Breaking Box Office records? This looks like a job for Superman
There are few things that I have said that I wanted to see
before my life ends. Time travel, flying cars, the birth of my little girl (due October 21st),
and a Superman movie that is worthy of the title character are the only things
that I have asked for. While I am sure that time travel and flying cars are not
going to happen anytime soon I can at least check one thing off of that list. Man
of Steel proves to be a truly awesome movie and paves the way for DC COMICS to
roll out a new wave of superhero themed films…starting with Man of Steel 2
(which has been fast tracked for a 2014/2015 release).
Storyline: Krypton, an advanced civilization, is on the brink of destruction. Jor-El (Crowe) sends his only son, the
first naturally conceived Kryptonian in centuries, to Earth to escape the dying
planet and the clutches of General Zod (Shannon), the military general hell
bent on overthrowing the Kryptonian government. For his crimes of treason, Zod
is sent to the Phantom Zone where he, years after the destruction of the planet,
follows a beacon that Clark Kent (Cavil) accidently activates. When Zod
threatens the people of Earth, Clark must make a choice. Does he fight for the
people of his adoptive planet or continue to hide in the shadows to avoid being
judged by the people of Earth?
Worth the admission? There is not a movie that, for me, has
been more worth the price of admission. This film has an appeal to all audiences.
While it is filled with CGI fueled slug-fests between the Kryptonian invaders
and Clark, it is the story of two fathers and a confused son that makes this
story bubble with the appeal that I ended
up loving most about the film. On one hand you have the story of Jor-El, a man
who knows that his son will be a “god” among the people of Earth. Who tells his
son to take pride in his abilities and lead the human race as opposed to blending
in to it. Then you have Jonathan Kent (Costner). The adoptive father of Clark. The man who
wrestles with the struggles of how to raise a humble man with the strength of
an army. In the end, both fathers want what is best for their son, but it is up
to Clark to forge his own path.
I could talk about this movie forever, but I will just
advise that you go see it. Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe give amazing performances
and Amy Adams (who I was not that excited to see as the choice to play Lois
Lane) breaths a new life into a character that has been greatly misused in the
past. Rounding out the cast is Dian Lane as Martha Kent, and Henry Cavill as
Clark. Both giving great performances and showing a fantastic example of a
mother/son bond, regardless of bloodline.
*SPOILERS BELOW*
I wanted to point out a few things that felt were some of the best and worst parts of the movie.
- 1) The days of old "golly gee shucks" clark is over with, and rightfully so. Just like Batman Begins took Bruce out of that campy junk from the 70's (and end of the 90's) and updated him to a more modern audience, that is what has needed to be done with Clark Kent.
2) People keep complaining about the neck break, uh, in Superman 2, Ursa gets chunked to the bottom of the fortress and no one blinked an eye. So I don't see what the big deal is. Also, this isn't a Superman that has been Superman his whole life. This is a guy that is JUST NOW discovering his powers and, at times, will be a slave to them. Is breaking someones neck a good thing, no? But it was the only thing that was going to stop Zod from killing those people.
3) Superman has always had a "never kill" motto in the past, but we never saw why. Having him kill the last remaining person like him basically forced him to commit genocide. I think that finally gives some weight to that rule.
4) Lois was awesome
5) Jor-El was awesome
6) Ma and Pa Kent were awesome
7) The destruction of Krypton scene might be one of the best scifi scenes I can remember ever seeing (aside from all of the battleships chasing the Firefly through the cloud in Serenity). It was beautiful.
8) That final scene for Jonathan. When he looks at his kid running around with a cape on and realizes that his son is going to be the most important person to ever walk the face of this earth...I mean, can you imagine the contestant state of pride this man must have had while raising such a good man?
The Cons___
1) I will always be a fan of ZOD from Superman II. No one could change that. So Michael Shannon never stood a chance in my book. He was a different breed than Stamp's Zod. I liked the old Zod better.
2) I saw it in 3D and didn't care for the 3D version. The fight scenes looked really sloppy
3) The dialog was somewhat "clunky". Some scenes it was great, but some where kind of cringe worthy.
4) I missed the "superman song" from the old movies.
5) We never got the reveal. You know, where he opens his shirt and shows the "S". I realize that will probably come a bit later, since he is just now taking on the reporter role, but still. It was missed.
6) Product placement was overkill
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