Superman Returns Much Better than He did the Last Time

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2013)

As a life long comic book fan and aficionado I had high hopes for this summer's return of the Superman franchise, this time helmed by Zach Snyder. With the "Man of Steel", Snyder once again takes on an iconic comic book legend and makes it his own. Fans of the franchise beware: In doing this, Snyder does stray from the source material, but in some arguably forgivable ways. Don't get me wrong this installment of Superman is leaps and bounds better than that of its predecessors. The "Man of Steel" serves as a reboot for the entire Superman series and offers a much more realistic and modern day view of the iconic Superman story.
Let me just start by saying the sheer scope of this movie is incredible. From the opening scenes on Krypton (Superman's home planet) to the climactic final battle over the skies of metropolis, this movie will keep you fully immersed in a world on the brink of disaster where only one hope remains, Superman. Through huge cinematic shots and angles Snyder encompasses an entire world and gives a whole new meaning to the word EPIC. Scene for scene the cinematography tells a story all its own, and in a fashion only Zack Snyder could pull off. Each scene is so vast in its presentation that Snyder is able to create a feeling that can only be described as larger than life, a feeling that carries on well through out the film and successfully portrays a reality in which the entire fate of humanity rests on the shoulders of this one man.
As a Superman fan I remember watching the first Superman movie staring Christopher Reeve as a child and thinking how there was so much more to what Superman could do, than the special effects at the time would allow. Finally a film has arrived that truly showcases and captures what it is to be this iconic hero. Story wise Superman is faced with challenges that make Hercules look like a child. Snyder does an incredible job of completely capturing the characters' strengths and showcasing almost all of his most famous and memorable abilities (i.e. super-speed, heat vision, X-ray vision, super hearing, it's all there) creating a film that comic book fans across the globe can be proud of.
The movie is set in a massively realistic world where Superman's first arrival is not entirely welcomed by the inhabitants of his adopted planet. Instead of being met with praise and respect as with the former films, Superman in this film is met by armored tanks and military force. In doing this Snyder creates a world that isn't all sunshine and roses, a world much like our own. The people of this world are very skeptical and even fearful of a visitor from another planet, even if he is wearing shiny (and they are shiny) red and blue tights. This gives the film a much more believable feel. The story it-self creates a whole new dimension to the already well-known character adding a much darker side to Clark. A side that the Clark is forced to struggle with and eventually overcome if he is every to be the hero we already know and love. This struggle is not only seen in Clark but Superman as well. On all, the film does a great job of showing not only a lost and confused Clark Kent but also a confused and saddened Superman. In this way the film stray's from the true nature of the character, showing Kent/Superman as a burdened and emotionally overwhelmed individual. Instead of the shining symbol of hope that Superman's personality should embody. Unfortunately this isn't the only way that the movie strays from its source material. The film opens on Krypton (which last a surprising 10-15 minutes) and right away fans will begin to notice the subtle but not un-noticeable changes to source material and origin story in general. Fans of the comic books will be disappointed to see crudely altered versions of the phantom zone and Superman's home planet of Krypton. The phantom zone is a moderately less important aspect of the film but Krypton plays a very important role in the development of the story. This film shows a version of Krypton with no kryptonite in sight and displays a civilization with technology that would make even the most technologically advanced Treky jealous. In addition to the minor changes to the source material, there is a jaw dropping final scene that will leave any fan boy or girl thinking "that's not the Superman I know and love". Without giving too much away I will say that some fans of the series will be hugely disappointed with how the climax of the movie plays out. I understand that these changes to character, history, and story were made to accommodate a more realistic portrayal of the Man of Steel but only so much lenience can be given. Aside from all that, it was still an incredible movie worth seeing again and again. Apart from the minor changes in source material the overall film does a good job encompassing everything you want a Superman movie to have. If you're a fan of the series you may find yourself saying "that's not how that should be" but the fast moving action and entertaining story will quickly move you past these finer details and allow to experience a side of Superman that the American audience has never seen before. This film has everything you look for in a Superhero film and a summer blockbuster in general. There's flying, heat vision, super speed, and of course immense amounts of strength portrayed through out the film. In all, this movie will put to rest the age old childhood question of what it would be like to be Superman. I would recommend this movie to anyone from the hard core fan to the average movie-goer alike.