Man of Steel is an ambitious, deeply flawed, and sometimes spectacular origin story about the iconic superhero, Superman.

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2013)

The story begins with the birth of Kal-El. Jor-El (Russell Crowe), Kal- El's father, is a scientist on the planet, Krypton. He warns the Kryptonian council about the eventual destruction of the planet; nevertheless, he is interrupted by the planet's military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon). General Zod has initiated a rebellion, and is seeking to take over Krypton before its destruction. Jor-El recognizes Zod's egotistic and flawed plans, and decides to send his newborn son to Earth with a genetic codex. Once arriving on earth, Kal-El (now Clark Kent) struggles to adapt to human life. Under the instruction of his adopted father (Kevin Costner), he also conceals his powers from others. After the destruction of Krypton, General Zod and his followers search for Kent to restart the Kyroptonian race. Thirty-three years later, they discover Kent on Earth. In addition to capturing him, Zod intends to take over the planet as the new home of Krypton. Kent must now reveal his true identity and save humankind from the evil, General Zod.
The story's ambition is its greatest strength and weakness. The movie strives to be a detailed and thoughtful tale about the collapse of Krypton; Clark Kent's search for identity and struggles to conceal his special gifts; Lois Lane's quest to find the mysterious figure who saved her life; and last but not least, Superman's battle with General Zod to save mankind. Moreover, the filmmakers attempted to provide a deep analysis of the themes of faith, morality, and free will. For most movies, a time length of 143 minutes is usually considered to be excessive; however, for this movie, the running time is not enough to manage all of its story-lines and themes. In many cases, the screenwriters provided quick explanations and solutions for complex sub- plots, while neglecting to thoroughly examine the motives of some of the characters' actions; such as, explaining why Kent's adopted father has such a strong desire to hide his powers from the public. The most detrimental aspect about the film's convoluted and crowded plot is that we do not get a deep characterization of the "Man of Steel" himself. Although, Cavill is perfect for the role and his performance was excellent, I did not really learn much about Clark Kent, the man and superhero. In addition, how Kent's childhood struggles have molded him to become an incorruptible man with humility and morality.
Despite its numerous flaws, Man of Steel is nevertheless a fantastic and exciting movie. The filmmakers ambition does deserve credit, as they clearly attempted to make a film that was both thought-provoking and astonishing at the same time. Even though the plot does not always flow efficiently, it was still fascinating and coherent enough to provide me with a very enjoyable experience. Many contemporary superhero and action films, such as G.I. Joe Retaliation and Fast and Furious 6, focus only on giving the audience an overload of special effects and outrageous action scenes; at the same time, supplying them with an incomplete, incoherent, and sometimes childish plot. Although the visuals and action scenes are often breathtaking, the lack of complexity in the characters and plot make these types of films seem redundant and boring. Man of Steel had many awe-inspiring sequences, but, they were supported by a strong and thoughtful plot and characters; if anything, the interesting story enhanced the action scenes and visual effects.
The acting in Man of Steel deserves to be commended. All of the principle actors (i.e. Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe) were excellent, and brought real emotion and life to their characters. Michael Shannon, playing General Zod, was especially convincing in his role. He was energetic and sometime menacing; I was also able to empathize with his character and rationality for his behaviors.
Furthermore, the special-effects and actions sequences were some the best I have ever seen. The visuals and 3D-effects were crisp, convincing and spectacular; while, the background music from Hans Zimmer enhanced the action. I highly recommend that you see this movie in theaters and 3D for the amazing visuals alone.
Its convoluted plot prevents it from reaching the same heights as some recent superhero movie classics, like X-Men: First Class (2011) and The Dark Knight (2008); however, Man of Steel is still an excellent and thoroughly enjoyable movie that was both thought-provoking and exhilarating.
Don't for get to check-out my blog: 'Til film Do Us Part
http://tilfilmdouspart.blogspot.ca/