Blu-ray Review Man of Steel
Directed by: Zack Snyder Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne Running Time: 2 hrs 23 mins Rating: PG-13 Due Out: November 12, 2013 Own "Man of Steel" on Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD and HD Digital Download 11/12
PLOT: Clark Kent (Cavill) is from an alien planet and armed with super powers. He must decide if Earth will accept him, and also deal with another alien known as General Zod (Shannon) and his plans to take over the world.
WHO’S IT FOR? Everyone who likes big blockbuster superhero movies, which I think it technically everyone. If you’re addicted to the Christopher Reeves’ films, there might be too much change for you to handle.
MOVIE:
Take Thor, some Hulk, a little bit of X-Men, the ending of The Avengers or Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and don’t forget Obama. Add it all up and you’ve got yourself Man of Steel. The entire film feels familiar, beyond the Superman story, and I’m not complaining about that.
Getting Superman “right” is tough, and borrowing makes complete sense. Krypton reminded me of Asgard. The x-ray vision looks like Cyclops. Jumping like Hulk leads to flying. The ending is a boring, unsettling knock-off of every other blockbuster that must end with a city in ruins, and give us just a hint of 9/11. I don’t think Man of Steel has an agenda, but it is interesting to notice some liberal concepts clearly making a home in this plot. Clark is an alien who has lived in Kansas most his life, and he truly feels American. The government just has to trust he is up to good (and not no good). Krypton is destroyed because they depleted the planet’s resources. Superman brings the message of hope. I don’t mind any of this, especially since the concept of people destroying a planet shouldn’t have anything to do with politics.
Any issues I have with the film are more about the style in which Snyder makes his presence known. It’s an extended trailer or clip show of Clark’s life. The only time the film seems to slow down and stay in one place is during an action sequence. It’s like Man of Steel was a full TV season, but the studio said he just had to cut it together into a film. I never felt like I was on the journey with Clark/Kal-El/Superman. Instead it feels like Snyder just wanted to show me some cool things.
Man of Steel has moments of greatness thanks to quality actors doing their job, and a visual style that works for the action sequences. Unfortunately it doesn’t put Superman back on top of our cinematic superheroes.
MOVIE SCORE: 8/10
EXTRAS
“Man of Steel” Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack and 3D Limited Collector’s Edition contain the following special features:
· Journey of Discovery: Creating “Man of Steel” – This immersive feature-length experience allows you to watch the movie with director Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane and others as they share the incredible journey to re-imagine Superman.
· Strong Characters, Legendary Roles – Explore the legendary characters of the Superman mythology and how they have evolved in this new iteration of the Superman story.
· All-Out Action – Go inside the intense training regimen that sculpted Henry Cavill into the Man of Steel and Michael Shannon and Antje Traue into his Kyptonian nemeses. Includes interviews with cast and crew.
· Krypton Decoded – Dylan Sprayberry (Clark Kent, age 13) gives the lowdown on all the amazing Krypton tech, weapons and spaceships featured in “Man of Steel.”
· Planet Krypton – The world’s first exploration of Krypton and its lost society.
· New Zealand: Home to Middle-earth
“Man of Steel” DVD 2-disc Special Edition contains the following special features:
· Strong Characters, Legendary Roles
· All-Out Action
· Krypton Decoded
