Man of Steel: A Personal Movie Review

This is a very interesting time for movies. In this generation of films, young people get to see a Batman that is very dark, and cool, but very human and has flaws.

In the same film era, young people can actually see a movie about zombies, in World War Z, with humanoid creatures that bite people, if they choose.

Now, they get to view a movie about Superman in a very realistic light. Movies like The Man of Steel make me wish I was a kid again.

1) What movie have you seen recently that has put you in another mindset?

2) What movie do you wish that could come to the screen and give you the mindset of a child again?

Please comment below.

Man of Steel follows the story of a young boy, sent from a distant, dying planet, to Earth to become a very different humanoid, as a child, to an alien adult, in flux, but becomes a great hero.

Man of Steel does its best to make you feel like a kid, of this generation. The movie accepts children, of this generation, to understand very adult themes. I recall when Richard Donner gave a license to Christopher Reeve as Superman.

Richard Donner's Superman is very wholesome, moral, and driven by sheer will. It was great for its time.

Bryan Singer challenged Richard Donner's ideas on Superman keeping a wholesome Superman. Superman did not know about a huge secret. The darker aspects of his world came out of the closet.

Zack Snyder's Superman is different still. Man of Steel is a combination of wholesome, but again very human and real. The character dives into the aspects of whether a superhero knows they are one. Can Superman's past define his future?

It seems like a natural progression from Donner to Singer and now Snyder. The Man of Steel is clearly powerful. He is indestructible but has his weaknesses. Man of Steel struggles, initially, with what to do with his gifts.

Man of Steel struggles in the way any moral human being would when they are powerful. Once he understands his gifts, unlike Donner's or Singer's Superman, he hides.

This character only hides until he cannot. Superman must reveal his true self in the same breath that he takes on his greatest threat. In that sense, the Man of Steel gets his test and must power through everything thrown in front of him, but not alone,

Unlike Donner and Singer's films, humans play a much bigger role in this film besides, being a representation of Superman's great moral dilemma.

Human beings are shown to be heroes alongside Superman. They actually make a dent in the villains in this movie physically, and mentally. They are not just lambs waiting for slaughter. These people are symbols of the human spirit.

A very cool addition to Zack Snyder's Man of Steel is an action version of Jor-El, Superman's Kryptonian father. The idea of a savage, but civil Krypton makes Superman's rising hearty.

Jor-El sends his son, as a symbol of hope to Earth. Jor-El fights against what is clearly morally incorrect. Jor-El, played by Russell Crow, was epic. In some sense, Man of Steel's final evolution might mimic Jor-El's final representation.

Henry Cavill as Superman is powerful but scary. The reality of this vision of Superman is too realistic.

Man of Steel only holds a high moral ground because of his, surrogate parents, Jonathan Kent, played by Kevin Costner, and Martha Kent, played by Diane Lane, with the help of Jor-El, and his mother.

This helps Superman remain very much in favor of human survival. Otherwise, his life might take a different direction.

Micheal Shannon, as General Zod, was both corrupt and very moral in his own right. While his character did mourn his actions, he remained true to his purpose, no matter the cost. Faora-Ul, General Zod's second in command, played by Antje Traue, was a great warrior in this film, period.

Lois Lane, played by Amy Adams, was strong, capable, and downright dangerous throughout this film though not as dangerous as the action in this movie.

The action in this movie, though toward the back end of the film, was overly destructive and a feeling-out process.

What you understand is that the Man of Steel is unstoppable, without a preventative measure. At the same time, enemies are also given a license to become unstoppable. What happens when the two meet?

Man of Steel shines. I hope Zack Snyder, David Goyer, and Christopher Nolan make the second Man of Steel.

In this universe, if they could make an unstoppable Lex Luthor, Superman’s arch-nemesis, from the comic books this could push this franchise to infinity and... well you know.

Lex Luthor pushes human ability to its maximum limit, and a little beyond. He primarily takes on an immovable Superman, pushes his powers to his limits, and expects to take the title of Superman for his own.

David Goyer, Zack Snyder, and Christopher Nolan helped make this epic movie about a boy that becomes a hero.

However, this is not just another Superman story. Man of Steel is a very fallible tale about a being that defends humanity and has not defined what superhero means yet.

Update (04/04/2023)

Hey, future self! What a time it was when Man of Steel was first released. Check this out. Henry Cavill no longer has the job. But damn, did he do it right in Zack Snyder's Justice League and Black Adam.

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice just needed a little something different. Superman just needed to learn from Man of Steel. It was okay.

Ben Affleck's Batman was vicious but was also truly a killer. Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Flash. So much to look forward to.

It was inspiring from beginning to end. James Gunn now runs DC. It is no longer the DCEU but simply the DCU!

New content is coming and a new Superman is being cast. A new look to the Justice League is coming. Get ready, and don't eat too many Oreos. Keep DC in mind!