Why I Saw It: It is one of the year's biggest movies. Nolan's name being attached certainly helps. And, the cast ain't half bad.
Cast: I didn't know much about Henry Cavill before seeing this. I still don't. For a movie that was half origin story, the main thing I learned about Clark Kent is that he's pretty bland. I do think that was the intent and Cavill plays it right. I was impressed by Amy Adams playing Lois Lane. That character has potential to be nothing more than a damsel in distress and they made her someone who was in the thick of things as well. Michael Shannon is intense as hell. His Zod is a villain with a motivation I can understand. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane are very believable Kansas farm parents. Russell Crowe is equally commendable as a Krypton parent.
Plot: As an origin story, it's pretty effective. As a saving the world story, it's a little much. I think they handle the destruction of Krypton well and they user flashback to tell about Clark's childhood. All I have to say is that kid sure had a lot of convenient disasters happen in his formative years. When the movie is in the present, the super part kicks in. From there it's all about Superman saving the world from Zod. It's pretty straightforward as far as superheroes movie go. There was a lot of convenient exposition for Clark to learn about Krypton and the fighting might've been too big. I really don't know where they go from here. This movie is about as big as you can get.
Elephant in the Room: Do you believe a man can fly? Superman is a tough sell. In today's movie landscape, superhero movies work best when they start grounded. Superman requires aliens from the onset which is tougher. The movie does as good a job as it can with the handling of the character but he is too powerful. Think about it. Put Iron Man in a Spider Man movie and the challenge is about the same. Put Superman in The Dark Knight and it's a short film. I have no idea how Justice League would work.
To Sum Things Up:
Superman isn't my favorite hero so I wasn't crazy for this going in the same way a lot of people were. I think this movie does an admirable job of telling the story (it's certainly better than Superman Returns, to say the least). The action is big and well-staged. The cast is well-chosen. The story isn't anything special, although I'd hardly call it bad. Superman fans will probably be pleased to have this movie even it's not perfect. Regular movie-goers may find it a bit more out there. If I were to compare, I'd put it about on par with Iron Man 3: good, not special.
Verdict (?): Weakly Recommend
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