"Man of Steel", the new Superman movie is an ambitious, high-energy spectacle. It offers enough action to please most action movie aficionados but it's light on the charm and humour of the Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve from the 70's and 80's. It doesn't pack the emotional wallop or bravura of its predecessors. It left me longing for those days when Superman did things to aid the average, every-day man on the street and help fight crime on a microcosmic level. Instead, the man in the red cape (played by Henry Cavill) is called on to take on the beings from his former home, Krypton, led by General Zod (Michael Shannon) in a showdown that leaves streets destroyed and buildings pulverized.
One interesting direction that this movie takes that was only briefly touched upon in the original series is the life on Krypton before its demise. Russell Crowe plays Superman's biological father Jor-El with swagger and intensity. In a world where there are no longer any real, biological births, Superman or Kal-El as he's known back home, is a daring exception. When the livelihood of the planet's inhabitants and the planet itself is threatened, Jor-El and his wife decide to send their newborn son out on a vessel that will carry him to Earth. The scenes on Krypton are imaginative and exciting.
Instead of telling the story in a straightforward, chronological order, we are shown images of Kal-El at various stages of his life with flashbacks. Eventually, his alien status and superpowers are discovered much to his father (Kevin Costner)'s dismay and he is told that he must hide them from people. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) comes into his life and soon he is on his way to donning the familiar red and blue costume with pride.
There is much to admire about the new Superman movie but I found myself feeling let-down and somewhat disappointed. It doesn't surprise in convincing ways and it lacks the humanity and depth of a great movie. In todays climate of high-budget, CGI-drenched spectacles, "Man of Steel" offers little in the way of complexity, daring, and emotional-connection that would have made the movie soar to new heights of originality and inventiveness.
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