Man Of Steel Movie Review

Superman is one of the iconic figures of popular culture history. He is considered a prime superhero in the comics industry. He first appeared in 1938 in Action Comics # 1 and was created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Not bad for a 75 year old.

Character photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

In a span of 75 years of Superman in the live action version, there were already six actors who played the part of the Man of Steel counting also Henry Cavill. The first to play the Man of Steel was Kirk Alyn during the WWII era so he was the first one in the silverscreen. Alyn was succeeded by George Reeves in the TV series of the same name. FYI, he is not related to Christopher Reeve.

Christopher Reeve is the only actor who played Superman that really embodied the iconic image until his tragic accident. After Reeve, he was succeeded by John Haymes Newton and Gerard Christopher but only for the Superboy series but it was not related

After the two Superboy series, Dean Cain was chosen to wear the cape and tights in Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. In the series, Smallville, Tom Welling was the only actor who never used the name Superman. Only Clark Kent and sometime, Kal-El. Throughout the series, he never wore the iconic colors until the last episode. Brandon Routh was the only actor who really succeeded Christopher Reeve in Superman Returns. He was really the spitting image of Christopher Reeve.

In the reboot movie, it covers the origin of Kal-El, the last son of Krypton, his early early exploits and his first major battle with surviving Kryptonians led by General Zod. When I first heard about the movie I was skeptical how will they reboot the character although the character was already rebooted many time in the comic books.

Henry Cavill was the first British to play the part of the Man Of Steel but it turned out pretty well for me. He gives Superman a "kick ass" image. It was a completely different image. The costume itself is paralleled to the current costume in the comics. The costume appeared more extra-terrestial than the previous ones.

Unlike the previous incarnations with exceptions to Smallville, we know less about the life in Krypton until this movie. Michael Shannon was ideal for the role of General Zod. Unlike Terence Stamp, he was more military in stature. I've been following Shannon's performance in Boardwalk Empire.

For Amy Adams, she was alright for the role of Lois Lane but I have yet to see where if there will be developments for her character. It was also the first time to see a black to play the role of Perry White. I fail to see the grumpy editor-in-chief in his portrayal.

There were also "easter eggs" or cameos of different images during the movie and some might be possible hints for a sequel.  Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan did a great job reintroducing the character in this new generation. Hopefully, it will help materialize a possible Justice League movie in the future.

Man Of Steel is released and distributed by Warner Bros. in Philippine cinemas and IMAX theaters.