The justice league's leader arrives. Stumbles through...but makes it home !

Rating: 8/10 (18 June 2013)

For over a year from whence it was declared that Snyder would direct a Nolan production, I had my reservations about whether Snyder was the right person, Warner chose. And...he has lived up to his reputation of being erratic. With every minute of the movie passing by, a movie buff needs little effort in seeing him huffing and puffing through it. How do I put it, it was like,he had little idea about how to put the story in (the story's extent was a little too much for him to handle or what), and he decides to split it and sow it all over the first half of the movie. It requires enough discretion to extrapolate how it was meant originally when it flowed through Nolan and Goyer duo's ink. It seemed as there are two approaches to the making of the movie,writer's and director's and not quite blending in through the journey. They blended like an alloy, not as compound though.
The movie started perfectly, the story being told with the needful action. Then came the critical part of introducing people to the man of steel. Every hero in DC world lives with an ideal. It's the choice, the self realization, the compassion, the pillars on which the crux of the superheroes is built. As the leader of the justice league, the man of steel poses no exception, in fact he is the example. They have shown several anecdotes from Clark Kent's childhood and youth trying to stress these points, but they do not cast as much impression as needed for the viewer to be in sync with the activities of his alter ego, which follow. May be I am addicted to the Nolan way, but even then that's where I think the director was just beating around the bush, and did not hit the spot, quite right.
About the actors, Henry Cavill is a mixed bag. He is perfect as superman, jumpy as Clark Kent. Russell Crowe, I don't think needs any direction. He played Jor-El, to the maximum. It was pretty imminent whatever were Jor-El's dialogues were Nolan's words, and they were precious, every syllable. The rest of the cast was mediocre, nothing to remember after 123rd minute. Laurence Fishburne was wasted in his role. In the close proximity of earth shattering fights, he managed to be alive. Just because he is a renowned actor, you keep him alive, that's something Marvel would do. Not for one bit, such things are expected from WB-DC team. Did they run out of budget to ensemble a better cast or what? I don't know .Speaking of budget, it looks like Snyder was given a license to spend the money and he did, all of it, $225m in the technical department. But I must say, it's well spent, every penny of it in making a visual spectacle. For me it was my first IMAX 3D experience, and I enjoyed the 3D every bit. This has to be one of the best non-animated 3D action movies in the superhero genre. Also I love the change they have made to the logo, it gives superman the appropriate makeover.
Hans Zimmer has given an awesome score, that saves the action scenes from becoming high and dry, and brings in the needed intensity. I did miss Wally Pfister with the camera. But he comes in with the Nolan package and not the Snyder package. I would advise goers to not expect for Nolan brilliance in any department. For example there are a few scenes which have no action nor are shot on a wobbly footing, but look like shot with handy-cam, for unfathomable reasons.
The action in the movie has lived up to the expectation. Each action sequence is crafted with enough intricacy. Especially mentionable, the duel with his enemy ,the catch of the falling Lois Lane, which has become one of the famous scenes in comics' story, is re-mastered and modernized, and literally every flight of superman, be it on earth or in space was heart racing and jaw dropping. It really feels like Snyder's heart lies in action, and he doesn't disappoint one bit. .
In all, a booming reboot, must watch.