Run Time: 2h 23m
Directed By: Zack Snyder
IMDb: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomato: 56%
Budget: $225-228 million
Box Office: $670.2 million
When Man of Steel (2013) came out, I was only 13. I had already seen Christopher Reeve’s Superman (1978), Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns (2006), and a few episodes of Justice League Unlimited by then. I remember making red capes for myself out of blankets to be Superman. What I am trying to say is, I was already a Superman freak then. At that time, getting the opportunity to experience the newly released Superman was such a treat. And that’s exactly what I felt during my first watch. I was on a rollercoaster ride of thrill, excitement, and emotion while watching Man of Steel. I don’t know how many times I have seen the movie since then, but every time I rewatch it, I like it even more than before. Maybe that’s how you can define a good movie.
The movie has more of a realistic approach to the relationship between superhero and human, which sets the tone for the upcoming movies of the DC Extended Universe.
The movie starts on the planet Krypton, which is at the brink of being destroyed due to its unstable core. Engineer Jor-El and his wife Lara have their first newborn son, Kal-El, the first natural-born Kryptonian in centuries. Jor-El steals the ‘genetic codex’ of the Kryptonian race and infuses it into Kal’s cells, sending him to Earth in a spacecraft to preserve their species. On the other side, General Zod attempts a coup to take over the control of Krypton but fails and is sentenced to the Phantom Zone, just before Krypton is destroyed.
Kal’s spaceship lands in Smallville, Kansas. Jonathan and Martha Kent, a farming family, find and adopt him. They name him Clark. As a kid, Clark struggles with his superpowers, including x-ray vision and heat vision, which raise many questions in his mind. As he grows up, he searches for answers and discovers a Kryptonian ship and learns about his origins from a programmed hologram of his biological father, Jor-El.
And soon after, General Zod appears on Earth as a threat.
How and why is he on Earth? And why is he such a threat to Earth? Watch the superhero masterpiece to find out. That’s all I can give you without revealing any major spoilers.
What did I like about this movie?
You probably understood that Man of Steel is one of my most favorite films. So, I like pretty much everything in that movie. But if I must point out some reasons in particular, I have some on my mind:
- Unique Introduction: The way Clark Kent becomes Superman, which we know from the comics, doesn’t happen exactly the same in the Man of Steel movie. Well, it’s not like the origin story was completely altered from the comic as “Clark’s parents were murdered in the crime alley by a criminal with a gunshot…” But I’ve found some bold changes in the story, gotta admit that. And I know, not many comic fans would love these changes, but hey, if you follow everything that the comic says, where’s your creativity in that? I really liked the way the director brought changes in Clark’s becoming Superman process, the storyline of General Zod, the romantic portion of Superman and Lois, etc. I think these are really good creative changes.
- Henry Cavill as Superman: Snyder found the perfect person to play Superman, Henry Cavill. This guy became the best Superman in history (in my opinion), and he looks so perfect for the character that I really doubt if we are ever gonna get any better Superman. I am pretty sure that’s what everyone said after watching Brandon Routh’s Superman Returns (2006). Interestingly, Henry Cavill auditioned for the role of Superman in the Superman Returns movie but lost to Routh. Well, he got his chance again several years later and knocked every other Superman out of the park, didn’t he?
- Stylish Visuals: Zack Snyder is renowned for his eye-catching visuals in filmmaking. While watching Snyder’s film, you’ll find super cool slow-mo scenes, special color effects, and many dark and bright contrasts as common features. The same goes for Man of Steel as well. I have heard some people calling it “prioritizing style over substance.” But I disagree. I believe precisely these styles are bold and artistic, and I love seeing some of them in Man of Steel.
- Action Scenes: The latest Superman movie was expected to contain better fighting scenes than previous movies, and Man of Steel managed to fulfill the expectation impressively. Superman’s fight against other Kryptonians like General Zod, Faora-Ul, and Nam-Ek was something that the world hadn’t seen before. You won’t see any flying fighting scenes like those in the movie anywhere else even today. The best you can find is some of its cheap versions (like we have seen in WandaVision). The reason is obvious: it’s not really easy to make a believable fight scene between super powerful beings in mid-air. And the movie got those ‘hard to make’ action scenes well done. Those action scenes have set a higher standard for other upcoming live-action Superman movies as well as other superhero movies or series.
- Soundtrack: To be honest, I don’t know much about the music and sounds of movies. But I know which title track is catchy and makes me want to do a head-bang while listening to it. And guess what? The background score of Man of Steel is exactly that thing. It’s just extraordinary (my vocabulary doesn’t have many words to describe how good the score is). And why wouldn’t it be? Hans Zimmer is the one who composed the score of the movie. If you’ve heard the soundtracks of movies like Gladiator (2000), The Dark Knight (2008), Inception (2010), Interstellar (2014), etc., you probably know how amazing his works are. Hans did his job properly in Man of Steel, being the best at his work as always. Dude nailed it.
What I didn't like about this movie?
Telling the truth, I am more of a blind fan of Zack Snyder. My friends used to call me Snyderbot for obvious reasons. And being a biased fan of him, I don’t see anything major in Man of Steel that I don’t like at all. But there are certain things that I thought could be done in better ways.
- Death of Jonathan Kent: Zack Snyder made a bunch of alterations in the movie from the comics. I liked most of it, as I said earlier. But I did not like the way Snyder killed Jonathan Kent in the movie. In the comics, Jonathan dies of a heart attack. But here in Man of Steel, he dies in a tornado while 17-year-old Clark does nothing but watch. Why? Because his adoptive father didn’t want him to reveal his superpower in front of others by saving him 😐 Not saying that the scene is total garbage or cannot be defended logically. But it could have been shown in a different and better way.
- Henry Cavill as Clark Kent: You see, I liked Henry Cavill as Superman so much. I wish I could say the same for him being Clark Kent. By facial expression, appearance, gestures, or attitude, Henry looked nothing like Clark Kent. He didn’t give the vibe of the nerdy farm boy Clark Kent at all that we’ve always seen earlier. I felt like I had seen Superman the whole time, not Clark for even a moment. I missed the dual personality of that character throughout the whole movie.
- Color and Overall Vibes: I get it, DC movies are not like MCU movies; they have darker color tones and everything. But I think it was too much in Man of Steel. Jeez, Superman’s suit doesn’t even look blue, and the cape looks maroon-colored instead of red. That desaturated and darker color palette perhaps gave a classic cinematic look but felt like a completely forceful implementation in this particular movie.
Who should watch and who shouldn’t
Man of Steel is rated PG-13, meaning it’s pretty much okay for kids. But before letting your kid watch the movie, know that Man of Steel is darker than other classic Superman movies we’ve seen. There are violent scenes, including, well… dying thousands of people ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I watched the movie as a kid and I enjoyed it. So, I don’t think it would be a problem for kids to watch Man of Steel.
Apart from that, I think not only DC fans but also literally every movie enthusiast should watch the movie. It doesn’t matter if your preferred genre is drama, sci-fi, or action, I believe Man of Steel has something to offer you.
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