Man of Steel

At long last the movie Kal El deserves!

Superman movies have always been subject of the most diverse opinions. Most of the positive critiques about the character agreed there was one Superman that stood tall among all of the impersonations the character had on mass media: Christopher Reeve! The one human being who was born to suit up under the red S. But, is it fair to keep on thinking that no one, but no one could ever outdo what has already been done with the character? I certainly think the answer is a bold no.

Man of Steel is a great film and believe me this film is up there with Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, Ironman 1 & The Avengers. All of them outstanding films. Although, comparisons seem inevitable, as a matter of fact most of the critics of this film drives us way back in time to the original Richard Donner's Superman films. Let just say that it is about time we stop thinking about Christopher Reeve's Superman as the ultimate impersonation ever. I grew up watching good old Christopher Reeve making me believe a man could fly, and I love his films, all of them, including Superman III & Superman IV no matter what critics said about them but, I have always wanted to see an updated rendition of the character. The boy scout Superman times are far gone now, and believe me, comic book fans will be pleased when watching Man of Steel.

Finally, such an influential character gets the movie he deserves.

We can all kiss Marlon Brando's Jor El goodbye now.

Russel Crowe does the job!

Man Of Steel does a amazing job on giving us a Modern Superman approach ten thousand times better than Brandon Routh ever did (although Bryan Singer is the one to blame for Superman Returns) In fact, all I can remember about  going to the theather with my wife to enjoy Superman Returns was the homage to vintage Superman & the timeless John Williams' Superman main theme.The rest of it is long forgotten. On the other hand, Henry Cavill's Superman is pure Kingdom Come superman blended with Golden Age Superman and Bruce Timm superman from the 90s (the original vision writers had about Superman was that of a serious science fiction character who dealt with crime and corporate greed) However, the Comics Code Authority came along and we were delivered Silver Age campyness Superman...

Anyways,  we're talking about the movie here haha, You know, I get a bit carried away when it comes to subjects I do like. Man of Steel is all I was expecting to see in the Superman movie I've been picturing in my mind for years. Pure action, solid acting, high quality special effects and above all, a script that makes you believe a man can fly.

We've all done this in our childhood.

How much would Apple pay for this technology?

Man of Steel Cast/Characters 101

Russel Crowe was awesome in this film. He has plenty of screen time to develop his character at maximum, and everyone will agree this is the best Jor El ever. Besides, his character has a lot to do with the end of Krypton and how General Zod and his Mob would react when they meet with his offspring on earth. Jor El is a leading force in Krypton but, as he knows their world is destined to dissapear after the huge resources abuse they done to the planet for centuries, His only hope is to recover the Kryptonian DNA and send it far away to a safer destination...

Micheal Shannon as General Zod, plays a very different character from the original Zod seen in Superman II (1981) He's a tough military trained general with a clear purpose: Securing the survival of the kryptonian race no matter how.

Amy Adams as Lois Lane is great. She's drop dead gorgeous, and the strong personality Loise Lane has in the comic book is masterfully transferred to the big screen through her acting. I read somewhere, that her rendition of the character wasn't better than Kate Bosworth's rendition in Superman Returns but, boy they're so wrong. I guess when the sequel strikes theaters we'll see how her relationship with Kal El has evolved to the point she lives with him like in the comic books. Besides, she plays a key role in the movie, offering a fresh vision on how she meets Clark Kent & the Superman myth.

Knock knock! wet redhead comin' yer way!

You want to know what the Matrix is Kent?

Kevin Costner and Diana Lane are great, showing us a more realistic depiction of the Kent's whose special child drives them a bit overprotective towards young Clark Kent's growing awareness of his super abilities. Can you imagine little Clark Kent being bullied in school? 

Lawrence Fishburne, world famous for portraying Morpheus in the Matrix trilogy, plays Perry White, the director/owner of the Daily Planet. Although he spents little onscreen time, He delivers.

Henry Cavill, as the main character simply steals the show. Just like Robert Downey Jr. is Ironman, Cavill is Superman, period!

Wait a minute! you didn't tell us what the movie is about!

Fair enough, I'll tell ya my niggas. The film begins with Jor-El helping his wife Lara give birth to a baby boy. Later, he approaches the Kryptonian council to warn them about the imminent destruction of the planet Krypton due to an unstable planetary core (there is some kind of environmental issue that sucked krypton resources dry). He is interrupted by General Zod, who is initiating a rebellion against the council in order to take over Krypton; Jor-El escapes. In an attempt to continue the Kryptonian race even after the planet's destruction, he obtains the Kryptonian genetic codex (Kryptonian DNA) from a genesis chamber and prepares to launch a spacecraft to safely carry the codex and his newborn son, Kal-El, to the planet Earth. Zod and his army reach Jor-El's lab to capture him, and Jor-El reveals that his son was the first natural born Kryptonian child in centuries, a practice that is against Kryptonian law. Zod attempts to stop the launch, but Jor-El fights and stops him with his life, and the spacecraft, containing the codex and the infant Kal-El, is launched into space. 

