In Krypton, the "S" may stand for Hope, but here on Earth, it still stands for Super

Rating: 8/10 (17 June 2013)

Superman has been an international icon for so many years. It's was too hard to believe when we read the comic books and saw his origin story coming to life right in front of our eyes and we marveled at the illustrated images and the power of him saving our world. Since Superman has just turned 75 this year, we started to think, do we need another Superman movie? Well, let me think: We had the serial films back in the 30's and 40's, then we had the late Christopher Reeve when he starred in all four Superman films from 1978 to 1987. (The original remained the best.) Then, next thing we know, Superman came to T.V. with Dean Cain stepping into the suit, then we had an origin story about him before he was Superman which was the series "Smallville". Then, in 2006, director Bryan Singer brought us "Superman Returns", which didn't do so well. But not to fear, I think the new Superman is something we might need after all. Which is why I decided to go for "Man of Steel" and in a way, it feels fresh and modern but borrows some of the formula from "Batman Begins" (The director of that film and the 2 sequels that followed is Christopher Nolan, who produced this movie), thus making it darker, grittier and surprisingly enough, has pure heart and emotion. Most of that mainly comes from the inspired casting of Henry Cavill, a British actor I remember very well from Showtime's "The Tudors", for creating a rather conflicted Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent. And whether he's ragged, rugged and/or being a normal guy, he carries a lot of charm and has the heart and soul to actually carry the movie on his muscled shoulders and that's just a start. We get to witness Superman's story from the beginning in Krypton, when his father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe, fantastic) arriving to see his wife Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) giving birth to Kal-El. Then, as the story progresses, Krypton comes to an end. But, Kal-El on the other hand survives and resides in Smallville, Kansas under the alias Clark Kent. His two adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) are in the process of finding out who he really is, which is something he's been wanting to find out as well. Then as he grows up, he worked in a series of odd jobs as a fisherman, a bartender and even a waiter at IHop. Then he definitely discovers his true calling and his answers when he discovers a ship that was sent from Krypton that landed right here on Earth. This also attracts General Zod (Michael Shannon), who comes up with a plan to unleash Hell on Earth by building a new Krypton and to get rid of Kal-El, who turns into....well, you get the idea. "Man of Steel" doesn't exactly carry as much humor and fun as the Christopher Reeve films, but it takes itself seriously and I salute Zack Snyder (of the 2004 remake of "Dawn of the Dead", "300", "Watchmen" and "Sucker Punch") for creating an exciting ride that's fast-paced, energetic and heartwarming, filled with amazing special effects that doesn't overcrowd the story. He even gives terrific performances from an exceptional cast including Amy Adams as reporter Lois Lane and an ideal one at that, Laurence Fishburne is incredible as Perry White, Lois's boss at the Daily Planet, Costner and Lane as the Kents are brilliant and they have moments that will immediately tug at your heartstrings and Michael Shannon makes General Zod one of the best villains I have ever seen since Heath Ledger's The Joker. (D.C.-wise, of course). I must even give special props to Dylan Sprayberry as the 13-year-old Clark and Cooper Timberline as the 9-year-old Clark, for trying not to overplay the situations that Clark had to go through and trying to find his identity, but still comes out strong into the person he will become. As for Cavill, he definitely is a star on the rise. I know that even he can't top Reeve, but I admit that he is the best Superman since Reeve and he fits into the suit very well. I wouldn't be surprised if I've seen people from age 10 to 95 going to see it and coming out amazed, but have their own different opinions of it. My opinion is this: The "S" is not quite super yet, but it does stand for "Superb".