Man of Steel

Man of Steel is a American superhero film Based on the DC Comics character Superman. Produced by Syncopy and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, it is the first installment in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) and a reboot of the Superman film series that portrays the character's origin story. The film is directed by Zack Snyder, written by David S. Goyer from a story by him and Christopher Nolan, who also produces, and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe. In the film, Clark Kent learns that he is a superpowered alien from the planet Krypton. He assumes the role of mankind's protector as Superman, making the choice to face General Zod and prevent him from destroying humanity.
Man of Steel was released on June 14, 2013, in regular, 3D, and IMAX formats. The film received mixed reviews from critics, while it was met with a positive response from audiences. Fans cited its emotional weight, Zack Snyder's characterization of Superman, and its darker tone compared to other superhero films, while critics praised its action sequences, Shannon's performance as Zod, cinematography, visuals, score, and Zack Snyder's direction, but criticized its pacing and serious tonal approach to the central character. Cavill's performance earned polarized responses, with some critics commenting on perceived stiffness and a lack of charisma while others praised Clark Kent's inner turmoil. The film was a box office success, becoming the ninth-highest grossing film of 2013 with over $668 million and a net profit of approximately $42 million. A follow-up, entitled Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, was released in 2016 to critical failure but slight commercial success. A proper direct sequel had entered development at various points since October 2014, before being completely cancelled in December 2022 following the restructuring of DC Films as DC Studios. A second reboot film written by James Gunn titled Superman: Legacy, intended to be an installment and first film of a new DC shared universe, is in development and due for release in July 2025.
==Plot==
The planet Krypton faces imminent destruction due to its unstable core, the result of years of depleting Krypton's natural resources. The ruling council is deposed by the planet's military commander General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his followers during a military coup. Scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife Lara (Zurer) launch their newborn son Kal-El (Henry Cavill) on a spacecraft to Earth after infusing his cells with a genetic codex of the entire Kryptonian race. After Zod murders Jor-El, he and his followers are captured and banished to the Phantom Zone. However, Krypton explodes some time afterward, freeing them.
Kal-El's ship lands in a small Kansas town. He is raised as the adoptive son of Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, respectively), who name him Clark. Clark's Kryptonian physiology affords him superhuman abilities on Earth, which initially cause him confusion and ostracism, but he gradually learns to harness his powers to help others. Jonathan reveals to a teenage Clark that he is an alien and advises him not to use his powers publicly, fearing that society will reject him. After Jonathan's death, an adult Clark spends several years living a nomadic lifestyle, working different jobs under false identities, while saving people in secret as well as struggling to cope with the loss of his adoptive father. He eventually infiltrates a U.S. military investigation of a Kryptonian scout spaceship in the Arctic. Clark enters the alien ship, and it allows him to communicate with the preserved consciousness of Jor-El in the form of a hologram. Jor-El reveals Clark's origins and the extinction of his race, and tells Clark that he was sent to Earth to bring hope to mankind. Lois Lane (Amy Adams), a journalist from the Daily Planet who was sent to write a story on the discovery, sneaks inside the ship while following Clark and is rescued by him when she is injured. Lois's editor, Perry White (Laurence Fishburne), rejects her story of a "superhuman" rescuer, so she traces Clark back to Kansas with the intention of writing an exposé. After hearing his story, she decides not to reveal his secret.
Meanwhile, Zod and his crew seek out other worlds that the Kryptonian race colonized. However, the colonies did not survive long after Krypton's destruction. They eventually pick up a Kryptonian distress signal sent from the ship Clark discovered on Earth. Zod arrives and demands the humans surrender Kal-El, whom he believes has the codex, or else Earth will be destroyed. Clark agrees, and the military hand him and Lois over to Zod's second-in-command, Faora (Traue) , at Zod's request. Zod reveals that he intends to use a terraforming "world engine" to transform Earth into a new Krypton and use the codex to repopulate the planet with genetically-engineered Kryptonians. This transformation will result in the destruction of mankind. After Clark and Lois escape Zod's ship with Jor-El's help, Clark defeats Faora and Nam-Ek, convincing the military that he is an ally. Zod deploys the world engine and initiates the process in Metropolis and over the Indian Ocean.
