The 1978 version was more ahead of its time

Rating: 7/10 (22 June 2013)

The producers of this 'reboot' of the Superman franchise assume that we have forgotten the 2006 relaunch, in which Brandon Routh failed to wow fans despite his resemblance to the late great Christopher Reeve. Henry Cavill also brings echoes of Reeve: he is handsome in a Tom Cruise boy-next- door kind of way (only taller and seriously buff). New to superstardom, he also has a touch of gaucheness which serves him well in this interpretation.
The storyline plays heavy-handed homage to the 1978 'original' and the first of its sequels with Terence Stamp as General Zod, who is the lead villain here (Lex Luthor seemingly in cold storage for the moment). Michael Shannon's Zod looks more like a rival superhunk than Bad Guy.)
MAN OF STEEL has thrilling (if familiar) action scenes, a star with potential charisma and an A-list supporting cast. What it doesn't have is a coherent linear script. Trying hard not to simply revamp earlier versions, the writer and director have delivered an episodic story that's a bit like flicking through clips on YouTube. This is a small improvement on the 2006 version but despite 3D and advances in CGI, it's not as satisfying - and doesn't feel as far ahead of its time - as Superman did in the Seventies.