Not among the most intellectual Superman instalments, but surely among the most enjoyable

Rating: 6/10 (28 May 2014)

Since Superman was too old-fashioned, Clark Kent too generic, and Kal-El too unmemorable, Zack Snyder brings us Man of Steel, the origin story of the classic DC comics superhero. The bombastic spectacle devours some 200 million dollars for its budget, which it utilises for lavish action scenes, Hollywood A-listers, and imposing plot holes, although I'm uncertain about the exact expense of the latter.
In its prologue, the two and a half hours long blockbuster is set on Krypton, the fictional planet not being designed too creatively or memorably, but set in the midst of a gorgeously coloured universe and forming the platform for well-directed fights, explosions, and debris coming from every cardinal direction. Kal-El is born during all of that commotion and it is only after fifteen minutes that the audience meets him again, now lodging in Kansas on planet Earth and being portrayed by Henry Cavill. The British actor doesn't consistently live up to the iconic role he's in, but depicts his torn feelings convincingly and, as the sixteenth man to slip into the character, gives Superman quite a likable yet not particularly exciting reinvention.
The strongest performance evidently comes from Michael Shannon, who easily eclipses the remaining cast for all the Oscar winners and nominees it includes and transforms Man of Steel's primary antagonist, General Zod, from a commonplace scoundrel in the script to a menacing nemesis on screen, especially awesome when reiterating his certainty of tracking down Superman while being frozen into a gigantic sex toy. Across the board really, it's not at all insufficient commitment on the actors' parts that leads many of the blockbuster's characters to appear clichéd and unrealistic, but little leeway in the one-dimensional David S. Goyer script handed to them. The American screenwriter partially makes up for that with a cleverly structured narrative that never feels rushed and at least provides exposition for Kal-El's motivations, ideals, and his unhuman powers via flashbacks and casual conversations  only to then return to rob the plot of logic, consistency, and explanations on a stunning amount of occasions.
However visually appealing and skilfully wrought it is at times, the highly prevalent action is not a very effective offset and comes close to being overkill in a big-scale finale. As a result, Man of Steel is not among the most intellectual of Superman instalments, but surely among the most enjoyable.