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Created Jun 21, 2013 12:24AM PST • Edited Jun 17, 2023 01:34AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Man of Steel isn’t lite or frivolous, making it a disappointment to those expecting snark or bubblegum. Christopher Nolan takes heavyweight DC superheroes seriously, first producing, writing and directing The Dark Knight trilogy, and now producing and writing a gunmetal grey Man of Steel.

   His vision – through a lens darkly – is as superb and substantial for Superman as it was for Batman.

   Nolan keeps his 21st Century super streak intact by orchestrating a complete cinematic reboot of the original comic book superhero, er, SuperHero. No qualifier needed. Zack Snyder directs it truly and the strong cast delivers outstandingly, meaning we’ve got ourselves a brand spanking new blockbuster series.

   The first sequel could even reach perfection if they play their cards right.

   That’s enough Summary from me. Spaceghost and BrianSez each have interesting things to say about Man of Steel. Let me borrow Spaceghost’s conclusion:

   Go see it. Go see it twice. Enjoy the action and sci-fi madness. Immerse yourself into a new perspective. Beyond all of that, though, think about what you see. Think about what it all means to this character and how it will define him and his actions in the future. Enjoy what is hopefully the start of great new run of Superman movies.

   I agree with most of the Ghost’s conclusion, especially the part about starting a great new run of Superman movies. The part about seeing it twice? Not so much, but then I never see movies twice. Even the Man of Steel ain’t that powerful.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   Russell Crowe is the best Jor-El ever, a role originated by Brando. Crowe’s Jor-El is a superhero himself, father of Kal-El, aka Superman. A super Crowe makes the Father every bit the progenitor of the son.

   Antje Traue is the first character on screen, birthing their son Kal-El, her role diminishing thereafter.

   Henry Cavill makes a first rate Clark Kent / Kal-El / Superman, buff and boffo while still self-effacing. Dylan Sprayberry & Cooper Timberline are fine as young Clark, Sprayberry’s adolescent especially impressive.

   Michael Shannon delivers a first-rate supervillian in General Zod. Tremendous.
   Ayelet Zurer holds her own as his First in Command.

   Diane Lane & Kevin Costner are deeply affecting as Clark Kent’s adoptive parents, Martha & Jonathan. Costner continues his run of well-grounded characters. Way to get a career back on track.

   Amy Adams’ Lois Lane establishes what could be the greatest Lois Lane ever, certainly the most self-aware. She’s not the most gorgeous actress, but is one smart cookie.

   Laurence Fishburne gets off to a solid start as the black Perry White. He and Amy Adams clearly have lots to look forward to, seeing as how Man of Steel ends with Clark starting at the Daily Planet.

   The military muckymucks are so-so: Harry Lennix as a stuffed-shirt General, Richard Schiff as a PhD schmuck and Christopher Meloni as an Air Force Colonel. Let’s hope they’re better in the sequel, Meloni especially.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Very Good 3.5

10. Film

    Really Great 4.5

    Zack Snyder directs David Goyer’s screenplay from a story Goyer wrote with Christopher Nolan, based on Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster’s characters. Super across the board, that.

    The film gains real heft because they make the middle reel about an adopted boy’s coming-to-terms with his difficult origin, while also mastering his differences. That latter aspect allowed them to paint him as damn near autistic, a touch of genius that will resonate with many parents. It did with me.

11. Direction Really Great 4.5

12. Play Perfect 5.0

    “Welcome to the Planet, Clark” is a terrific line.

    David Goyer on writing for super heroes today -

    I think Wonder Woman is a very difficult character to crack. More difficult than Superman, who is also more difficult than Batman.

    Nevermind Wonder Woman. This statement from the guy who cowrote the Dark Knight Trilogy before cowriting Man of Steel speaks to the challenge he and Nolan had with the original superhero.

13. Music Perfect 5.0

    A wonderful, old fashioned orchestral film score perfectly underlines the emotions. It even takes some risks and makes them work, e.g., oddly using a whimsical piece during one of the first fights.

    Singer named Crowe. ALISON CROWE. Hallelujah.

14. Visuals Really Great 4.5

    A gunmetal Superman? Gunmetal refers to a dark grey color with a bluish and purplish tinge.

    300 visual artists, thousands on the crew.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.2

    Comic book violence, albeit emotionally intense given that Superman doesn’t want to kill, yet must.

17. Sex Innocent 1.4

18. Violence Brutal 2.7

19. Rudeness Salty 2.4

21. Reality

    Supernatural 3.7

    Terabytes have been filled debating Superman’s superpowers and those of the other Kryptonians. Consider Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex, a quintessential example of obsessive Superman exegesis.

    I’m going with Supernatural across the three rFactor ratings, from lightly Supernatural CircoReality to heavily Supernatural Physio and BioReality. IOW, Man of Steel is a relatively restrained superhero movie.

    Then there is the popular furor right now about Man of Steel’s religious imagery. Basically, when a big movie endorses traditional values, critics come out to accuse its filmmakers of attempting to create a cinematic Shroud of Turin. Never mind that Superman is a quintessentially Jewish projection of the American Dream, set in Smallville, Kansas, aka the most mid-American place possible.

    Superman is also a figment of the Great Depression, an era when the American system failed but the American people’s faith in it didn’t. Nolan, Snyder and crew successfully update Man of Steel to our iPhone world, without losing its archetypal respect for truth, justice and the American way, even if those words are never used. That respect extends to the Church and all it stands for. Is that wrong? Hell no. It just lacks the Politically Correct dosage of irony that Left Wing cultural elites expect from Hollywood.

22. Circumstantial Supernatural 3.2

23. Biological Supernatural 4.0

24. Physical Supernatural 4.0