Hugely Enjoyable

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2013)

I'll divide this review into two parts; a few thoughts on what other reviewers have said, and a review of the film itself...
On other reviews I have always taken the stance that you should see a film, and judge it for yourself. By all means, read the opinions of others and be entertained by them, but never lose sight of the fact that 'opinions' are all they are. Not truth, not guidance. They are simply what other people think, and that includes this review. I find it extraordinary that people would go and see the film if they're not a fan of superhero movies; that they would knowingly watch a film about an alien, who can fly and emit searing radiation from his eyes, and then complain about a lack of realism. One reviewer even complains about this lack of realism in the same breath as saying Superman should be able to fly faster than light.... Also, there seems to be a tendency to 'mark down' a film if it deviates from the concepts in preceding films, comics, or both. Surely, judge each production on it's own merits... Man of Steel is it's own film, it has no obligation to conform to lore from comics half a century old, nor do I believe it would make such an entertaining film if it did. After all, the original comics didn't come with the promise that 'one day this will be made faithfully in to a movie' did they? So please, judge for yourself... reviews of 1 star, and to some extent 10 stars, I feel need to be taken as reactionary and rather narrow- minded.
On the film I was massively entertained by this film from start to finish, I thought the casting was inspired, the story was well thought out and rewarding and the visuals were amazing. There were emotional parts, amusing parts, intriguing parts all in the right proportions. Henry Cavill just looks and acts exactly as I would expect superman to do, Crowe seems to be effortless in anything he does nowadays, and Costner as John Kent was perfect. I was expecting the story-building part of the film to be a lot shorter (you do see a lot of Krypton) and mainly informative, but it turned out to be epic and emotional. Once the present-day-peril starts happening, the action really ramps up to the point of wearing you out, and is pretty much relentless all the way to the end. The destruction was a lot more wholesale than I'd expected, and the noise from the gravity weapon/terraformer gave me goosebumps! Despite being right in your face and rather savage, the action didn't once feel forced, and it never lost my attention. Overall, I enjoyed this film more than any I have seen for a very long time. It's take on the story of Superman is a very inspiring and rewarding one. A gripe is that I'd have liked Lois to be a little more bold and strong, but small things like this are a drop in the ocean really. I thought Man of Steel was superb entertainment, and I'm so glad I went to the cinema to see it while I could.