A good effort that reflects changes in the comic

Rating: 8/10 (29 June 2013)

Yesterday I saw Man of Steel in 3D. Overall I liked the film, though I can well understand why a lot of people didn't. It seems needlessly loud and noisy in places, and there are plenty of spectacular special effects and lots of explosions that might lead some (who hasn't read a lot of Superman stuff) to assume that there's almost no plot. But there is, and it seems to reflect the changes in the comic since the 1978 film (which this looks a remake of, because it has Zod in it). I guessed what the final scene would be midway through the film and I was right! Things I like: Lois Lane is not portrayed as a sap; showing Clark developing his powers (and his grounding in morality) over a period of time; Perry White; the superhero battles; the Cinéma vérité style used for the home life scenes. Russell Crowe also seemed slightly less pompous than Marlon Brando. Things I didn't like: the Cinéma vérité for the fast action scenes (reminded me a LOT of Battle of Los Angeles which I'd seen the day before); the "moulded plastic" looks of the new version of the superman suit; the writing out of Lois's father (who could easily have been in this film).
But then, the tone of this film is much like Batman Begins and Amazing Spiderman - a slightly more "realistic look". There's some clever reinventions in this film, like what the "Fortress of Solitude" really was; a way of having Jor-El in the first film but written out of the next; hints at the next film (I predict Lex Luthor and/or Brainiac). In tone though it resembled more ID4 or a 9/11 documentary than anything else.
And the problem with that is, where does the sequel go? There are huge spectacles and stunts in this film, and for me it did have a decent plot. The way it was presented though, inverted expectations of anyone who saw the 1978 film and its sequel. But it also dropped the "cuteness" that peppered those films that seemed to come from nowhere (like OTIS who seemed more Woosy Winks - Plastic Man's sidekick - than anything else) except for the fact it was based on a comic. The big thing I liked about this film is that the main character is believable. His motivations come from his upbringing and the predicament of being who he is. If that's kept up, then the sequels might actually be OK.