"Man Of Steel" Review

"I will honor the man you were Zod Superman, but not the monster you have become."

~~Jor-El (Man Of Steel)~~

Heralded by many to be a monster at the box office Man Of Steel is a tale of two different movies. The first being an angst filled drama about a boy who doesn't quite fit in and develops into a man who still can't seem to find his place in the world. The second a building toppling, missile firing, superpowered alien boxing match, of which almost completely destroys Smallville and the city of Metropolis without any remorse for human collateral damage.

The film opens on the still doomed sci-fi/medieval mashup of Krypton, think Star Wars with a pinch of Avatar, where we witness the birth of Kal-El. The visuals are more than impressive but the flying dragons and butler robots are a tad askew. As Krypton is falling around them Zod, Faora, and their minions fail miserably at a strangely timed attempted coup and are swiftly jettisoned to the Phantom Zone.  The  naturally birthed and therefore illegal infant Kal-El is shipped away along with a skull stolen by Jor-El, which is generically called "The Codex.

Cut to 33-year-old Kal-El a.k.a. Clark Kent as he struggles with odd jobs as a fisherman and bartender. The "Super Nomad" stills finds time to engage in some Superdickery with a logger's truck, save a group of men from a burning oil rig, and steal somebody's clothes. Between flashbacks of Pa Kent insisting his son hide his powers from mankind, Clark stumbles upon a Kryptonian scout ship and intrepid reporter Lois Lane. The ship contains the secrets to his origins and somehow when unlocked, the consciousness of his Kryptonian father who implores him to "keep testing your limits."

Henry Cavill always looked the part and he certainly has his moments as both Superman and Clark Kent, but it's hard to stand out on screen amongst such a well versed cast. Cavill spends some touching moments basking in the Kansas sun with Ma Kent, played wistfully by Diane Lane. However, he takes on the role of spectator while being lectured by veteran thespian Russell Crowe as Jor-El.

Henry really fills out the new stylized suit, he's the most powerful and macho version of Superman yet and once he puts on said suit, he owns it. Superman understanding that America looks at him as a threat allows himself to be handcuffed and interrogated by the feisty Lois Lane. It's a well done modernization of the Lois & Superman rooftop interviews. Superman eventually busts out of the cuffs and tells military personnel behind two way glass that "You're scared of me because you can't control me, but that doesn't mean I'm your enemy." He's not. Zod is, and he's on his way.

Amy Adams is refreshing as Lois Lane, we're finally treated to a version of Lois straight out of the pages of the comics. Searching the country for the next big story she can relate to the wandering lifestyle of Clark and the chemistry between Cavill and Adams is evident. Kevin Costner steals every scene he is in providing fatherly advice to young Clark incessantly reminding him "he's going to change the world." You hope for more of Pa Kent and wish that one of the many changes to the mythos applied to the character.

Michael Shannon is at his best as the villainous Zod and overcomes yet another comic book movie featuring a far fetched plan. The Kryptonian general ends up deciding to create New Kyrpton on earth when all else fails to execute his original plan. Hello Superman Returns. Antje Traue is divine as Zod's loyal and lethal sidekick Faora telling Superman, “For every human you save, we will kill a million more." She executes this promise as thousands upon thousands of citizens in Metropolis are mowed down by falling buildings and gravity machine induced flying cars. The problem is, Superman doesn't really seem to notice.

The theme concocted by David Goyer, when he was supposed to be fighting writer's block on The Dark Knight Rises, involves how the world would really deal with an alien on earth in a post 9/11 world. The answer is he would be considered a threat. As the under utilized Laurence Fishburne playing a gruff but suave version of Perry White says, "Imagine how our world would react if they came face to face with this." Chris Meloni as Colonel Hardy has to learn to work with Superman in order to save the world and Superman fighting in tandem with military is truly one of the highlights of the film.

Zach Snyder has delivered a film that breaks the sound barrier with action but combined with David Goyer's script, faces incredible pacing issues. The flashbacks although memorable, a young Clark seeing inside the bodies of his classmates and teachers frightening him into a closet, they stunt the growth of the film. Leaving the emotional story arc behind, the last hour of the film is a visceral experience never  before seen in a Superman film. The action is monstrous and in your face, everything Superman fans and the general public have wanted to see from the Last Son Of Krypton.  If you want to see Superman punching things, you won't be disappointed in the action packed Man Of Steel. If you were hoping this was on par with the Batman Trilogy because Christopher Nolan's name is on the print you just might be.