Superman Begins...

Rating: 8/10 (4 September 2013)

That would have been a more appropriate title for this, the first in what I'm sure will be a trilogy for Superman with Man of Steel being better suited to the sequel. In a way, it felt much like 'Superman Begins' ran right into 'Man of Steel' as the script's first half rushed to deliver the correct message before the mayhem and bedlam of the second half slug-fest. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the film and feel Henry Cavill will do quite well as Kal-El, but Superman has over 70 years of origin retelling and storyline which can easily be spaced, spread and placed across any number of films... no need to hurry.
As for 'Man of Steel', it definitely had a somewhat intergalactic 'Batman Begins' feel to it and it should have. That's no slight against Christopher Nolan, it is his demand for realism and character development that made the Dark Knight Trilogy the success it was and will again be a building block of Superman's initial trilogy. Personally, I'd have no problem if they copied the exact formula and Warner Bros. will be lucky if Nolan and Snyder can. The WB have a history of interference with their DC tent-pole line (Batman & Robin, Green Lantern) and need a Nolan or Snyder to just keep the execs in their suits at bay. 'Superman Begins' maybe should have been followed by 'Man of Steel' and an eventual 'Last Son of Krypton' or some other fill in the blank third act, but I'm sure the marketing gurus felt otherwise.
The real film rests in the first half. Act two pushes for the high-adrenaline of the 3rd Act and loses itself in a rush to just utterly destroy Metropolis and kill, literally, countless tens of thousands. The closing leaves little to ponder in the way of continuation, hints of 'LexCorp', 'Wayne Enterprises' and a city to rebuild as the Daily Planet's newest hire comes on board though I'm sure Goyer/Nolan/Snyder will have plenty to give. The fact that Ben Affleck has been hired to deliver a more Frank Miller 'TDKR' turn in the role of the Caped Crusader (effectively ending any link to the Nolan trilogy and an inherent time-line) tells us this won't be the same old 'same 'ole'. And kudos for it as DC is in desperate need of an 'Iron Man' to 'The Avengers' build up over the next few years.
Like any Nolan film, we great great turns in form of character. Russel Crowe delivers in his take of Jor-El as does Kevin Costner as Superman's adoptive father Jonathan Kent. Amy Adams gives us a great spin on a Lois Lan who actually can investigate a story (even if its in retrospect) and Michael Shannon does General Zod proud.
Though reaching epic for the first half, its still a great film overall and a definite place setting for greater things (much like, but not as well as 'Batman Begins'). Bring the Reece's Pieces and popcorn... no bathroom breaks.