Fantastic Jumpstart for Iconic Hero

Rating: 8/10 (16 June 2013)

Despite the mixed reviews from critics, this Superman delivers the goods for comic book fans and general audiences alike.
No, it is not the warm, delightful, feel good movie that Richard Donner and Christopher Reeves brought to us 30+ years ago. But don't think for one minute that this is a "darker Superman." Far from it. This is rather a more "human" Superman. It deals with an alien child who learns at a young age he is different. He learns he must bare the weight of the world on his shoulders to uplift humanity, all the while he is mocked and ridiculed by bullies, drunks, and belligerent peers.
Perhaps critics were expecting the do-gooder, previously played by Reeves. The one that always saved the day, no one got hurt on his watch, and never made a mistake. This Superman does his best, but he can't save everyone. There is easily 100 million dollars worth of collateral damage he causes in order to stop the villains. He can't save everyone, and does make mistakes along the way. ***Possible spoiler alert: In the end, to stop the menace, Superman does something even Batman refused to do, and this torments him: End Spoiler***
He spends most of his young adulthood a drifter, roaming from town to town, taking odd jobs. He continually does whats right at the cost of revealing to witnesses his powerful nature, and then moves on. One is reminded of the Bill Bixby Incredible Hulk TV show, where it was the same thing, doing the right thing, but when the monster reveals itself, it's time to move on.
Nowhere to be found is the iconic villain Lex Luthor, and justly so. If this series is to have any longevity, Lex is a character that can certainly be developed later. We do get General Zod, who's motivations and back story is leaps and bounds more fleshed out than portrayed in the film Superman II. Still, Terrance Stamp's performance was sorely missed. No disrespect to Michael Shannon's intense performance, but he was going up against an iconic on screen persona ingrained in the minds of audiences for over 30 years.
The classic Superman, we see him as mankind's savior. in Man of Steel, we bare witness to his first steps towards this mantle.