Snyder and Nolan create a gritty hit

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2017)

I returned to this after watching Batman vs Superman. Zack Snyder and the DCEU are far from critics darlings but there is an underlying gritty story here one which you can clearly see has a touch of Christopher Nolan. Zack Snyder is a very visual director and is constantly looking to push the visual boundaries of film and cinema in general. With Nolan and Goyer creating the story, bringing Superman into the more realist way of story telling which they had perfected with the Batman films. Nolan picked out Snyder as the man to realize their story visually. The next step would be finding the man to step into the red cape. Brandon Routh was mentioned as a possibility, returning to the role after the poorly received Superman Returns, and while numerous big names in Hollywood were mentioned Snyder plumped for Henry Cavill, an actor who was well known to big roles after auditioning for everything from Bond to Superman (he was originally rejected for Bryan Singer's Superman Returns). Cavill in place, Snyder began filling out a strong ensemble cast that could carry the pressure of reinventing Superman. Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane gave the film a gravitas no one expected it to have. There are scenes in the film where Cavill looks a little pressured but his clear determination to please the fans shines through and mostly in his first time in the suit. With Zimmers pulse pounding score an amazing set piece shows Superman finding himself and becoming the hero we know and love. Michael Shannon, an amazing actor in his own right, plays his best bad guy as Zod and in his world threatening way goes toe to toe with Superman in fight scene which is epic but admittedly drawn out in parts. Critics were mixed on this but there is no one that can deny Man Of Steel gives a realistic view on a character a lot of people could not take serious.