Review of Man of Steel (2013) by Samuel M — 22 Jun 2017

It is crazy to me that the blurb at the top is that this is a generic blockbuster. In my eyes, this movie has much more depth than that, and more than most other comic book films.

There was effort taken here to make Superman more complex than he often is. I've had difficulty caring about Superman in the past because he can often be too perfect. He is essentially a god, and no earthly thing can even touch him. And that is true here as well, but it is just his body that is god-like; his mind, his thoughts, his values and beliefs are all extremely human. He is grappling with the same kinds of emotions and feelings that anyone else is, just on a different level with more severe consequences.

For me, the movie is able to humanize a character that isn't even human, and it does so along side some amazing action sequences.

There were some CG-heavy moments that maybe could have been trimmed or removed. The movie isn't the funnest thing ever, which is what many expect from a comic book movie, especially one led by Superman. But it doesn't have to me. It seems many other reviewers had their mind set on another Christopher Reeve movie, and when they got something else, they weren't happy.

And they are right, this character isn't traditionally Superman-like in a lot of ways; he's even better that normal.