Superman “Man of Steel” Movie Review

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Man of SteelThe new Superman movie, “Man of Steel”, opens in theaters nationwide today, June 14th. Mr. Mom Endeav­ors and I had the opportunity to check­ it out ear­lier this week in 3D at an advanced press screening. The film is a new take on the Superman story, with a star-studded cast including Henry Cavill (Superman), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, and Russell Crowe. Here’s a peek at the film if you haven’t seen it:

Our Thoughts:

We have mixed feelings on this one. Mr. Mom Endeavors liked the film much more than I did; however, he can totally see where many people might not enjoy the movie as  much. He didn’t mind the long (and I do mean looooong), drawn-out fight scenes and action-sequences. But, I seriously at one point found myself bored out of my mind. Honestly, how many ways can you find to completely destroy New York Metropolis?! I don’t mind action films at all, but this one took it about 20 minutes too long! Overall, the film was still good, but there are some definite issues with it for me as well.

What we liked:

  • The cast. Overall, it was very well done and the roles were well-played. Amy Adams was great as Lois Lane and Henry Cavill seems almost perfect for the Superman role (and yes, ladies, he is very easy on the eyes! 😉 )!
  • Development of the Planet Krypton. They did a lot of story development and back-story about Superman’s home planet (it truly almost could be its own movie).
  • Visually, the cinematography and CG were well-done (which is a good thing because there is a lot of CG). We saw it in 3D (which I normally don’t like as much) and it was great.
  • More development/backstory of Clark Kent growing up; what it was like for him as a child; his struggle to find his place in the world, etc.

What I didn’t like:

  • The long, intense action sequences and fighting (but, we’ve already established that ;))!
  • The way the flashbacks were done. I don’t mind flashbacks at all. And, in some places in the movie, they were great (appropriate, sad, touching, etc). But, overall, it was really jumpy and just sort of odd in places.
  • NO classic Superman music. No where, not at all.
  • Although Amy Adams plays a great Lois Lane, the presence of Lois Lane (and consequently the chemistry between her & Superman) seemed almost fake or forced at different times. Honestly, she’s in a lot of the movie.
  • A darker look for Superman in general–not just with his physical suit appearance, but his psyche, decisions, and the movie as a whole. He does something in the movie that we’ve never seen him do on screen before (and most definitely not in that manner), which was rather off-putting to me (and definitely NOT something I want my boys to see anytime soon).
  • The Clark Kent that we are used to from all the other Superman films is essentially absent from this movie.

So, what to know before you go…

This is NOT your classic Superman movie. Like, not at all! So, just understand that going in (otherwise you are going to be really disappointed). If you want something different from Superman (darker & more sci-fi), then you’ll probably love this. If you loved the 2006 version or the classic Christopher Reeves Superman, then you might not like this one so much! And, from a parent perspective (in our opinion), the PG-13 label is not to be taken lightly! Our boys (6 and under) have yet to see any of the Marvel or DC Superhero movies, but this will NOT be one of the first when the time does come. Most of those movies all carry the PG-13 rating; however, compared to something like the Avengers, this one is MUCH darker, has WAY more bad language, and many more “real life” terrifying scenes as a whole. Without giving too much away, there are some scenes that definitely could be traumatic for kids (and even some adults)…especially if you’re in the midst of dealing with bullying, have recently dealt with death, or most certainly if you have recently been affected by any of the devastating tornadoes!

So, to me, it’s not surprising that this latest Superman film seems to be getting mixed reviews. It’s certainly not one of my favorite superhero shows, but overall, it’s still a decent film and will most definitely be selling out box offices this weekend.

Man of Steel 1

Are YOU planning on seeing Man of Steel? Have you seen it already? What did you think?!

Dis­clo­sure: We received complimentary press tickets to screen the movie for the purpose of review. All opin­ions and expe­ri­ences are my own and your opin­ion of the movie may dif­fer from mine.

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I’m Sara, a mom to three adorable boys living in the Arizona desert. As a former teacher, I love sharing my passions with others. So, have a look around for creative inspiration about cooking, creating, celebrating, traveling with kids, and more everyday mom endeavors!

