From the director of The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception.. sorry, from the director of 300 and Sucker Punch. All Nolan did was co-write the screenplay, and according to RottenTomatoes, this is the only film Nolan ever worked on that got a ‘rotten’ rating. I’ve seen it, and I can’t believe it. I feel so sorry for Nolan that he had to be a part of this. And here’s why.
Krypton is dying (for reasons left unclear.), so Jor-El (Russel Crowe) sends his newborn son Kal-El to planet Earth, while devious Zod (Michael Shannon) is being exiled. Years later, Kal-El (Henry Cavill) realises his power and becomes a worldwide hero. But Zod returns and Kal-El, along with reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is off to stop him.
So they fight! And fight. And fight. And fight. And fight. And fight. And fi- What is this, an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon? The whole film feels like one giant action scene with shaky cam and bad 3D! It’s not even like the climax of The Dark Knight, where multiple things are going on. No, it’s just Zod fighting Kal-El (Because he’s only called Superman once) and occasionally a few other people join in on the fight. And Kal-El has zero character development. I really wanted them to go all ‘Batman Begins’ on us and show the psychological issues of being superhuman. But all we get is “I feel sad, BOOM!”
So does anything in this movie work? Well, there’s the acting, especially from Shannon and Adams. But if you want to see good acting from them, watch Revolutionary Road and The Master. And the visual effects, sound design, and score are well done, too. But if that’s your cup of tea, go watch Star Trek Into Darkness. No, only see Man Of Steel if you want to see zero character development, shaky cam, and explosions.
Can I have my 2 hours and 23 minutes back?
**
CONMAN AT THE MOVIES 
This film could have been so much better. I liked the cast – Amy Adams and Henry Cavill were solid, and I thought Michael Shannon was quite the villain, but in the end they couldn’t save this film. At least a half hour of fighting scenes should have been cut. I kept looking at my watch and wondering when it would be over already.
hmm…I was planning on seeing this film this weekend but after reading your review I’m not sure it’s worth the money or my time. Thanks for putting your voice out there along with your honest portrayal of the movie! I will definately be coming back to see what you are reviewing next!!
I definately will not go to see this movie after your very sharp review. You should have a column in the paper.
GREAT REVIEW.
…this film, let alone 2 hours and 23 minutes! Thank you for your great insights!
Thank you so much for your reviews! I just recently read a whole page of tiny print man of steel review in Rolling Stone magazine that blabbered on about stuff I didn’t care about, while yours got to the point and told me exactly what I wanted to hear. Unfortunately, I read this review after seeing the movie, but I definitely agree with you.
you should review The Lone Ranger. I’ve already seen it and I LOVED IT (It’s one of my all time favorite movies), but pretty much all the critics didn’t and I wanted to know if you like it.