I had mixed feelings prior to seeing this movie. On the one hand, I was curious to see how well the “serious” tone would play out for this version of Superman. At the same time, I was a little uncertain when I took a look at the casting.
After having seen it, I can say that some scenes flowed better than others.
Russell Crowe surprised me here. I haven’t been too fond of any of the roles he’s taken since A Beautiful Mind (2001), but in Man of Steel I found his character a little endearing. Christopher Meloni was another surprise in this movie. I had no idea he was going to be in it, for one, and for another I really liked his character even if it wasn’t a very big role. I also liked Kevin Costner as Clark’s father. I think Henry Cavill was a good choice as Superman, as I did think he looked the part, though I don’t think I would have minded seeing Benedict Cumberbatch or Tom Welling (from the Smallville TV series) playing this same role; I think it could have been interesting.
Some of the transitions didn’t seem very smooth to me. The story flip flops from present to past and back again for about the first half (and a small snip at the end). While this may work for some stories, in this case I thought it was a little distracting at times. The action in here was pretty cool though; some sequences both looked and reminded me of a video game cut scene.
As far as the story goes, I definitely think the antagonist was given help by basically being evacuated instead of exterminated as he should have been prior to Krypton’s demise. If General Zod had been eliminated that early on though, of course, there would have been no story.
In regards to Clark Kent’s character in this movie, I did think it was a little strange no one seems to recognize him at the end, because I feel like his identity was pretty out there early on in comparison to any other Superman storyline I’ve seen. Then again, maybe that’s just me.
FINAL VERDICT: B-
I saw this in standard definition, but I think it might be worth seeing this in at least IMAX. I don’t think I really saw anything that had the potential to “pop out” and thereby justify watching it in 3D, but I think it could be nice to see with a clearer picture. Don’t get me wrong though, even in standard definition the picture was pretty clear; just the colors are probably not as vibrant as they could be in IMAX.
Cutting Edge Creativity 
As far as General Zod’s exile to the Phantom Zone: That is something that was firmly established in every Superman lore. I guess the people of Krypton didn’t believe in actual capital punishment, instead preferring to banish criminals to the Phantom Zone. But it was also the case in Superman: The Movie (1978) and its sequel Superman II that General Zod’s life was inadvertently saved by being exiled to the Phantom Zone.
What I don’t get though is why it never crosses their minds that when Krypton goes down, Zod goes free to wreak havoc while they all perish. It’s like they don’t make the connection. If they weren’t going to try and evacuate, why not all of them just go down together? Sorry if I’m not making any sense right now, I’m pretty tired, but I hope you get the gist of what I mean. Logic like that has always confused me in any story.
I saw this in IMAX 3D and there was nothing 3D worthy; if I could have simply watched it on IMAX I would have, but had to see it in 3D. It’s definitely worth seeing on the IMAX screen, and not only is the picture bigger, etc. but the sound is much louder and clearer, therefore Zimmer’s score really amplifies the film which is primarily the reason I wanted to see it on the IMAX screen. I think the score was probably the best overall aspect of the film, even though I liked the movie, as well.
Thanks for the confirmation. It didn’t look like anything would really pop out. I also like Zimmer and most of his work.
Oh yeah, “The Internship” was not much better than it looked on the trailer; not a terrible movie, but formulated to the tee. Not a lot of LOL moments; a few chuckles here and there, but nothing worth paying for.
Well that’s good to know too. I was curious about it. I guess it’ll be one of those “if someone happens to suggest it for a movie night in, why not” kind of movies.
Yeah, but there are a ton of other better movies to watch for movie night; if all else fails simply default to a classic like Dumb & Dumber, or Office Space. Those movies are more entertaining on their 50th watch than The Internship’s first.
I did enjoy Dumb & Dumber. I’ve heard of Office Space, but never watched it. I guess I’ll put that on my list of to-dos.
You better 🙂
Good review Rae. I had a good time with this flick, even though I wish it was way, way better than what I got. However, that’s why we have sequels and that’s why I can’t see what they have next for us.
Thanks Dan! And yeah, I agree with you there. It was not a terrible movie by any means; it just didn’t capture me the way I wished it would.
You didn’t have orgasms when you heard about the casting?! You’re heard. One of my biggest complaints is that Costner and Crowe didn’t share any screen time. But I digress.
There were moments when Cavill reminded me of Tom Welling. But Cavill definitely did the sad, emotional, confused puppy look with a lot more testosterone than Welling. Also those comparisons don’t fit well given how whiny Welling was during the SMALLVILLE run.
I felt the same Clark’s identity. Especially because there’s a scene where Lois shows up at Clark’s farmhouse in Smallvile, where he’s standing in his Superman suit… and she runs up to him calling him ‘Clark’, with a Police cruiser behind her. Strange.
SHAH! 😀 Haven’t heard from you in forever!! Lolol.
I actually totally forgot what happens in Smallville. I think I followed the series closely for about two seasons and then I gave up. I tend to be more loyal to sitcoms, haha.
Thanks for your input~! 😀
Haha. I know. I just moved back into Canada after years. So been pretty hectic. Still getting settled. How’s you?
I’m the opposite. I like some sitcoms, but don’t follow as hardcore as Dramatic TV Series.
Wow, very nice! I’ve been doing well. Miss seeing you drop by and writing hilarious tags on Twitter, hahaha.
I think I like to laugh a lot, so that’s why I prefer watching comedies. Big Bang Theory is one of my loves. XD
I love BIG BANG. Seen every episode so far.
I actually did not mind the back story and jumping around in the early going. What I had a problem with was the lack of chemistry between Lois and Clark and all the punching and blowing up of things once Zod arrived.
LOL and your comment has reminded me I need to write new entries here…at some point.
For me, the jumping back and forth was distracting. I do agree about the lack of chemistry. I wonder if they weren’t focusing on that too much because the whole relationship between them is supposed to be considered just a given.
Thanks for stopping by, as always! 🙂