Review of Man of Steel (2013) by Jakeryan — 21 Jun 2013

A WORD OF ADVICE: Don't mind what critics have said about this movie! MAN OF STEEL is a masterpiece! Go watch it for yourselves. The film is worth every dollar you'll spend on movie-going. Don't miss watching this on the big screen especially in 3D to enjoy it in its fullest glory.

Even if you have a big flat screen 3D TV, don't wait for the DVD or BluRay format in stores cuz you'll miss a great deal from the actual big screen experience. Of course, we gotta buy our own when its out on the market cuz were going to definitely see & enjoy it again and again.

I have seen this 3 times already and, every time, it got better and better to a point of concluding that Zach Snyder is indeed a true directorial genius and the David Goyer-Christopher Nolan storytelling team-up equally outstanding in retelling the Superman canon! Retrofitting in today's advances, the filmmakers succeeded beyond our expectations of rebooting this most loved superhero of all-time.

Without the red brief (why is it outside by the way?), Superman looks current and does not look at all like 75 years old. We call this film "Superman Reborn" and aptly so. Fresh as a morning dew, MAN OF STEEL literally saves the day and ultimately takes back his rightful place which is at the top of the heap of all superheroes.

All the actors were perfectly cast. A very determined Henry Cavill was not "humorless" as he took on a more serious (not Dark Knight dark) version of the Man of Steel. The-not-too-feminine-blond-more-than-brunette Amy Adams was perfect as Lois Lane to Cavill's Clark.

She had enough held-back spunk & flirt in her reminiscent of all the other Lois-es like Margot Kidder & Teri Hatcher who truly owned the role. It was smart of them to make this version of Lois Lane not that dumb to recognize through Superman's disguise (glasses, really?) and it was great that the filmmakers did not explore the romance between these 2 characters (there's just too much to take in) reserving it for the sequel as they focus more on Kal-El's search of being (To critics: this is the reason why Cavill's humor is held at bay.

Try checking out MAN OF STEEL's commercial on Carl's Jr and Hardee's. You'll know this actor is far from being "humorless"). Michael Shannon exudes shades of Willem Dafoe/Joaquin Phoenix in his performance as a more likable Zod here---meaning, he is nothing short of brilliant as an actor.

His chilling delivery of "YOU ARE NOT ALONE" ominous message gave us goosebumps galore. It has a spooky feel to it reminiscent of "The Ring". The scene-stealer of the house was Antje Traue as Faora.

Man, that woman kicks serious ass! And you'd think Michael Shannon's Zod's badass-ness was to the rafters---Hers skyrocketed and blew the top off! She's undeniably the Eve to Zod's Adam, in other words, the whole thingy can't be told without her.

And then there's the 2 Robin Hoods, Russell Crowe & Kevin Costner. It was such a treat to see these 2 great thespians in one film. One word to describe their presence---EPIC! Both of them brought a whole new meaning to that word.

While Russell Crowe re-introduced us the Gladiator we all loved in the introductory part of the movie, Kevin Costner gave us Field of Dreams all over again bringing (a tug in the) heart, soul and balance throughout the film.

Laurence Fishburne as Perry White was a superb choice. He was great as a leader-of-the-pack Morpheus in the Matrix films and he was equally chief to head the Daily Planet in this one. He truly embodied the sharp boss of Amy's Lois Lane Unfaithful's Diane Lane is no stranger to take on the role of a mother to a child gifted with superpowers.

Remember she was the mother to Hayden Christensen in JUMPER so it's but naturally fitting for her to be cast as the "hot version" of Martha Kent (You know, hot dude--hot mom, makes sense right?).

Lucky Henry Cavill gets to have not just one but two hot mamas here. Although Ayelet Zurer's appearance as Lara Lor-Van El (the real mother of Kal-El) was only brief, her steely heartbreaking performance was searing enough to last.

To sum it up, MAN OF STEEL have enough ingredient for every movie-goer to enjoy. The action is fully packed especially in the climax part of the film. Watching the sequences is like being in the final series of loops of a roller coaster leaving you wanting more at the end of the ride.

And what better soundtrack than Hans Zimmer's brilliant otherwordly drum-rolling score to keep the excitement going. If John Williams made us believe a man can fly in the Donner films, Hans Zimmer made us believe Superman can soar & battle again for superhero supremacy at 75 in this Snyder extravaganza.

On my first viewing of the movie, I thought there were small lapses in the editing but concluded later on in my second and third viewing that it was artfully & thoughtfully done---more cohesive than I have originally thought.