Man of Steel

Superman has never really particularly interested me, largely because, on the face of it, he's a bit too well behaved and powerful, with no dark brooding secrets or weaknesses. That's why Batman and Iron Man have always been two of my favorites. However, the idea of a Zack Snyder directed Superman film in the wake of Nolan's Batman trilogy (and produced by Nolan himself) gained the interest of myself and many others. Both 300 and Watchmen are undoubtedly two of the most visually impressive comic book films, both from the mind of Mr Snyder himself.

Predictably then, visually, Man of Steel certainly does deliver. The opening sequence set on the planet Krypton, as it crumbles away under its inhabitants own activities, is a creative spectacle and likely the film's highlight. Whilst the majority of films distort action sequences by shaking the camera and not allowing it to rest, Snyder sticks closer to the comic book roots and allows the action to be viewed in full panorama. We get to absorb the energy of the fast paced moment in all its glory. The fight scenes later on in the film are ridiculously over the top, with vehicles, missiles and all manner of objects being flung around by the aliens from Krypton. This lends itself perfectly to the Superman action I had in mind.

Unfortunately whilst Man of Steel is visually impressive, it doesn't quite reach the level of memorability that the Dark Knight or the Avengers reached last year. Whilst Superman's origin and his alienation on planet Earth is well handled, the story quickly becomes predictable and uninteresting. The once visually stunning fight scenes descend into a repetitive, monotone formula, as we no longer really care about the outcome as it was predicted so long ago. Michael Shannon's dry, sinister tones suit the villain General Zod perfectly, but the plot does little to embrace this.  Lois Lane and Clark Kent are passable, but the relationship between them is uninspired and cliched. 

Man of Steel is visually a comic book treat. The origin story is captivating, especially as a Superman newcomer, but it quickly descends into the realms of predictability towards the second half. Saying that, overall, I would certainly still recommend it to any fantasy action film fan and will probably one of the better comic book films of 2013 up with Iron Man 3. Recommended viewing - DVD rental