Man of Steel is the movie that started off the DCEU (DC Extended Universe). And I decided to do something fun, watch and review every DCEU leading up to Wonder Woman 1984. Also I’m planning on having all the reviews be spoiler free so if you haven’t seen any of the movies, don’t worry, no spoilers!
The Good:
One of the great things about this movie is the set of actors they got for the movie. Henry Cavill was really good at Superman you buy him as Clark Kent who is trying to figure out who he is. And then you can by him as Superman so he can play both sides really well. Russell Crowe is great as the father and as this mentor for Clark Kent. I honestly forgot how good Crowe was as this role, and was one of the stand-outs in the movie. The cast as a whole is one of the best in the DCEU.
Another stand out for the movie is the visuals. The way the had visualized Krypton was visually striking I forgot how good the visuals effects in the movie were. (The fact this film wasn’t nominated for visual effects at the Oscars is mind blowing to me). But of all the DCEU this is the most beautiful looking film. And even where you have Clark Kent saving people from an oil rig the fire looks so real. And the final battle with Superman and General Zod looks quite good.
I think this movie has a great worldbuilding for Krypton. Where they set up everything you need to know about the planet in the first act, so when they say things abotut the planet in the third act. You know what they are talking about because the first act did a great job of world building in the movie. This might be the best worldbuilding in any superhero movie ever.
The soundtrack of the movie is fantastic. Maybe one of the best in any superhero movie ever the score by Hans Zimmer is great because when it need to be dramatic it can be dramatic, but when you need to have a heroic theme with Superman it can do that as well. The soundtrack is seriously one of the best things in the movie.
Finally, I think the movie touches on some themes about purpose, family, and legacy that add some nice emotional moments in the film. Where you have Clark learning about his home planet and little things like that is what makes the emotional moments pop. And with family where you see Clark’s relationship with his earth parents, Johnathan and Martha Kent just thought the themes and emotions were touched on really well.
The Bad:
Big problem is that the movie is way to long. It is 2:23 minutes long (with the credits). I think they cut have trimmed 5-10 minutes from the middle act of the movie. And because of that it can drag a bit in the middle act so tighten it up and the movie could have been better.
Also there isn’t very much action. You have big opening sequence of Krypton. But not really a lot until Superman fights with Zod’s henchman in Smallville and then the third act. That is all the action in the movie. And when it’s not doing action in captivates you with the world building and themes. But the action is really good, so I wish there was more of it.
Final Thoughts:
This was my first time watching the movie in 3-4 years. And, wow...I forgot how good this movies was. The cast, the visuals, world building, the soundtrack, and the themes are all great and I really enjoyed this movie. And coming soon is my review for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice continuing my review series.
The Score: 8.9/10 (B+)
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