Film Review: MAN OF STEEL

Henry Cavill definitely looks the part of MAN OF STEEL

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Russell Crowe
Director: Zack Snyder

Viggy and I had been planning to see this movie since its release. We finally managed to catch it a couple of days ago at Imax.

THE STORY

Krypton is a planet outside the solar system. The core of the planet has become unstable and it might blast at any moment. The ruling council is keen to vacate the planet while General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his supporters want to continue there. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) is a scientist. With his wife’s help, he sends his newborn son Kal in a space capsule all the way to earth. The baby’s cells have been infused with the genetic codex of the Kryptonian race. Zod murders Jor, is captured and banished to Phantom Zone.

When Krypton explodes after some time, Zod and his supporters are freed. They are keen to lay their hands on the genetic codex of Krypton and set up base on a new planet. When they find out that Kal-El is on earth, the General and his men decide that Earth is where they want to be. But that would mean the destruction of all human beings. Will that be possible?

MY PERCEPTION

The movie is very different from the earlier Superman films starring Christopher Reeves. Those were fun films with Superman being just a superhero who goes around helping people in trouble.

Christopher Reeves as Superman

Man of Steel is way more serious. The first half is all about Kal being born on Krypton. His parents, especially his mother, are extremely upset sending their newborn so far away to earth. As the child grows up as Clark Kent, he has a tough time adjusting to the earthly way of life. He is so different from the other children and is not able to understand his own super powers. He feels alien – pun intended – and curbs his instincts on his adopted father’s (Kevin Costner) advice. Clark (Henry Cavill) is a young man when he finally gets to know the truth about his birth.

The scenes with spaceships travelling back and forth and the rest have been very well made and the 3D visuals are just wonderful so far.

In the second half, General Zod comes to earth along with his men to extract the genetic codex from Kal-El aka Clark. Things turn extremely violent from this point. There is only fighting, destruction and more. The Kryptonians begin to terraform the earth smashing the skyscrapers in their way. The rest of the film is about Clark, now called Superman, destroying General Zod and his people before they wipe out humanity.

This half is totally violent and was rather sickening, especially for me as I had gone to the film expecting something in the lines of the earlier Superman movies.

Henry Cavill as Superman is a perfect choice. He’s handsome, well-muscled and plays his part very well. Amy Adams as Lois Lane has also done an excellent job as a newspaper reporter. While the rest of the cast have all performed well, it is Michael Shannon who takes the cake. As General Zod, he makes for a fantastic villain and a vicious one at that.

VERDICT: If you are fond of superhero movies, then this one is a must watch. But do be prepared for the extreme violence in the second half.

RATING: *** ½

*Silly
**Shaky
***Smart
****Snazzy
*****Super