The Man of Steel is Back!

Rating: 10/10 (16 June 2013)

I had very high expectations for the new Superman movie, Man of Steel. I have waited, sometimes impatiently, for the time to finally come when I could see the movie. Last night was finally the night. Michael A. Lewis and I dressed in full costume as Superman and General Zod. That alone was a blast and I can't think of anyone else who I would have rather had that experience with, who would even consider doing it with me at our ages. We arrived at the 7 pm pre screening and I was a little disappointed in the turnout. The theatre was only about two thirds of the way full. I think that with all of the marketing for the movie they failed to capitalize on the pre screening. I monitor all of the Man of Steel web pages and I didn't even know about the pre screening until it was brought to my attention by Karen Lewis, if that tells you anything. We then proceeded to attend the midnight premiere at a different theatre. This crowd was a bit more like what I expected. They actually were forced to cancel another movies viewing to show Man of Steel on an additional screen because the demand was so high and sales were so strong.
On to the movie review...Again, I had very high expectations for this movie given the cast and the director and production team and what I have come to expect from them individually. I must say, with as high as my expectations were, I was pleasantly surprised to see my expectations soared past. The movie screams of Zack Snyder's involvement (which is good, as I'm a Snyder fan). But it also has some things you won't expect. I will say that about 70% of the movie is going to be full of things you have never seen before. Anywhere. Ever. And it will blow your mind if you let it. The actors were stellar in their roles and the character development is some of the best I have ever seen in any movie, let alone the Superman franchise. Christopher Meloni was the big surprise for me as far as the cast goes. I didn't realize how integral his role would be and HE NAILED IT hard.
General Zod is the primary "villian" in this movie and Michael Shannon made it his and made it amazing. He did a phenomenal job of humanizing the character to the point that you genuinely feel for his plight. Terrence Stamp was never able to do that in my opinion in the earlier incarnations of the franchise.
I'm not going to go into too much detail about the plot revelations or all of the individual character development because I think that it's important for everyone to see this film for themselves. Even if you aren't a Superman fan, I think you will be pleasantly surprised. I know of one ardent anti Superman friend who went to the midnight premiere and walked away a believer in the reboot and had nothing but glowing reviews.
My final review is that the movie genuinely deserves a ten star rating on a one to ten scale, with ten being a superb cinema experience that can't be missed. If you go to see only one film this summer, this should be it. It has something for everyone regardless of your taste for Superman and has set the bar as high as I think that it could have. The movie has very little light profanity and simulated sci fi violence, but I don't think that should stop you from taking your kids to see it, as it is far less violence than most movies nowadays. Please see this movie. You'll thank me in the long run