Superman: The Last Son of Krypton

***Superman: The Last Son of Krypton*** is a 2007 superhero film, based on the DC Comics superhero of the same name. It is the second installment in the DC Shared Film Universe and the second installment of Phase One.

It was directed by Zack Snyder and stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Hayley Atwell, Scott Michael Foster, Dax Shepard, Bruce Boxleitner, and James Spader. The film spawned two sequels:*Superman: The Last Daughter of Krypton*in 2010 and *Superman: The Man of Tomorrow* in 2013. The film was released on July 6, 2007 to gross $939.9 million on a $150 million budget. The film ran 138 minutes. The film also received generally positive reviews.

## Synopsis

23 years ago, the far-away planet of Krypton exploded, killing all of the Kryptonians except Kal-El, the infant son of Jor-El, a famous politician. Kal was sent away in a spaceship just before the explosion, where he landed on Earth and was adopted by farmers Martha and Jonathan Kent. However, now, Clark is learned to have powers because of his alien DNA. Clark finally decides to use these powers to stop Lex Luthor, the billionaire CEO of LexCorp planning something that will kill millions.

## Plot

The planet, Krypton, is dying. Jor-El, a member of the High Council, reveals to his wife, Lara, that Krypton is going to explode that day. The two take their infant son, Kal-El, and place him in a spaceship. Jor-El places a small disk in the ship and then sends him off. Lara cries as she watches the ship leave. The couple embrace as their planet explodes. In 1987, Smallville is preparing for another one of their Smallville High School football wins. However, a meteor shower begins, sending Martha and Jonathan Kent off the road in their truck. Martha awakens to see a young boy, Kal-El, now a 3-year-old, in a blanket walking towards them. The farmers take the boy home, including his spaceship. Jonathan finds the disk and plays it, learning of the boy's heritage. Jonathan and Martha agree to keep it a secret from the boy and their town, posing as adopting him, and leaving him to believe he was human. Twenty years later, Clark has moved to Metropolis and gotten a job as a journalist at the Daily Planet. He works alongside Lois Lane, a fellow journalist, and Jimmy Olsen, a photographer. They, along with the other 200 employees, work under the Editor-in-Chief, Perry White.

It is revealed that in the past 20 years, Clark had discovered he has super-speed, super-strength, invulnerability, x-ray vision, heat vision, and ice breath, along with the fact that he is a Kryptonian. Also, Jonathan had died from a heart attack, which led Clark to hide his abilities due to Jonathan's last words. However, at the Daily Planet, Lex Luthor, billionaire CEO of LexCorp, has a meeting with Perry White, which leads White to sell the company to LexCorp. White gets to retain his position, as do half of the employees. Clark and Lois are able to keep their jobs, though Jimmy is fired. Lana Lang, a former classmate of Clark's, is one of the several new employees. Lois is on the roof when suddenly her heal breaks and she falls off. Clark sees this and speeds down the building, catching her and saving her. He asks Lois on a date, which she accepts. On the date, she reveals that she knows that he wasn't on ground-level, and asks him how he saved her. He is forced to reveal that he has superhuman abilities and he is from Krypton. Lois asks why he doesn't save people all the time. Clark reveals that if he made his powers public, he would get pounded with questions and maybe even arrested by the government to be experimented on. Lois agrees.

However, Clark reluctantly agrees to go on a spy mission with Lois to get into Lex's office at LexCorp, due to Lois believing he is planning something evil. The two get in and find an entire cabinet of documents relating to experiments done on humans with powers. However, Lex finds them and orders them to be taken to Floor 3.5. Clark and Lois are put in a prison-like room, where Lex keeps them until further notice. However, Clark manages to break the bars. However, Lois is shot when she tries to escape. Clark orders them to save her with their technology or he will tell the police about what they are doing. Clark leaves on the promise Lois will be in a regular hospital that night. Clark finds her in Metropolis General, healthy again. Lois reveals that she discovered that Lex is using the powers he is extracting to fuse into a suit of armor that he could use to take over the city if he wanted to. Clark agrees to use his powers to stop Lex and then he will quit. Clark returns home to Smallville, where he gets advice from Martha. Lois meets Martha and Clark keeps Lois there until the city is safe. Lois reluctantly agrees to stay with Martha.

Clark returns to Metropolis and, getting Jimmy's help, reveals Lex's experiments to the public. Lex is arrested by the police, though he escapes. Clark is kidnapped by Lex and taken to the Arctic. Lex reveals that he knows everything about Kryptonians, including the fact that Kryptonite that their planet was made from, is also their one weakness, and there was tons of Kryptonite in the meteors from the meteor shower twenty years ago. Lex has been stockpiling Kryptonite in the Arctic and throws Clark over. As Clark falls, which would kill him due to the Kryptonite. Clark unlocks his final power, flight, and flies back up, hitting the helicoptor. Lex survives the crash and fights Clark. Lex calls in backup and his suit flies down. Lex, in his suit, fights Clark, calling him a Superman. However, the FBI shows up and arrests Lex. Clark is taken back to Metropolis, where the FBI reveals they are actually A.R.G.U.S., a secret government agency that specializes in super-powered cases that is hidden with the help of the FBI and CIA. They promise to keep Clark's identity a secret in the Lex Luthor case. Clark thanks them and returns to Lois, who kisses him. Perry hires Jimmy after being free from Lex's control, while Lex is placed in Belle Reeve.

In a mid-credits scene, Clark has the Kryptonite cleared from the Arctic and taken into A.R.G.U.S. control. Clark returns to the Arctic, and finds an ice-castle like place, which he enters and hears the voice of his father welcoming him home. In a post-credits scene, Lex reveals that the plan of Apokolips is just getting started.

## Cast

* Jake Gyllenhaal as Clark Kent/Superman
* Hayley Atwell as Lois Lane
* Scott Michael Foster as Jimmy Olsen
* Dax Shepard as Lex Luthor
* Natalie Portman as Lana Lang
* Lindsay Duncan as Martha Kent
* Bruce Boxleitner as Jonathan Kent
* James Spader as Perry White

## Appearances

### Locations

* Krypton
* Smallville
	+ Main Street
	+ Kent Farmhouse
* Metropolis
	+ Daily Planet
	+ Clark Kent's Apartment
	+ LexCorp
	+ Metropolis General Hospital
* Arctic
	+ Fortress of Solitude
* Belle Reeve Penitentiary

### Events

* Explosion of Krypton
* 1987 Smallville Meteor Shower
* Escape of LexCorp
* Fight in the Arctic

### Organizations

* Daily Planet
* LexCorp
* A.R.G.U.S.