Meanwhile, the Kryptonian army arrives and captures Zod along with the other rebels. As a punishment for crimes against the council, Zod and his army are sent to the Phantom Zone for 300 cycles, but not before Zod cryptically warns Lara that he'll find her son. The mere fact of having a planet that is about to be destroyed kind of makes you feel that capturing Zod and his mob is a silly idea that makes no sense but, it actually does, because, Kryptonians don't want Zod to escape from the planet to invade and destroy other planets. Later,  The unstable planetary core of Krypton erupts as a global chain of supervolcanoes and Krypton is destroyed. The spacecraft carrying infant Kal-El lands in Smallville, Kansas.

Alright, it's time to suit up.

Fast forward thirty years, and Kal-El, known and raised as Clark, is now a grown man, frequently switching jobs under false names to cover his tracks and hide his powers from mankind. While working as a fisherman, he saves a group of workers from a burning oil rig, and then, in order to hide his identity again, he moves to North Canada to join a scientific research team. The scientists, led by Dr. Emil Hamilton, are trying to find the origin of an unknown radio signal coming from underneath the 40,000-year-old Arctic ice sheet. Lois Lane, a young Pulitzer prize-winning reporter from the Daily Planet, arrives there to cover the story. At night, Lois notices a man walking towards the source of the signal. Being curious, she follows the man -- who is none but Clark himself. Clark melts the ice sheet with his heat vision and finds a Kryptonian scout ship buried under the ice. He activates the ship's control panel, bringing a holographic AI of his biological father Jor-El, who tells Clark about his origin and the fate of Krypton. The ship's automatic defense mechanism attacks Lois, who is saved by Clark. Amazed by his superhuman abilities, Lois writes an article about him to publish in the Daily Planet newspaper, but it is rejected by her editor, Perry White, as there is no evidence or proof of Clark's powers. Lois goes on a hunt to find Clark's roots and finally finds his home in Smallville. When confronted, Clark convinces Lois that the world is not yet ready to accept him. He explains that this is the reason that he is in hiding; until the time when mankind is able to accept him, he will blend in as a human being. And that is one of the key scenes that makes Man of Steel a brand new story about Superman. 

Just imagine, Lois Lane, a brilliant journalist with enough wisdom and resources, and ask yourselves "isn't it logical that she tracks down this alien being and finally meets with him face to face?" Of course it is, and that is why  you have Christopher Nolan in charge of the production. He is able of turning a superhero fantasy into a down to earth thing masterfully.

Humans are not ready for Superman. Not yet.

Meanwhile, after Krypton's destruction, Zod escapes from the Phantom Zone with his army and comes to Earth to find the codex sent to Earth with infant Kal-El(yes, this kind of resembles what happened in Superman I & II). Zod plans to use the codex to recreate the Kryptonian race on Earth (didn't we see the same thing in Transformers III: Dark of the Moon?). Zod broadcasts a threatening message to Earth, saying that Kal-El must surrender to him, otherwise the Earth will suffer the consequences. The FBI comes to know that Lois has information about Kal-El, and takes custody of Lois. Clark then appears in front of the U.S. Military to surrender to Zod and save the Earth. Zod's right-hand Faora takes Kal-El and Lois to the mothership, where Zod reveals his plan to turn the Earth into Krypton. Lois escapes the mothership in a capsule with the help of Jor-El's holographic AI. While the capsule is damaged, Clark saves her from crashing.

Go home Zod, you're fucked.

Zod and his army come to Smallville in order to find the codex but are fought off by Clark. They then discover that Jor-El embedded the codex into his son's individual cells before sending the spacecraft to Earth. Zod splits his spacecraft into two "world engines" devices which sit at two opposite sides of Earth: one in Metropolis and another in the Indian Ocean. The devices start to transmit concentrated alternating gravitational pulses between them in order to excite Earth's core, and turn Earth into a new Krypton by changing its geographical composition. The U.S. military attempts to stop the machine in Metropolis, but fails to attack the device as the concentrated gravity field around it deflects all incoming missiles.

