Man of Steel

The exhilarating feeling of watching ones favorite comic character on the big screen, that too on the
first day, first show is quite something. And the Man of Steel was worth the wait.
Until 2009, Man of Steel was in limbo. Threatened to be cancelled, Warner Bros. hired Christopher
Nolan to the helm the project. One can see Nolans influence throughout the movie. Radically different
from the earlier Superman movies, Man of Steel showcases the vulnerabilities of Superman, portraying
him in a different light as opposed to the previous Superman movies. Called Superman only once in the
movie, he is referred to as Clark, Kal-El, Alien in the movie, like in the case of Batman in Batman Begins.
The film starts with the destruction of Krypton. Jor-El played by Russell Crowe (an excellent casting
choice by the makers) argues against the mismanagement of the planets resources which lead to the
planets destruction but to no avail. Meanwhile General Zod, portrayed by Michael Shannon (another
excellent casting choice) uses the crisis to stage a coop but it is too late. Jor-El and his grieving wife, Lara
played by Ayelet Zurer (of the Angels and Demons fame), launch baby Kal-El in a tiny escape capsule as
the planet is consumed by fire. The child finally arrives on Earth to be named Clark Kent, and the rest is
history, remembered and effectively narrated in flashback glimpses by traumatized, grownup Clark.
Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is a pretty savvy star journalist, on the trail of the Man of Steel ever since he
saved her from an alien robot. Prone to egocentric outbursts like in the comics with her editor, Perry
White, played by Laurence Fishburne. "I'm a Pulitzer prize-winning reporter!" she yelps. "Then act like
it!" booms Perry. That is what Amy Adams thinks she's doing, but her role was quite disappointing in this
movie.
It isn't long before Zod reappears and makes his way to Earth with reestablishing Krypton on his mind.
The Man of Steel decides his loyalties are with his new friends: the Earthlings, who are nonetheless
suspicious. Zod's action packed confrontations with Superman, and indeed Jor-El, always look credible,
and I liked Supermans epiphany of horror as he realizes what Zod's intentions are: Genocide of the
Human race(visually showing Superman drown in a sea of skulls).
The climax of course features an epic and visually stunning battle of the two super humans. As was
hoped by many, Man of Steel is a fine mlange of the character development/ story telling talents of the
Dark Knight Trilogy creators David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan and the stunning visual imagination
of Zack Snyder. The movie could be called Superman Begins in terms of its approach and structure but
it manages to achieve its own identity. Also the score by Hans Zimmer (by far the best composer today)
is absolutely exhilarating and heightens the enjoyment of the movie.
On the whole, by casting a group of extremely talented actors (like in the Dark Knight Trilogy) the
filmmakers have managed to hide any flaws in the script and make Man of Steel a truly memorable
movie to watch. Get ready for a visual treat people. This movie is stunning.