"Man of Steel"

Hey everyone!

I am so very sorry it has taken me so long to write more blog posts. With all of us moving to Florida, and moving in with family, it has been hard to find time to write. But never the less, I will try and keep up with this as much as I can. Once we get our own place, I can focus on it some more. But I thank you for your patience in the meantime.

On to the action...

Man of Steel
Starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, and Michael Shannon
  

Overview
A re-telling of the epic origin story of the "Man of Steel", Superman. In this adaptation we see military leader, General Zod (Michael Shannon), bent on revenge on Jor-El for interfering with his plans. Even to the extent of following Cal-El (Superman) to a mysterious planet.....Earth.

Review
I have to say that when I first heard the full cast, I was a bit.....well, terrified that they would absolutely ruin the franchise. Russel Crowe as Jor-El, Amy Adams as Lois Lane. Not to mention that I have never been a fan of Michael Shannon. I had no confidence in his ability to be a credible villain, or human being. I was VERY surprised when I walked out of "Man of Steel" with a smile on my face. I have almost nothing bad to say against any of the main actors, except Laurence Fishburne's pitiful interpretation of the passionate leader of The Daily Planet, Perry White. If I said he gave a forgettable performance, it would be an understatement. He borderline destroyed the character. On top of that, they eliminated the character of Jimmy Olson. They replaced him with Jenny Olson. So it's not enough that you change the race of the head of The Daily Planet, but you feel the need to change the gender of an established character?! Zach Snyder (director) lost some big points with me on that one. Any comic book fan should be enraged by this.

This was a movie worth seeing in the theaters. With TVs getting bigger, and theaters getting more expensive, it almost makes no sense to see movies in the theater any more. The only ones that are worth spending $10 to see, in my opinion, are ones that have something.....epic. "Star Trek: Into Darkness", "Iron Man 3", "The Great Gatsby". These are all movies that have something in them that will not translate as well to a smaller screen. "Man of Steel" falls into this category. I had a friend tell me they loved "Les Miserable" in the theater, but hated it on their 37" TV with no surround sound. Movies like "Star Trek 2" or "Fast and Furious 6" will lose a level of intensity when they land on a Bluray disc. If you can, I would muster up the cash to catch "Man of Steel" in the theaters.

Henry Cavill plays our unknowing hero, Superman. Poor Cavill has been passed over time and time again for large, strong characters. He tried out for Batman, Superman, Captain America, and Iron Man, to name a few. He popped up in the abysmal attempt at a movie, "The Immortals", where he acted as best he could. When your writers suck donkey doo, you can't expect much. I don't hold him responsible for the failure that "The Immortals" is. The origin story in "Man of Steel" is a little different in this adaptation. Jor-El is portrayed as, not only a scientist, but a strong husband, father, and warrior. A man who will give his very life for his family, and his people. I really liked that. Plus Russel Crowe doesn't know how to suck. The lady they got to play his wife, on the other hand.....yikes! Michael Shannon plays General Zod. One thing I love is when the writers can make you connect with the cause of the villain. The do a great job in this movie. At several points throughout the film I started sympathizing with him and his crew. Shannon did a good job as the power-hungry Zod, but I feel that they could have found someone to do a better job. Amy Adams did a surprisingly good job as Lois Lane. I don't give Adams enough credit. I have seen her in some top-notch movies, and she is always stellar.

As far as the action and adventure of the movie, I thought it was done very well. Snyder knows how to draw your eye, and make you jump. That said, I think there was far too much action, and not enough dialogue. I compared the action to being chased by an angry dog. You run and run and run until you're out of breath. Eventually you hop a fence and stop to catch your breath. Only to see the dog come barreling around the side and continue the chase. The action in this one wouldn't stop. By the final battle, I was actually a little tired of the action. Coming from a red-blooded American, that's quite a statement! Overall I can't find too many complaints about this one. As the title of this blog suggests, I simply like to be entertained. Let me pretend I am Superman for 2 hours, and I'm happy.

I give this a 4 out of 5. I would buy it on Bluray, and I would see it again in the theaters. It's wholesome, but intense. I'm happy that Henry Cavill finally got his big break, but I wish a few members of the writing team were kicked in the teeth for ruining characters. If you enjoy the genre of Action/Sci Fi, you will like this one. Trust me. Have I ever lied to you? Not once ..... that you can prove. :-)

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