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5 Responses

  1. Thanks for the review. We go to very few movies. Usually wait for them to come out on DVD then rent! DH will like this. I am certain I won’t! That is pretty normal for us. (I do not like movies that make me uncomfortable with, Launguage, violence, nudity, etc….) Hey even my own Mother called me a prud! LOL 🙂

    1. Carol, there really isn’t too much “prude-ish” stuff at all (except for the violence) ;). There are some great parts in the movie, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite! Have fun whenever you go! 🙂

  2. There are two levels to every film (yeah, yeah, there are more) the story and the presentation. Both are almost equally important. Story’s importance is obvious. The reason everyone thinks Avatar is amazing is because of presentation. It’s Pocahontas with smurfs. And apparently we like smurfs. Star Wars owes an equal amount to presentation. Few people realize that Star Wars categorically is NOT science fiction. It’s ironic that Star Trek and Star Wars are compared because it’s equally logical to compare Sherlock Holmes to James Bond. To be clear, presentation is not ‘special effects’. It’s all the clothing that the story wears. Man of Steel has the same clothes as Zack Snyder’s other films. To me, it’s a pretty direct translation of the Superman myth into the clothes of 300 or Watchmen. There is an interesting interplay between the two because he kept the Superman cannon really intact (except for a few glaring differences), but then put it in the typical Snyder world of soft rocks and hard bodies. I am a fan of this presentation like I am of anime. Looks cool for a minute but it quickly loses the ‘sell’ because the scale is so ridiculous. If I could guess at what made the end fight seem too long for you is that the sheer amount and scale of devastation (it really does make a make a nuclear blast seem insignificant) seems to turn the world to paper machet. That would be my criticism of Snyder in general. He loves floating particles. Every shot rocks and debris are flying around and the world feels like paper. I honestly felt like he started losing the sell of punches and damage because everything is so fragile. Like I said, the scales are off.
    That is my criticism. But I freaking loved this movie. Because at the end of the day, I like the plot of Pocahontas. At the end of the day, fantasy ALWAYS trumps sci-fi for me. Superman is unlike any other superhero because he is internally perfect and all the conflict is ‘out there’. Think about it: unlike other heroes, Superman wears a mask when he’s NOT a hero. People love Batman because of he is so tragically flawed and messed up but comes up with the right every time. People relate to that. I know I suck, but I want my intentions to somehow be what matters. BUT Superman is different and better (to my liking) because of the sacrifices of doing the right thing and the motivation that kind of sacrifice requires. That is far more real and authentic to me. I actually thought the Lois Lane story was the best part of the movie. Her character is intact. She is a hard and tenacious and at times unscrupulous reporter, but meeting this hero gives her pause. It was his personal character, not his superpowers, that stopped her in her tracks. Then, how that affects Superman is instrumental to establishing his confidence and motivation. Unbelievable sell to me. That’s why, to me, it didn’t seem forced and that is ALWAYS the trick when EVERYONE knows two characters must fall in love. In that situation its hard to establish tension or motivation.

    Anyway, I’ve gone on long enough. Loved your observations and thoughts. For me it did have many flaws as you pointed out, but at the end of the day, the gems were just too good and they had me at hello. As usual, I agree with Mr. Mom. Whoever he is, he must be really really really smart. 😉 Great minds think alike. hahaha

    1. Wow! Thanks, for the reply, Noah! Totally agree with some of what you’re saying. And, yes, the devastation (and just fighting in general) was just way too much (and overdone) for me. But, then, again, I’m not a huge fan of 300! 😉 So, putting the Superman story into “those clothes”, is not my cup of tea as much.
      As for Lois Lane, I totally thought her character was fantastic too. I guess it just seemed like some of her presence in the film was a bit forced (like she is everywhere! 😉 – even in places that it seems like she shouldn’t be), Mr. Mom Endeavors thought so too. But, overall, he had much more the same reaction to the movie you did! Too bad you don’t live closer, because he would totally love to go see it again!

  3. We were thinking of going to see this upcoming weekend. By we, I mean I thought it would be nice if I hired a sitter so my husband could see a movie in the theatre for a treat and I’d go with him.

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