Well That's Just Super...

Rating: 7/10 (1 March 2014)

I finally got around to watching Man of Steel, and after watching the film, spending some time thinking on it, I've come to the conclusion that I like it. Sure, it's not "Superman (1978)", but then, it isn't trying to be, even though I can't help but compare it.
See, for me, that movie was, bar none, the best Superman movie I've ever seen. I am certain that my opinion doesn't matter to a lot of people, but if you're reading this, then at least you're giving me a chance to share mine, so I am. To each their own, I say, but I love the Superman movie from 1978.
That said, this movie can't be pushed aside as if it has no value, because it certainly does. Henry Cavill does a fine job of playing the lead role, infusing his Clark Kent/Superman with a noble spirit. He does radiate empathy, which I feel Superman must do, and he does seem to care greatly about what happens to humanity, and this, too, must emanate from Superman (all IMO, of course). It helps that he also fills out the suit rather well, and truly does look "super." Amy Adams does a solid job of playing Lois Lane, though I don't think there's a lot for her to do here, as of yet. If there is a sequel, and I'm sure there will be, I hope she gets a meatier role to chew on, because I do love Amy Adams, and I feel she's a very capable actor. Here's hoping we see more of her in the next film.
Michael Shannon was, however, my favorite in this film. I am a devotee of Terence Stamp's "General Zod," but while Stamp's Zod was deliciously over the top, there wasn't much more to his villainy. Shannon's Zod is different, in a totally unique way, in that his motivations are "good." Yeah, he advocates genocide (which we all know is bad), but he's only doing what he was made to do. He's twisted, but he believes he's doing the right thing for his people, and THAT gives him more depth, and it makes his reasons, while flawed, presentable enough that he's fleshed out a bit, which is terrific, because I feel that a summer blockbuster doesn't have to be about Big Dumb Action, and can focus on characters. I love Shannon's portrayal of Zod, and hope to see him in future projects involving scene chewing villainy.
The other actors perform quite well, with notables going to Kevin Costner, and Russell Crowe, both playing nicely rounded father figures.
The only real complaint I have is that, aside from a bit of a messy plot, the last 20-30 minutes feels like a special effects demo reel. We see building after building destroyed, and for a moment I had a flashback to Transformers, and I should NEVER have a flashback to the Transformers movie. Not because it was bad, but because it was so CGI heavy, that's all I noticed. It was a fun flick, but the first thing I think about it is CGI. A movie shouldn't make me think of just CGI right away. CGI is the whipped cream on top of a delicious sundae, it's not the sundae itself.
I actually got a bit bored during the fight scene at the end. Buildings went down, parking garages went down, city things were destroyed, then we went into space, and destroyed space things, so that was... different? Seriously, it just was not engaging. Something the 1978 movie did right was that during the major villain/hero fight scenes, we were continually made aware of the people around them as it happened. This kind of happened in the movie, and to be fair, the last 5 minutes of the fight scene at the end were excellent, but all during the building tumbling, I started wondering, is there any consideration given to the destruction itself, aside from "oh look, a building has been blasted." I guess I'm just used to buildings being demolished, and no one seeming to care, at least not in the movie world. It seems commonplace, almost normal. People are smiling 5 minutes after half of New York has been ripped to shreds. I mean, I didn't see any shock from any of the characters. It seemed almost normal, so that is how I perceived it. I didn't feel that the city was in any actual danger, and I don't think that's what I was supposed to feel at that point in the film.
Still, overall, it is a good movie, and it has lots of promise. I hope to see a sequel (give Amy Adams more to do!), so I gave it 7 out of 10 points.
Let's see what else Henry can do in that suit.