Anyone who knows me knows I am no big fan of Zack Snyder. I thought his best film was Dawn of the Dead. 300 was good but that was mostly because it was already written by Frank Miller and illustrated by Lynn Varley to basically be a movie. His adaptation of Watchmen basically showed why it doesn't always work when you stick too close to the source material. And Suckerpunch? The less that is said about that the better. So needless to say, I didn't have high expectations going into Man of Steel. I am happy to report that it exceeded my expectations, as low as they may have been. So I actually liked the movie.
The Plot
The movie is essentially a rehash of Superman 1 and 2. You get the destruction of Krypton, landing in Smallville, and Zod and minions taking the fight first to a small town before causing all sorts of mayhem in the big city. Throw in a little bit of Independence Day, Twister, The Matrix, Terminator, and Avatar and you have this film.
What Worked
1. Henry Cavill is awesome as Clark/Kal El/Superman. He brings just the right amount of innocence and hope coupled with steely determination. It doesn't hurt that the dude is jacked and has a strong jaw.
2. The Soul Searching - I was a bit worried that this Sups would be too emo. But it works well with the character. He had a natural drive to be a hero. He just doesn't know if the world will accept him as one. The kids they hired to play young Clark were especially effective.
3. The action - there is a lot of action and for the most part it is good. From Superman saving a bunch of people to the complete destruction of a city to the devastating hits of super powered brawling, this movie's got it all.
4. Kevin Costner - score he wasn't in the movie long, he added a real sense of gravitas and you can really see how he helped shape Clark.
5. The flying - every good Superman film has to have him fly and he does so quite well. Great use of CGI.
What Didn't Work
1. Michael Shannon - I'm sorry but he's no Terence Stamp. He does a lot of yelling and he kind of speaks with a mumble. He just doesn't scream General to me. A Sergeant maybe. A whiny one.
2. CGI - for the most part, the CGI was well done. Except for the fist fighting. Far too often it would just look like a video game, complete with Mortal Kombat style uppercuts. If I wanted to watch a video game, I'd pop in Injustice.
3. The pacing - while Snyder made a wise choice to jump around in the timeline with flashbacks, the first hour felt really rushed. After that, the film kind of crawls with action scenes that overstay their welcome. It seemed like the last fight would never.
4. Snyder is not known for being subtle and he proves so again in this film. Superman is contemplating what he is about to do right next to an image of Jesus in the Agony in the Garden? The ship that carries Kal opens up like a vagina while the pods that take Zod and his soldiers look like giant penises? And there is only so much of showing wanton destruction of public property that I can stomach beforeit becomes ridiculous.
5. The last fight - I don't want to spoil it but I hated how it ended. Very out of character. Before that point I would have rated the movie a 3.5 to 4 stars out of 5. But because of that scene, I'd drop it to a 3.
Conclusion
As I stated above, I liked the movie. It was good but not great. Better than The Amazing Spider-Man and The Dark Knight Rises. Not quite as good as The Avengers or The Dark Knight. If this is what we can expect from future DC movies, then I think we're off to a good solid start. And I look forward to Cavill continuing in the role. Superman fan or not, you should watch this movie.
