‘Man of Steel’ Review

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‘Man of Steel” packs quite a wallop. A few too many wallops, as it turns out.

But that doesn’t seriously sully this latest Superman movie, which is delivered with a less-cartoony tone than one might expect from director Zack Snyder (“300,” “Watchmen,” “Sucker Punch”). This is a familiar tale told well, with effective time shifts, enough angst to feel modern and plenty of eye candy.

It is essentially a retelling of the 1978 “Superman” movie, the origins story that comic fans learn early on. But unlike other recent reboots, which wait less than 10 years before starting over, it’s been 35 years since Superman’s beginnings have played out on screen. Needless to say, this doesn’t feel rushed. Especially since special effects and computer animation have grown so outlandishly in those years.

We all know the basic elements of the story. Superman is born as Kal-El on the planet Krypton right before it is about to explode. In this version, Krypton’s demise is caused by draining the planet of its natural resources. Obviously, Jor-El could not let his newborn son just die, so he arranged for his son to fly to far-off Earth in a small space ship.

Imprisoned in a black hole of sorts for all-around nastiness just before Krypton blows up is General Zod (Michael Shannon, every bit as good as he should be) and his minions. Why they aren’t forced to stick-around for the blow-up party is anybody’s guess.

Kal-El does indeed land on earth, where he’s found and raised by the goodhearted Kents (Diane Lane, Kevin Costner) and given the name Clark.

Clark/Superman (played by the amiable and chiseled Henry Cavill) is raised carefully and lovingly, his secret powers kept appropriately secret except, whoops, when he uses his superhero strength to rescue a bus full of school children and other mishaps

His need to help people coupled with his fear of being found out kind of turn him into the ultimate loner. Clarke is America’s most hidden immigrant, and so he goes wandering about for a while, even growing a super-beard.

But of course Zod and friends somehow break out of their prison and come a’hunting for Kal-El. So Clark Kent is forced to face his density, sorry, destiny, and protect humankind.

Certain elements are missing here. Jimmy Olsen is nowhere to be found (thankfully) and Perry White (Laurence Fishburne), editor of the Daily Planet, is mostly just an unneeded distraction. Lois Lane (Amy Adams), however, discovers Clark’s secret early and is in on most of the action.

“Man of Steel” has some super-brooding, but nothing approaching the laid-on anguish of the recent Batman movies; Superman has concerns but he’s basically an upbeat guy.

And the movie’s super-stunts, of which there are many, have something of a real-world grittiness to their unworldliness. The film does not seem to have been painted.

But Snyder’s fight scenes at the end are just a little too much, as Supe and Zod do seemingly endless battle, destroying buildings and causing explosions along the way. At first it’s thrilling, then it just gets exhausting. It seriously seems to go on for more than 40 minutes.

Oh, well — nothing succeeds like excess when it comes to summer movies. What’s surprising about “Man of Steel” is that it holds that excess in until the end. Up to that point, it’s a modern myth retold in computer-age visual terms. It may not be super, but it’s pretty good.

 

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