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Superman Man of Steel Review

Superman Man of Steel Review

My first impression and simple breakdown of the movie would be that it is a remake of  Richard Donner’s vision of Superman in Superman I and II starring Christopher Reeves. But it isn’t quite that simple. Yes, it follows a similar story line but that is about as far as it goes. It turns out to be quite a different movie after all.

The movie starts out on Krypton with the birth of Kal-El. Krypton itself is very different from any onscreen version I have seen. They did an incredible job making it look alien but yet clearly technological. Russell Crowe as Jor-El really shined here. You still get the same old, Krypton is dying story. Zod tries to take over the planet and stop Jor-El from sending Kal-El to Earth. An intense fight begins between Zod and Jor-El ending with the launching of Kal-El’s ship. Zod is captured after and he and his sidekicks are put on trial and sentenced to the Phantom Zone. Zod vows he will find Kal. Right after this Krypton explodes. The explosion releases Zod and starts his 33 year quest to find Kal. We do not see this quest, we are just told about it a little later in the movie.

Once the movie jumps to Earth it starts with Kal as an adult but not quite Superman. He is wandering the lands trying to find his place while saving people when needed. This is how Lois later tracks him down, by his mythos he left behind in his wake. Eventually Kal finds his way to an old crashed Kryptonian ship and places his codec inside. Krypton has been to Earth before. He meets his father Jor-El and his story as Superman begins. We find out he was chosen to be Earth’s savior this time around. He did not initially choose it.

The story moves forward with the conflict as to whether or not Kal should reveal himself to the world. He convinces Lois after she found him and found out who he was, to not run his story in the Newspaper. Enter Zod.

This time around Zod arrives by spaceship. He has his technology. He is quite ferocious. He takes over the world’s electronics and broadcasts that there is an alien among us and that we must turn him over and he will leave. We all know this is a lie. He plans to rebuild Krypton on Earth on the bodies of our dead. Superman is still unsure what to do until he sits down in a small church and talks to a priest. Priest tells him, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith for trust. Superman takes that leap and turns himself in.

The government is very afraid of him and unsure whether to trust him. All doubt leaves their minds when he defends them against Zod. The movie really picks up speed here in so many ways. Multiple battles ensue in the final act of the movie. Zod learns most of his powers on the fly and some are hard to handle. This gives Superman the edge. The fights between them are intense. Very fast, very impactful. Almost like watching the destruction in a Superman animated movie. Lots of money will be needed to fix Metropolis after the final battle. Faora used her speed very effectively in battles and was very fun to watch on screen.

The movie ends with Kal donning the Clark Kent outfit and starting the normal life of Superman that we know.

I thought this movie was about choice, about whether Superman chooses the Earth he knows, or the Krypton he is from. Does he embrace humanity or forsake it.

I LOVED this movie. I am a bit biased because I am a huge Superman fan but I do believe it deserves it’s credit. DC hit a home run for me and I give this movie a 9 out of 10 star rating. I liked it as much as The Avengers, if not a bit more. Time will only tell which I like more.

Next page for some spoilers.

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