Clark, now being called "Superman", destroys the world engine, while the military uses the spacecraft that brought him to Earth in an aerial strike on Zod's ship over Metropolis, sending Zod's forces back into the Phantom Zone. Superman destroys the ship that carries the Genesis Chamber, the pivotal technology to restore the Kryptonian race with the codex. Only Zod remains, who engages Superman in a destructive battle across Metropolis. When Zod attempts to murder cornered civilians in revenge for his defeat, Superman is forced to kill him. Some time later, Superman continues to try to earn the U.S. government's trust, though evading their efforts to uncover his secret identity. To create an alias that gives him access to dangerous situations without arousing suspicion, Clark takes a job as a reporter at the Daily Planet.
==Reception==
Man of Steel recieved mixed reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 340 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. The site's consensus reads, "Man of Steel's exhilarating action and spectacle can't fully overcome its detours into generic blockbuster territory." On Metacritic, the film received a weighted score of 55 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Audience polls in North America from CinemaScore for the film tallied an average grade of an "A−" on an A+ to F scale, with those under the age of 18 and older than 50 giving it an "A".
==Cast==
*Henry Cavill -as- Clark Kent / Superman
*Russell Crowe -as- Jor-El
*Amy Adams -as- Lois Lane
*Kevin Costner -as- Jonathan Kent
*Diane Lane -as- Martha Kent
*Michael Shannon -as- General Zod
*Laurence Fishburne -as- Perry White
*Christopher Meloni -as- Colonel Hardy
*Michael Kelly -as- Steve Lombard
*Jadin Gould -as- Lana Lang
==Production Notes==
==Future==
===DC Extended Universe===
The success of Man of Steel started Warner Bros. plans of a cinematic universe featuring other DC Comics characters. In June 2013, Goyer was hired to write the sequel to Man of Steel, as well as a Justice League script, with the previous draft being scrapped. In July 2013, Zack Snyder announced at San Diego Comic-Con International that the sequel to Man of Steel would have Superman and Batman meeting for the first time in the next film. Cavill, Adams, Lane and Fishburne were signed on to reprise their roles. Snyder stated that the film would take inspiration from the comic The Dark Knight Returns. In August 2013, Ben Affleck was announced to be playing Batman, while Gal Gadot was cast as Wonder Woman in December 2013. Later in December, Chris Terrio was hired to rewrite the script. In January 2014, it was announced that the film had been delayed from its original July 17, 2015 release date to May 6, 2016. In April 2014, it was announced that Snyder would also be directing Goyer's Justice League script. In May 2014, the film's title was revealed to be Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Warner Bros. was reportedly courting Terrio to rewrite Justice League the following July, after having been pleased with his rewrite of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. While Superman star Henry Cavill does not consider it a Superman sequel, Snyder stated that he "thinks in a way Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice is Man of Steel 2".
===Cancelled sequel and DC Universe reboot===
Warner Bros. Pictures announced release dates for a full slate of DC Comics-based films in October 2014 for the DCEU. At the same time, the company said that an un-dated Superman film was in development, with Henry Cavill set to reprise his role of Clark Kent / Superman. Warner Bros. chose to prioritize Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) as the second DCEU film after Man of Steel failed to meet the company's financial expectations, despite turning a profit. Zack Snyder said that Brainiac and the Kryptonians imprisoned in the Phantom Zone were considered as antagonists for the sequel before Warner Bros. decided to proceed with Batman v Superman. TheWrap reported that a sequel to Man of Steel entered active development in August 2016 and that the studio wanted to get the character right for audiences and was a top priority for them. Cavill's manager Dany Garcia confirmed the following month that the actor was in development on another standalone Superman film. That November, while promoting Arrival, Amy Adams said the studio was working on a screenplay for the sequel. Matthew Vaughn was Warner Bros.' top choice to direct the film, and he had preliminary conversations about the project by March 2017. Vaughn had previously pitched an idea for a new Superman trilogy with comic book writer Mark Millar, prior to the development of Man of Steel, in which the destruction of the planet Krypton would not take place until after Superman had already grown-up on the planet. After the troubled production of the DCEU film Justice League (2017), Warner Bros. re-thought its approach to DC projects. By the end of 2017, a Man of Steel sequel was not coming "anytime soon, if at all". Justice League producer Charles Roven said story ideas for the film had been discussed, but there was no script.
