Man of Steel Review

Hey everybody! I'm Howitzer and you're in The Line of Fire! Before I get to the review, let me give some background here. Growing up, I loved Superman. every little boy dreams of flying and being super strong and I was no different. I watched the movies with Christopher Reeve and the 90's cartoon series which is, in my opinion, the most faithful adaptation of Superman. To this day I love Superman and see him as the ultimate symbol of truth, justice and hope in pop culture. I've suffered through the painful agony of the overly long and dramatic Smallville. I watched the boring and dull deadbeat dad version of Superman in the atrocious Superman Returns. But now, after many years of suffering and waiting, I have reached the end of the Superman purgatory. I have reached the paradise that is Man of Steel.

Henry Cavill as Superman

Man of Steel is an amazing Superman movie. In fact, it's the Superman movie we've always wanted. This movie features Superman actually using his powers and throwing punches. He isn't just flying around and asking "Who am I?" He isn't stalking his old girlfriends. He is learning to be a hero and use his powers for good. The Superman on display here is a very young and inexperienced hero. He's still learning the limits of his powers and how to control them. We also see that he has a good heart and he wants to help people and give them hope. He's the perfect balance of the two Superman extremes that we see in most modern comics. He's not the angry god running around vaporizing people because he can't control his temper, but he's no flower child either. This is a Superman who will protect Earth and its population at all costs. Henry Cavill (pictured above) gives a wonderful performance as Superman. He's very humble and warm, but he will fight if he has to. He has that perfect Superman voice that has just the right balance of authority and warmth. He gives the best performance of Superman since Reeve. 

Michael Shannon as General Zod

The story is an excellent blend of origin and super hero action. It starts with the final days of Krypton and gives us the most in-depth look at Superman's home world we've ever seen. It also introduces us to the villain of the film, General Zod. It then transitions to Earth and gives us a very deep and emotional look at Clark's youth in Smallville. It shows him travel around the world to form an opinion of the human race. Around the half way point of the movie, Clark finds an old Kryptonian exploration ship where he learns from his father Jor-El about his home world. He's given his suit and he begins to learn to use his powers. After this sequence, the conflict comes about. General Zod has come to Earth to rebuild Krypton and Superman must stop him. This all culminates in a very epic climax that features lots and lots of destruction, action, and awesome Zack Snyder special effects. 

Russel Crowe as Jor-El

Now lets move on to the other characters. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner are both brilliant in their roles as Jor-El and Jonathan Kent respectively. Michael Shannon gives a great performance as General Zod. Zod is also given a very compelling and twisted motivation that I dare not spoil for any of you who haven't seen the movie. Amy Adams does a decent job as Lois Lane.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane

The one criticism I have of her is that she didn't bring anything new to the role as Lois Lane. If you're looking for a brand new take on Lois, you'll be disappointed, but if you just want to see traditional, tough Lois Lane, Amy Adams does just fine. The other characters are good as well. Laurence Fishburne is a very good Perry White. The military characters are heroic and interesting. Emil Hamilton is a great character too. Martha Kent and Lara are both excellent mother characters and are played very well. Faora is a very compelling villain as well. All in all, the movie is very well cast and has many great characters.

In spite of what you may have heard from the critics, Man of Steel is a very good movie with great action, acting, characters, and special effects. It's also chock full of references to everything from Wayne Enterprises and Lexcorp to Aquaman.  If I have one criticism for this movie, it's that the destruction and action go a little over the top. I know Zach Snyder loves his CGI, but do we really need to show Metropolis get half destroyed? All in all, it's a great movie and it will be a great launch pad into the DC Cinematic Universe. I give it a 9/10. Until next time, keep your head down because you're in The Line of Fire!