With the ever popular fad of superhero action movies it is tough to standout from the pack, but Man of Steel is top tier even rivaling The Dark Knight Trilogy. Zack Snyder, the visionary Director of "300" and "The Watchmen," captures a different perspective of the Clark Kent (played by hunk Henry Cavill), that we have come to know and love from the comic books. With his flair for the dramatic and stylized way of filming Snyder’s superman is like nothing we have ever seen before.
Synder’s portrayal of Superman begins on Krypton where civil war has broken out over the destruction of the planets core. Jor-el acted by Australian tough guy Russell Crow, is the leading scientist who is pleading with Krypton’s counsel at one final attempt to save their planet until a coup, lead by the films antagonist, General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, has a few demands of himself. Flash forward thirty-three years to a grown up Clark, who must fight for the survival of planet earth once Zod and his gang of soldiers carry out unfinished business, add a couple of mind boggling CGI actions scenes, cue damsel in distress Lois Lane, and you have Man of Steel in a nut shell.
Zack Snyder has become known in the movie industry for his unique high-end comic book inspired cinematography and ruthless fighting scenes. Man of Steel is not any different. From start to finish it is a visual masterpiece. Snyder is able to capture emotion with strong character development during life changing events in Clark’s upbringing. Where as an audience feels as if they really understand Superman’s morals and ethics once that country boy from “Smallville” officially puts on the red cape. With a breath of fresh air, Man of Steel interpreted a modern day Superman, diminishing the juvenile fantasy feel that so often accompanied the previous Superman movies.
With a run time of just under two and a half hours, audiences may grow weary as to the predictability of the progression of the story. With the ever simple, bad guy seeking revenge while one man must stand and fight for the sake of the world, there are not many places for the story to take a twist. However, audiences seemed too distracted by Henry Cavill flying around in blue spandex to notice the cliché climax.
Snyder has created an emotional understanding of Clark Kent while delivering breath taking visuals, that has left audiences mesmerized. Man of Steel is a must see and definitely worth the price of admission as a legitimate blockbuster, whether it is your love for action, cutting edge cinematography, good looking actors, or if you are a sucker for the sensitive stuff, Man of Steel delivers.
