If you had issues with Superman Returns, then this is for you

Rating: 10/10 (22 June 2013)

It may not be an issue for most moviegoers, but in the back of my mind I can't help but compare this film to Superman Returns, Warner's first attempt to do a Superman film for a modern modern audience. I liked Superman Returns, but most people didn't because there wasn't enough action, or Lex Luthor wasn't a fighting villain. That's not a problem here. About the first hour or so is all biographical, unlike Returns which kind of took place after Superman II. If you don't know Superman's origin story, this will suffice, though Marlon Brando's Krypton was prettier. Bottom line it sets the groundwork for Kal-El's journey, not to mention General Zod's. Only flashbacks allude to Clark's younger years, making the story feel less like a coming of age story. The second half however is almost all action, from huge world-saving extravagance all the way to super-powered fist fights. The very final action sequence reminded me of an episode of Justice League or Superman: The Animated Series, which aren't bound by the limits of what can be put in front of a camera and see battles that cross the entire planet earth and sometimes beyond. No live-action film in the superhero genre has captured the feel of such a battle in this way, and I couldn't help but tear up as it started to take place. Man of Steel won't make anyone forget about Christopher Reeve's performance or the story he was a part of, but this isn't about that. This is a visually stunning modern telling of the greatest comic book superhero of all time.