Man of Steel:
I was pleasantly surprised, as I thought Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead remake, 300, Watchmen, Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga-Hoole) and Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia, The Prestige, The Dark Knight Trilogy, Inception) would clash styles. While it's still uncertain if this is tied to Nolan's Batman universe, they did do the most realistic job possible with the Superman story. The plot starts how every Superman origin story usually starts: Krypton is crumbling, and General Zod (Krypton's military general) has developed a God complex and betrayed his people, believing his selfish ways to be the best for the planet. Jor-El and his loyal wife Lara Lor-Van send their newborn son Kal-El to Earth to give a second chance to their race and be a savior to Earth's people. Zod is punished for his deeds and he and his evil associates are frozen inside capsules and sent to the "Phantom Zone" (similar to in the original films). Then the film becomes like Batman Begins, jumping from present to past for a while, before finally becoming linear once again. Unlike that film, once the film sticks to present day, it does not feel as if a new plot has begun, but sticks with the same plot as the first half, so it feels more like one complete story, rather than an origin story mixed in with a bigger narrative. In the present, Kal-El has been adopted by the Kansas farming family of the Kents, who adopt him as Clark Kent. He eventually discovers who he really is, and decides to help the people of Earth "achieve wonders", just as his father intended. But General Zod has somehow escaped the Phantom Zone with his crew, and he is not happy that Krypton was destroyed, or that Clark/Kal-El intends to protect the people of Earth, who Zod sees as lesser than him. Adopting the nickname "Superman", Clark/Kal-El must defend his home-town of Smallville, the city of Metropolis, and the people of Earth from Zod's forces. While I didn't feel Superman Returns was bad (I rather enjoyed Kevin Spacey's portrayal of Lex Luthor), this tops it thousands of times over. The direction is excellent. Many people feared Nolan would overtake the whole production, but the entire time it had a good mixture of both Nolan's down-to-earth realistic style and Snyder's eye-popping visual style. The main cast were excellent. I was honestly unsure about Henry Cavill as Superman, as he hasn't really been in too many good movies before this. He ended up owning the role, the best Superman since Christopher Reeve, and he takes the role and makes it his own, going in a completely new direction with the character. The film really feels more personal and lets you get to know Kal-El through flashbacks. Cavill also does something similar to what Christian Bale did with Batman: give him layers, 3 different personalities: Kal-El, Clark Kent, and Superman. Bale did the following personalities: Bruce Wayne the playboy (douchebag millionaire), Bruce Wayne the man (emotionally drained, heartbroken warrior/businessman), and Batman the legend (dark and menacing creature of the night). Cavill portrays 3 different people: Kal-El the alien (sad, lost, confused), Clark the boy/man (alone, outcast, kind), and Superman the icon (brave, bold, heroic). I really enjoyed that aspect of his performance. Amy Adams does a really good job as Lois Lane, capturing that adventurous reporter character really well. I felt she and Cavill had some great chemistry as well. Michael Shannon (Boardwalk Empire, Take Shelter, Revolutionary Road, The Iceman, Bug, Premium Rush) plays General Zod. He takes the role in a different direction than Terence Stamp (Zod in the first two Superman films), and does a really good job. Shannon gives very intense performances, and this is no exception, although maybe not as good as Stamp, he definitely is one of the year's top movie villains. Shannon even adds a little bit of empathy for Zod, as he was basically genetically designed to do what he does, and has no other purpose. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane give convincing and emotional performances as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Kal-El's loving adoptive parents, who fear Kal will be outcast if people find out who he really is. Costner actually only appears in flashbacks, which is cool as we get little glimpses of his character. Russell Crowe portrays Superman's biological father and somewhat of a mentor, Jor-El. Jor-El appears mostly in hologram form (like Marlon Brando did in the original film) and guides Kal-El to becoming Superman. Crowe does a really good job, portraying both fatherly aspects of Jor-El, and the more mentor-like aspects of the character. He also showcases some bad-ass fighting skills in the film's long opening sequence on Krypton. Laurence Fishburne appears in a minor role as Perry White, the chief editor for The Daily Planet. He has some good moments, but he and his staff (except for Lois) play a smaller role here than in previous films, probably having a larger role in later films. Michael Kelly (Chronicle, The Adjustment Bureau, Changeling, Now You See Me) plays Daily Planet reporter Steve Lombard, a supporting character in the film and in the comics, he is somewhat comic relief as he sometimes hits on Lois. Antje Trauer portrays Faora, Zod's second-in-command and a skilled