Man Of Steel (6/10)

I've been struggling with whether to give Man Of Steel a 6 or a 7 rating. Watching it at first it was really difficult to get into the storyline because Zack Snyder and David Goyer changed so much of the origin that we are so familiar with. It is after all, Superman we're talking about here, the grandfather of all superheroes.

Were the changes good? I think if I were to watch it a second time, I would appreciate it more. Thinking back, the first act was actually great storytelling. From Jor-El to Zod and the destruction of Krypton, all given a different background. And Zod's hunger for revenge was more believable than ever.

I have come to love this origin of Clark Kent. Snyder and Goyer promised a take that is more reality based and believable in this day and age. And they delivered on that front. To have Clark run off on his own searching for meaning and purpose to his life here on Earth, that led him to so many odd jobs. And also how his childhood was portrayed here in the bullying and the struggle to keep his super strength secret, all played out very nicely on the screen.

I loved the father-and-son relationship re-told here. Kevin Costner added so much more layer even in just those few scenes, with one of the most powerful scenes delivered when he died. Snyder's choice in this aspect was not just spot-on but brought audience beyond the Superman story. And Costner made his performance looked so effortless. He was probably the best actor here.

Henry Cavill is the new Superman. Although I loved Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, Cavill is a worthy successor in my books. He had not just the look, but also a Superman body to boot. Of all the Supermans we had, Cavill's body is the only one that made me believe.

But everything went downhill when Zod started using television. The dip became a drop from a cliff when the battle began. I just couldn't believe that Superman was partly responsible for the destruction of Metropolis. And I cannot emphasise enough on the word "destruction". It was uncalled for on the director's part. It was uncharacteristic of Superman even more.

The Superman that we know and love, saves people, every single one. He would take battles away from innocent people to an open field and battle there. This Superman, however, not only did not care for the dying; but even threw the bad guys into buildings, causing skyscrapers to fall into rubble.

And with buildings toppling and people dying everywhere, he didn't show any remorse, and yet started kissing Lois in the middle of all that.

And while Amy Adams was believable as Lois Lane, there was no chemistry between the two leads. This, though, was entirely Snyder's fault because he did not give them a chance to develop chemistry through the storytelling. So we the audience didn't even feel there was a romantic attraction, let alone that lousy kiss.

This story probably crammed too much into the 2 and a half hours running time. And Adams' character got the brunt of it.

I loved the dramatic cinematography, as they really added to the film in its entirety; Snyder's direction on creating a mood was laudable and fully appreciated. The origin took some getting used to but at the end of the day, I truly did not mind it. But when they decided to go big on the action with too much use of CGI on destruction and devastation, the creators crossed the line on a re-imagining of Superman.

So for me, if this wasn't Superman, I would and could give it a 7. But I cannot care that much or that way when Superman doesn't.