Man of Steel review

Time to talk about the new Superman movie, Man of Steel.

In short; I LOVED IT!

Okay, okay . . . I know there are all kinds of critics out there who are crying big alligator tears and lamenting like the followers of Moses trudging along the desert in their complaints on how Superman has changed dramatically.

Tough tamales, Tomas. 

To re-invent the franchise Superman HAD to change.

Let's get something straight; for a number of us the traditional Superman character was just too much.  Too handsome.  Too honest.  Too naive.  And WAY too POWERFUL.    He wasn't so much a super hero as he was the embodiment of a classical Greek god.  He was invincible and incapable of feeling pain.

Without weaknesses in a hero where is the thrill of victory in both overcoming the weaknesses and your foe?  No weaknesses means no one could stand against such a powerful creature with any possible chance of succeeding (readily I'll admit Lex Luthor and his brains made a good run for the money . . . but who really believed he could beat Superman?)

Along comes Henry Clavil and his interpretation of a reluctant super hero.  Handsome, brave, naturally caring, nevertheless this superman is carrying a great burden.  He knows he's different from the rest of the world.  Yet he doesn't know how to fit in.

In the movie Superman's natural father will say his son will be 'like a god' among Earthmen.  But Superman's adoptive human parents have a different take.  They know their son will always be 'different' from the others.  And being 'different' in Superman's version of being different means the majority of human will look upon him as a monster.

Therein lies the success of this movie.  The turmoil Superman has to go through to prove to others . . . and more importantly to himself . . . he is worthy.

For me everything about this movie worked.  The sci-fi geek in me absolutely went bug-eyed over the geewhiz gizmos Jor-El (Superman's natural father) plays with on his homeworld AND in the spaceship found lying in ice on Earth.  I LOVED the battle armor the bad guys wore.   I loved the choices for actors depicting Superman's two fathers.  Russell Crowe for Jor El and Kevin Costner for his Terran father.  Both men are iconic in their depictions.  Both give off those vibes that make you wish you could hang with'em for a day or two just for the heck of it.

Now for the controversy the movie has generated;  Superman, at the end of the movie, killing General Zod.  Yes. . . you heard it right . . . Superman actually killing someone.

Since I've never been a real fan of Superman I didn't know his legend was that of an all-powerful being who did not use his power to kill.  If you ask me, brother, taking on the gig of being a superhero and NOT killing a bad guy or two has to be a tough row to hoe.  To be honest, when the evil general gets his neck popped . . . well, tough cookies, general baby!  You deserved it!

A hero who never . . . ever . . . is placed in situations where the bad guys don't get whacked occasionally just doesn't sound right to me.  But the angst the big guy goes through in doing the dirty deed makes for a good cinematic story.

Are there flaws in the movie.  Yes.  Does the movie plod along?  Oh, my!  It moves along excellently.  Are match ups for actors to characters a good match?  Superb!  Would you go see another movie with this cast?  Sign me up, Kal-El.  I'm there!

Go see the movie.  Judge for yourself.  I suspect you're gonna like Henry Clavil's version of Superman.  Like it a lot!