Before the release of Mission: Impossible – Fallout in July 2018, director Christopher McQuarrie and co-star Cavill pitched their take on a new Superman film, but Warner Bros. did not pursue the idea. Later in 2018, the studio asked James Gunn to write and direct a Superman film, but he chose to make The Suicide Squad (2021) instead. In September, negotiations for Cavill to reprise his role for a cameo appearance in Shazam! (2019) ended due to contract issues, as well as a scheduling conflict with Cavill's Fallout commitments. The actor was reported to be parting ways with the studio, with no plans for him to reprise his role in future projects, but, in November 2019, Cavill said that he had not given up on the character and still wanted to do the role justice. At that time, Warner Bros. was unsure which direction to take the character and was talking to "high-profile talent" about the property, including J. J. Abrams — whose company Bad Robot Productions signed an overall deal with Warner Bros.' parent company WarnerMedia — and Michael B. Jordan, who pitched himself as a Black version of the character. By May 2020, Warner Bros. was no longer developing a Man of Steel sequel, but Cavill was in talks to appear in a different future DC film.
In October 2022, Warner Bros. was revealed to be developing a project that was described as being a sequel to Man of Steel with Roven serving as a producer and Cavill expected to reprise his role. The studio was searching for writers by then, and had a wishlist of directors that included McQuarrie. Cavill was revealed to have signed a one-off deal for a cameo appearance in the post-credits scene of the DCEU film Black Adam (2022), though Warner Bros. was interested in having him return for future projects including another solo film, though there was only a verbal agreement on this. Shortly after, Warner Bros. had Cavill announce that he would return as Superman for future projects. Steven Knight had written a script treatment around that time, which reportedly included Brainiac as the antagonist. Warner Bros. executives were not thrilled about it and provided notes on it, and another writer was potentially hired due to Knight's busy schedule soon after. TheWrap reported in November that the project was not moving forward quickly as the then-newly appointed co-chairmen and co-CEOS of DC Studios Gunn and Peter Safran were developing their DC shared universe plans. Development of the sequel ended in December, and was replaced with a new film written by Gunn focused on a younger Superman. In January 2023, Gunn and Safran officially announced the reboot, titled Superman: Legacy, as the first film installment of the newly-branded DC Universe. It is due for release on July 11, 2025.
== Featured Video ==
Man of Steel - Behind The Scenes Featurette (HD) with Superman|Behind the Scenes
Man Of Steel - Official Teaser Trailer (2013) HD|Official Teaser Trailer: Jonathan Kent
Man Of Steel - Official Teaser Trailer Jor-El HD|Official Teaser Trailer: Jor-El
Man of Steel - Official Trailer 2 HD|Official Trailer #2
Zack Snyder’s Justice League - Trilogy Trailer - HBO Max
==Posters==
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==Images==
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==References==
Category:DC Comics titles
Category:Superhero films
Category:2013 films
Category:Superman films
Category:Films directed by Zack Snyder
Category:Warner Bros. films
Category:Films scores by Hans Zimmer
Category:Films based on comics
Category:Reboot films
Category:Science Fiction films
Category:2010s films
Category:Action
Category:Justice League Trilogy
Category:DC Films Multiverse
Category:Legendary Pictures films
Category:DC Entertainment films
Category:Syncopy films
Category:IMAX films
Category:Films starring Amy Adams
Category:Films starring Henry Cavill
Category:Films starring Kevin Costner
Category:Adventure
Category:Sci-Fi