Dr. Hamilton finds that the spacecraft that Kal-El came in uses a phantom drive similar to the one in Zod's spaceship, and realizes that since the phantom drives are capable of warping space, thus colliding any two of the similar engines will create a singularity which will destroy Zod's ship. Kal-El, dubbed "Superman" by some, flies to the Indian ocean and destroys the world engine there, in a scene of epic proportions,  stopping the gravitational pulses in the other one in Metropolis.  The U.S. military aircraft containing Kal-El's spacecraft crashes into the world engine, generating a black hole that consumes the world engine. Having lost his army and his plan to recreate Krypton on Earth, Zod attacks Clark in anger. In the ensuing, catastrophic fight through the city, Clark eventually gets the upper hand, driving Zod to attack innocent civilians with his heat vision. To save the innocent humans, Clark is forced to snap Zod's neck, killing him. Wracked with guilt, he is comforted by Lois.

Don't worry I'll wear a supercondom.

After Zod is defeated, Kal-El decides to blend into the normal world by taking on the identity of Clark Kent. He is hired by Perry as a reporter for Daily Planet. The film concludes with Lois welcoming Clark to the Daily Planet.

 

Overall, this is the movie the character deserves. There are no beating around the bushes moments, just what we exactly need to understand the new universe of the Man of Steel. Some have called Man of Steel the best superhero movie of all times, I kind of agree with that opinion but, I can't neither forget about Christopher Nolan's Batman nor about The Avengers. Finally Christopher Reeve may rest in peace as the vintage Superman of our childhood, while Henry Cavill may not rest yet because, he's got a long way to go as the new Superman!

Lois Lane ready for her Superdick.

My brother, who didn't really like Superman, got very interested in the character after watching the film, and I don't blame him, because, Zack Snyder finally brought Superman to today's world. However, some of the action scenes may be a little tiresome due to the big amount of elements that go in fast motion making you feel a bit disturbed. Perhaps is a side effect of the 3D technology.On the other hand, the special effects are very, very good and Snyder knows it, because in most of the scenes involving Superman in flight mode, he turns around to show you his face that definitely doesn't look like a digital being, unlike what happened in Superman Returns, where the SFX sucked so badly that is still hurts the eyes of those who watched  it. 

What about the nostalgia?

Zack Snyder & Christopher Nolan are aware about how big the old Superman films were but, they don't give a shit about it, they want to make their own Superman film and that is why the movie is a complete triumph. Although, there are slight references to the vintage conception we all have in our minds about the big S guy.

Man of Steel merchandise  in your nearest shopping mall.

Vintage S references:

1. The S logo used by Jor El's family plus the key Kal El uses to activate his space fortress of solitude is almost an exact replica of the S seen in the first Superman film.

2. The phantom zone punishment is definitely a reference to the original Superman film. Besides, the way in which Zod & company escapes, happens the same way than in the original flick, you know, Krypton explodes and it somehows affects the phantom zone system, making it malfunction and therefore allowing Zod's escape.

3. Jor El's hologram explains Kal El the origin of his race the same way it was done in the original movie. Of course, due to technological issues Man of Steel makes you believe that a hologram computer can actually exist, unlike the original film's conception.

Ok. But, what is actually new in Man of Steel?

Alright, you want me to go H.A.M, I'll go H.A.M:

1. Clark Kent is not afraid of rescuing people in the most spectacular ways along his early life. There are many witnesses that believe he is the new jesus christ.  Ergo, Jonathan & Martha Kent are always telling Clark to avoid making spectacular scenes to avoid the presence of the FBI or any other special secret force from the government.

2.  Clark Kent look is that of a simple man. He's got a beard and don't wear glasses. Besides, he doesn't behave like a weak guy from the countryside. 

3. Lois Lane does a fine job looking for the urban myth. Once she finds the Kent's house, she instantly knows that Clark Kent is a men with special powers. There is no secret identity bullshit here.

Man of Steel official messenger bag.

4. The relationship between "the alien in the blue suit" & the government is not as easy as 1,2,3. Kal El needs to gain their trust, and that is why he surrenders to Zod. Although, he's looking for mankind trust. 

5. The  friendship relationship Kal El has with Lois Lane is of everyone's knowledge. The military knows it, Perry White knows it and almost every relevant character to the story knows it, yes, that includes Zod.

6. The fight scenes are brutally amazing. Finally we are led to see what a Superman can do with all of his superpowers at 110% capacity. Metropolis is completely blown away. 

7. There are slight references to other characters of the DC universe. For instance, in a fight scene, Superman is attacked with an oil truck that is "Lexcorp" property. In another fight scene in space, Superman is attacked with a "Wayne Enterprises" satellite. 

Movie Theater souvenirs.

I rate this movie 9/10. 9 because the action sequences are a bit too much for the human eye, they happen so fast that you can't fully enjoy them, although this is a minor thing. The new musical score is really good, as well as the special effects, the acting and the script. Go watch it now in 3D Imax!!!!!

Here's the final movie trailer: