Man of Steel [Blu-ray]

Let me get two things out of the way that affect some peoples views on this film. Christopher Reeve portrayed a beloved 'version' of this character. As a kid, I liked all 4 movies and liked II, I, IV and III in order of preference. Some people have an issue with Man of Steel because it is not that version. In the comics, Superman cannot teleport. He doesn't throw cellophane 'S' shields at villains etc so this is why I refer to Reeve as playing a 'version'. Man of Steel is far more accurate to the Superman mythos but again, is a version - there are multiple takes on this character.The second is Zack Snyder and views on his work are divisive. Some people have taken issue with Snyder about the story in this movie and seem unaware that he didn't write it; David Goyer and Christopher Nolan did. Furthermore, this project is designed to ignore all other versions and is essentially a 'first contact' story. In other words, how would the world react if they discovered a being with Superman's powers was real - a line of dialogue in the movie spoken by Perry White says as much. Keeping this concept in mind, I think this movie is almost excellent.Snyder's visuals are the best of any Superhero director in my humble opinion. The score is spectacular. There isn't a bad acting performance in the entire movie. So why only 4.5 stars? The pallet used is a little too muted, requested by Warner Bros and Christopher Nolan off the back of the Dark Knight trilogy. As others have mentioned, this works better for Batman (vengeance) than it does Superman (hope). The final battle goes on a little longer than was needed and finally there is a writing decision re: Jonathan Kent that I didn't care for. Aside from those very minor niggles, this movie is very close to perfection. It captures the struggles and frustrations of the main character and the notion of feeling like an outsider but still trying to do the right thing. Krypton is wonderfully realised and Michael Shannon as Zod is superb, under Snyder's direction delivering a performance that fits brilliantly with the story being told. It's such a shame that Warner execs significantly tampered with later entries in the DCEU that hindered the progression of such an impressive start of that shared universe. The Marvel movies are great for family viewing but it is Man of Steel (and Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition) that I return to time and again.

Shame I could not rate it as 0 stars. Disappointing does not even come close to describe this epic failure of an attempt to re-tell the superman story. Lots of special effects and action sequences, but the heart of the storyline was certainly not captured. The whole film is utterly depressing, full of unnecessary violence and the whole story is unbelievable and seems to be told backwards.Superman is supposed to be inspiring, but there is nothing uplifting about this film. Henry Cavill is halfway believable as the man of steel, but looks really scruffy most of the time – why should that be?! There is no chemistry at all between the two main characters. Amy Adams is the worst Lois Lane I have ever come across. Lois Lane is spunky, quick witted and can hold her own but Adam’s performance was more than flat and certainly not believable. Adams was as well cast in the role of Lois Lane as a chicken would be at an attempt to play a tiger – a lot of flap and no roar.I thought that 'Superman Returns' was quite a poor do, but this one even tops that waste of a film! I am really surprised at the good reviews for this flop – my advice would be save yourself the money and the 137min you won’t ever get back, it is certainly not worth your while.

Came here for Henry Cavil, thought, it can't be as bad as I remember it. It's worse. Why is Russell Crowe in this film so much when he *SPOILER ALERT* dies in the first what feels like an hour but is probably only the first 20 mins?! Is there chemistry between Amy Adams and Henry Cavil? No, there isn't. The CGI feels rushed and dumped in. The film takes itself far too seriously and then allows some "jokes" at the end that fall flat because they don't fit with the rest of the film. Why did Zack Snyder think putting a grey filter over the whole film was a good idea? A waste of a talented cast and 2 hours of your life you won't get back.Make a Red Son Superman film.

It's a pretty good film on the whole and mostly because Henry Cavill does a great job as Superman. Being extremely old I am firmly in the Christopher Reeves camp who played it with a lot of understated heart and subtle humour.Cavill brings that same kind of warmth and existential dilemma to the role and glues the rest of the plot together. It's a little hokey in places: You get a fair bit of slo-mo wistful Americana shots that smell like Bruckheimer, along with some bizarre, although fairly small(ish), plot holes that you shouldn't think about for too long.Unlike the Reeves comparison, Amy Adams' Lois Lane is a bit weak. She's injected into the film as being somehow allowed to have access to a top-secret military find as she's a reporter... ...something to do with Canada...? From then on she's effectively used as a linch pin for Superman's morals and isn't massively believable. Again, that could be misplaced nostalgia for Kidder; who may have been too much the other way.It's worth mentioning the films beginning where a believable Crowe plays the Brandon role as Superman's father. Other than that, there's a new Zod who's pretty good. The fight scenes are okay but are basically CGI fests that you can sort of switch off to.Ah, go on - for £5 it's well worth a look. It would be great to see some of the other weirder Superman arcs play out with Cavill in the role like the Red Son but that will never happen although I'm sure he'd pull them off.