Movie Review - Man of Steel

 Man of Steel  $$$     

 

PG-13

143 Minutes

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Russell Crowe.

Director: Zack Snyder.

 

What is it about Superman that makes him so popular? I leave it to you to debate the reason amongst yourselves. I’m just here to report on the success of this oft-told tale.

The movie begins on Krypton. With only a few weeks until the planet self-destructs, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) steals the Codex and sends it along with his son Kal-El to Earth. Frankly, I would have liked to stay on Krypton longer and seen more of the place. The glimpses that we do see in the opening minutes of the story were fascinating.

On Earth Kal-El becomes Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) and struggles with the grand super-hero dilemma of whether he should announce himself to the world or keep his super powers a secret. This struggle with self-identity plods along and following on the heels of the action-packed events on Krypton feels a bit slow.

Eventually, General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his band of misguided misfits show up on Earth and demand that Kal-El turn himself over to them. and you guessed it, a great deal of destruction is to be had from the ensuing Kryptonian reunion.  

Let me start off the analytical comments by stating that I feel this is the best version of the Superman story that I remember seeing. Henry Cavill fits the role Kal-El quite well. Michael Shannon nails the role of General Zod and sets the benchmark for which anyone else in that role will be gauged. As much as I love Amy Adams I felt her role as Lois Lane fell a little flat.

The special effects were—let’s just say it—SUPER. I did not see the movie in 3D and about half way through it I wished that I had. My only complaint about the visual elements of the film is that the fight scenes were a bit choppy for me and I sometimes found it difficult to follow the action.

I give high marks to this movie for special effects, acting, and story. The place that I felt it suffered was emotional impact. I didn’t come out of the theater feeling jazzed and excited about the movie. Sure I enjoyed it, but a great film grabs you and doesn’t let go. There were several moments that should have been emotional treasures that were just—meh. But I realize that not everyone will agree with me on this and may find it one of the best movies of the year.

My rating for Man of Steel is a solid 3 Movie Bucks. You definitely want to see it first run, in a state-of-the-art theater, and possibly in 3D. But you can do that at any of the discount showings. 

 

                        Randy’s Rating System 

$$$$   = Full Price    See this movie right away and pay full price, it’s worth it.

$$$     = Matinee      Catch this as a matinee or other discounted showing.

$$        = Discount     Wait until this movie reaches a discount theater near you.

$          = Rental         Wait until this movie reaches your local video rental outlet.

0          = No Sale       Don’t see this movie at any price.