Kryptonian soldier. She is cold and merciless, and is more similar to her comic book counterpart than Ursa, a character from the original films based on her. Ayelet Zurer appears as Kal-El's biological mother Lara Lor-Van, Jor-El's wife, who briefly appears in the film's opening sequence, and does a good job for the brief time she appears. Christopher Meloni (Law and Order: SVU, 42, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle, True Blood) is in a supporting role as Colonel Hardy, a military officer who is an ally of Kal-El and Lois Lane. Harry Lennix (Dollhouse) appears as Hardy's commanding officer Lt. General Swanwick, and Richard Schiff portrays military scientist Dr. Emil Hamilton (a scientist for the famous Star Labs in the comics). Christina Wren plays Major Carrie Ferris, who serves as Swanwick's assistant, she has a pretty funny moment near the end of the movie, and the name "Ferris" may ring some bells with Green Lantern fans, possibly Carol Ferris' sister or relative? Scott Menville (a young voice actor) plays Kenny Braverman (known in the comics as the villain Conduit), in the film he is a high school bully of Clark. Joseph Cranford and Jack Foley portray old and young versions of Pete Ross, Superman's best friend of the comics, who here is a bully of Clark's in middle school, but later becomes a friend. The film has some similarities to the Nolan Batman films, including the title not appearing until the film's ending, and the realistic style. (At least, as real as you can go with Superman.) Snyder actually spends some time on Krypton in the beginning, and shows off some of it's landscape and creatures, as well as it's highly advanced technology. Speaking of which, the digital and practical effects were amazing, and the Superman costume design was brilliant, combining both the more recent Superman costumes with elements of the original costumes (including the old-looking "S" shield). Hans Zimmer's musical score is excellent. Similar to what he did with Batman, he made an epic and rousing score, with some elements thrown in of John Williams' classic theme music from the 1978 film. Certain characters such as Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Braniac, and other villains and supporting characters have been left out, probably to use in a later sequel. (Luthor is referenced in the end battle, eagle eyes may quickly spot the Lexcorp logo on an oil tanker, and his name is on a building.) There is some product placement in the form of IHOP, but other than that, there's nothing too bad as far as shoving brand names down the audience's throats. Some interesting easter eggs are that in the ending battle, a sign that you can just barely read if you freeze the frame is a neon sign for "Blaze Comics", the fictional comic book company from Booster Gold comics, and in the Fortress of Solitude there is a chamber of alien pods with corpses of Kryptonians, but one is open, hinting a Kryptonian escaped at some time, possibly Superman's cousin, Kara Zor-El, who in the comics becomes Supergirl. Sharp eyes may spot the Wayne Enterprises emblem on a satellite during Zod and Kal's final battle. The action scenes are exhilarating and breathtaking, and the dramatic scenes are done very well, too. Snyder even recreated the famous and beautiful shot of Superman gliding across the outer atmosphere of Earth, with the sun rising over the side of the planet. The writers did a great job with the story, and even modified certain aspects (MILD SPOILERS): Lois knows who Clark is early on (SPOILERS END), The Fortress of Solitude is no longer an ice fortress but a frozen Kryptonian space vessel lodged in a deep Arctic cavern, Kryptonite is not present yet (although the film briefly depicts Kal-El's struggle with his home planet's environment/atmosphere), Perry White is now black, etc. They also explain why Superman has his powers (comic book fans already know why, but general audiences may not), and offer a new explanation for why Krypton died and more detail on why Kal-El is so special. (Yes, there's more than him being the last survivor of his race.) I liked some of the changes they made, I thought (like with the Nolan films) it made the story more diverse, original, unique, and interesting. Man of Steel is an emotionally powerful, epic, and exhilarating reimagining of the Superman story and comic books, and is completely different than any Superman film or series before it. On par with Superman: The Movie and Smallville. With a great director, producer, writing team, and a fantastic cast and special effects crew, this superhero film proves to be the summer's best thus far. 5/5 stars.
Notes: Despite rumors, there is no ending credits scene, so possibly this isn't connected to Nolanverse or JLA, or they just didn't put one in as the ending is the perfect conclusion for the film.
Links:
My review of the original Superman film, and no, I'm not reviewing the other films, unfortunately:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/06/superman-movie.html
My review of the Nolanverse Batman films, even if they aren't connected:
http://mattcottermovies.blogspot.com/2012/07/the-batman-movies-part-iv-nolan-trilogy.html
Jeremy Jahns' spoiler-free YouTube review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG4YE0w3UMs
(Images: Wikipedia, comicbookmovie.com)
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