Man of Steel (Spoiler Alert Clark is a Royals Fan!)
To be honest based on the trailer my expectations of this movie weren’t huge. I thought that like the Dark Knight they would do their best to darken a story we’ve come to know and love, and spend too much time on the “human” side of Superman. Quickly those fears were dashed as the start of the movie focuses largely on the ending of Krypton. Russel Crowe’s Kal-el seems part Maximus, but that’s not bad.
This movie felt like it took place in three acts, almost like a play.
The movie starts as the demise of Krypton has various parties battling for how to keep Krypton’s blood line alive. Krypton is very advanced in technology but it’s sprinkled with pre-historic elements. This world is, however imploding on itself!
The next part of the film is largely a coming of age story showing how Clark struggles to adapt to earth and how his “earth” father wants Clark to keep hidden his gifts until the time is right out of fear he’ll be rejected. In my opinion Clark’s father was cast perfectly. If you need a midwest corn farmer, really is there a better choice then Kevin Costner? Dianne Lane does a great job as the mother also. The climax of act two really tests what the family is willing to do to hide Clark’s secret.
The final “act” is the merging of two worlds and the emergence of a hero. It’s in this act that we discover that Superman himself is a Royals fan! Seeing the movie in Kansas two scenes had an audible reaction, the one with Clark in a Royals t-shirt and a line towards the end of the movie, “I grew up in Kansas, that’s about as American as it gets.” (I’m paraphrasing I don’t remember it word for word.)
This movie is a big, action packed superhero film. It’s not short on acting and it sets the stage nicely for the next chapter.
What you’ll like: This movie is for the most part family friendly. While the movie is very violent, it’s not bloody and the violence is largely over exaggerated. The acting is good, especially for a movie of this type. They didn’t just book a star and fill in, the secondary roles were filled with good actors which made them people you cared about.
What you won’t like: The movie is dark, so that held true, it’s gritty and violent. There is one scene with some colorful language (A** wipe and d*** splash). There is also an “f’ing” (not the actual word, the contraction) near the very end.
This is the first time in a long time I have stayed in my seat for an entire movie, I had to go to the bathroom but I genuinely didn’t want to. I really enjoyed this movie from beginning to end.
–Review provided by my favorite husband, Steve! (Just to clarify, he is my only husband…and actually the only boyfriend I have ever had…high school sweethearts.)
