8/10 Epic beyond proportions, but what else?

Rating: 7/10 (13 June 2013)

where to start? I was lucky enough to experience Man of Steel yesterday at a special screening at LaFilmFest. And even though (or maybe because of) my expectations were beyond high, I was mildly disappointed. The entire movie had great CGI and eye candy, and the action was very consistent. The grand scale of the entire movie blew me away, along with the sharp score by Hans Zimmer and the sound mixing. But at times, the dialogue would completely lack subtlety and be predictable. Yes, there were good moralistic and utilitarian themes expressed near the beginning, but it lost it's traction and broke into a full blown action movie with no theme whatsoever. Now most of the actors, notably Henry Cavill's portrayal on the iconic hero, did a decent job, and yet no actor in the amazing cast truly expressed their characters. Many clichés were played across the action, such as the last-minute savior and the revealing of the villain's true form. Despite of Nolan and David Goyer writing the story and script, it lacked many fundamental elements in other Nolan movies. Which brings me to another point. I'd say Zack Snyder is a visual genius, but throughout this movie, all we see in constant racketeering of humanoid shapes and explosions that thicken your ears. The technique is obvious, but lacked much depth. Hans Zimmer's energetic score kept the movie going. The supporting characters are just god-awful. They are flat and do not develop in any way throughout the movie, nor do they have background stories or distinct personalities. Despite of all this, Man of Steel still holds up as a good movie, with thought and a drive to push forward