects/Action sequences: Now a lot of the negative feed back this film has recieved is over the fact that the CGI is 'overused' or not needed. At times, it does feel a little over the top but those moments are very brief and you can't help but be amazed with sights like Krypton's destruction of Superman fighting other Kryptonians. Yes, after 30 years, we finally have a Superman who will fight with all his might. Pretty much every live action Superman incarnation in the past has the fault that we never see the true potential of quite possibly the most iconic hero of all time. This was mostly due to lack of either proper CGI technology or the will to take the risk of having Superman actually punch someone. Oh yes, the trailers haven't even revealed 1/4th of the action that's packed in this film. We finally see Superman pushed to his limits in combat and we see his true strength in a way that was ripped right out of the comics. Sure the CGI and action isn't anything revolutionary but it's still enough for the full Superman experience. It's not worth paying extra for 3D though.

Now let's looks at some of the drags that make this movie kind of a mixed bag for me.

1. The Editing/Pacing: Now, although the origin story was well told, it felt too rushed to me. The first half of the movie shifted from one big action scene to a quite nice farm scene and then to another big action scene. The use of flashbacks was kind of a drag but I got over it. My biggest problem with the pacing is that it isn't has fleshed out as it should be. About 20 minutes into the movie, Clark finds then answers about his origin along with a super suit and he immediately becomes Superman...what?! So Clark isn't gonna be too freaked out or try to deny the responsilibity at first? Then Superman immediately steps outside and starts flying for the first time with little difficulty. After that the film's tone changes a bit too suddenly. One minute it's all quiet and Clark's reuniting with his Earth mom Martha Kent, the next thing Zodd and his army invade Earth and start battling Superman every 2 minutes. Don't worry though, there's ample character development during this time so it doesn't fall victim to the whole Captain America, "Let's just make the second half nothing but loud" routine.

2. Amy Adams as Lois Lane: wasn't horrible. She did a fine job and was pretty likable but to me she just didn't quite embody the cockiness of Star reporter Lois Lane. Now this just a minor drag and didn't really affect the movie too badly and Adams did a pretty good job but I figured I should put it out there.

3. The Romance: is underdeveloped. I mean, Lois just falls in love with this guy she's only known for a few days. I mean sure he's Superman but...man. The problem is similar to the one with Thor. The characters haven't known each other that long enough to be madly in love. However, the romance isn't made a major plot point here so it's easy to look over and they'll hopefully fix this in the sequel.

In conclusion, I think the movie is a very well made Superman film and definitely in my top Superhero flicks list. Sure it's a bumpy ride, but it's a fun ride indeed. Although not exactly at the level of Avengers or Dark Knight(My top 2 favourite CBMs), it's a great CBM and I think that after 30 years of waiting, we can finally have a great Superman franchise again. Hopefully one with a better line of sequels.

I give it a solid 4/5 stars.

Also, for those of you wondering, no there's no major Justice League reference that I could spot. I'll watch it again to be sure. So don't go down the Marvel movie path of waiting for the end of credits scene. There isn't any.