Man of Steel delivers everything a Superman movie should. If anything, it tries to do too much, but more on that later. The movie works like an apology for Superman Returns, where the main complaint was that nothing really interesting challenged Superman and he didnt even throw a punch. In Man of Steel, both of those problems are fixed in impressive ways. General Zod and his team are a menacing threat to a "still finding his way" Superman. The fight scenes, especially the first big one, are probably the best Superman fight scenes to hit the screen. You feel the speed and impact of each punch in flashy and stylized camera movements. Director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen) gets the action and the spectacle right.
The structure of the film feels a lot like Batman Begins, you could almost feel producer Christopher Nolan's guiding hand on the project. Like Batman, Superman is shown first as a traveleving wanderer, lost in the world and trying to find his way. During his journey, the movie jumps back and forth between present time and key events in his childhood. The tone is also similiar to Batman Begins. Superman is morally confused and super serious. I kind of missed the playfulness and joyful wonder of the old Superman movies, but I can see why they went with what they did. We get a serious science fiction movie out of Man of Steel, about the potential identity crisis someone would have if they landed on Earth and didn't know why.
If I had a criticism about the movie, it would be that it tried to do too much. There are developments in the film that happen pretty quickly and abruptly, leaving us to question some of the logic of the characters or the situation. For instance, Lois Lane becomes an important character in about two or three scenes. The film is overambitious, covering a lot of territory and feeling rushed in certain scenes, then feeling slower in others. I appreciated that they tried to fit everything in they could, a fault that I can't really blame the movie for too much.
Overall, a big, bold and technically impressive Superman film.
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