Nolan Does It Again!

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2013)

So the man that brought you The Dark Knight brings you The Man of Steel. Christopher Nolan produces and co-writes this reboot (actually a prequel) of the Superman franchise. And while Zack Snyder is the director, it should be no surprise that Nolan's writing on one of the most famous comic characters comes with a darker and more serious tone than previous Superman material. But is it any good? Well, let's just say the 8 stars that appear above the summary should be a clue: It's really really good!
***SPOILER ALERT **** At first I was rather displeased at the fact that the plot doesn't stay true to Superman comics; it blazes an entirely different path, and the storyline at first seemed too hard to follow, but it all comes together quite nicely by the end of the film. Although there are a few plot missteps that just don't make sense, like for example Superman doesn't assume his disguise/alter-persona of Clark Kent or start working at the Daily Planet until the end of the film, well after Lois Lane, Perry White and the whole wide world already knows he's Superman - an obvious head scratcher. Hey, Nolan and David Goyer, if you guys are going to change major plot elements to make your storyline work, then have the balls to go all the way. I understand you guys want to build in a connection to the original story, but why add the Clark Kent secret identity and him working at the Daily Planet piece to the end of the film if it makes absolutely no sense in relation to what just transpired in the previous 142 minutes of your film?
OK, that's it for the spoilers, back to the basics. Overall, I loved the dialogue. It was great without being too preachy or overly analytical as The Dark Knight films. And of course with an all-star supporting cast like Russell Crow (Jor-El), Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), and Diane Lane (Martha Kent), you know you're in stored for some quality acting. As for Henry Cavill as Superman/Clark Kent – it was good enough (he certainly does look the part) but he's no Christopher Reeves. Amy Adams plays Lois Lane. I think her and Cavill delivered great chemistry but she was really forgettable as Lois. Michael Shannon, on the other hand, did an excellent job as General Zod. I think he brought great depth to a villain who honestly thought he was doing the right thing. Another surprisingly great performance was put on by German actress Antje Traue as Faora, Zod's ruthless female military subordinate. She really kicks butt in this film and looks every bit as mean as Zod does.
Changing major plot elements of Superman's story was a risky move but I think it paid off. I don't have a problem with this, so long as it's done right - and aside from the weak attempt to connect back to the original Superman story at the end, the changes work.
There's only one other thing I had a problem with in the movie - the editing and camera work in the opening scenes on Krypton were a mess. The action and fight sequences were filmed too close up and were fast moving. Plus the entire first 5 minutes or so seemed a bit out of focus to me. This was a major issue that prevented me from rating this with a perfect 10 or a 9. Regardless, it was a great superhero flick that I had high expectations for. It delivered! Put this on your list as a "must see" for the summer. It's light years better than 2006's Superman Returns.