Man of Steel (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray)

**This review covers both the movie and the actual Man of Steel Collector's Edition Bluray Combo Pack. If you are only interested in my review of the actual Man of Steel Collector's Edition Combo Pack and not the movie itself, you can skip to the bottom.** Personally, I can't stand critics. Screw 'em! If you are a fan of movies, you owe it to yourself to see Man of Steel! Granted I am a huge fan of Superman, but Man of Steel may very well be the best movie I have ever seen! Considering movies like Nolan's "The Dark Knight", Peter Jackson's third installment in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, "Return of the King" and Whedon's "The Avengers" top that list, that's saying a ton! As you can likely tell, I'm an enormous fan of the action/sci-fi/fantasy genre, so your mileage may vary (meaning if those movies don't strike your fancy, you may want to look elsewhere). What Zack Snyder has done with this film is "genius"! This is such a grand movie, yet nothing feels forced or exaggerated. Everything is given to you in exactly the right dosage. You aren't force-fed action like in other summer blockbusters. In Man of Steel, the action feels natural as if it is part of a story being told. Imagine that! The origin story is there, but it isn't too much that it bores you to tears and Snyder goes about it all in precisely the right manner - through flashbacks. This way, you get the gist of how Clark came to be the man he is, without the movie needing to be longer than it has to. All the actors/actresses do a fantastic job in their particular roles and help the movie to do what it is supposed to do: tell a story. While I'm still adjusting to a fair-haired Amy Adams in the role of Lois Lane, I can say that I left the theater content with her performance. She really grew on me by the time it was all said and done. However, both Michael Shannon as Zod and Russell Crowe as Jor-El were very much spot on for me. I was extremely happy with both performances in their respective roles. Growing up as a huge Smallville fan, I was convinced that nobody could do the role of Clark justice after Tom Welling. While Brandon Routh fit the role physically in Superman Returns, he was just too stiff and too much of a Christopher Reeves knockoff to leave me satisfied. I'm not saying Reeves was bad in the role (quite the contrary), I just would have preferred it if Routh had brought something he could call his own to the role. That's where Henry Cavill comes in! The best way I can put his performance is this - he owned the role! You know how it goes. Often times you've seen an actor or actress cast in an iconic role, only to be dissatisfied with the choice after seeing the movie (or perhaps before and after). With Henry Cavill, I can say this, "Henry Cavill is Superman!" The whole time while watching the Man of Steel, I felt as if Cavill was truly an outsider from another planet. And, I mean that in the highest regard! Movies are often about the suspension of disbelief and we as moviegoers sometimes need a little push in the right direction. Cavill's performance did that for me. The fact that the guy looks like he trained day and night nonstop, tells you all you need to know about his dedication to the role. Kudos Henry! The special effects didn't hurt either. As far as cutting-edge special effects go, this movie has it in spades! By far the best special effects I've seen in any movie to date...hands down! Better than Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, Matrix, Avatar or any of the Marvel movies, including The Avengers! Words cannot describe them, particularly the Metropolis battle scene! Truly epic! Speaking of battles, the fight between Supes and two notorious Kryptonians (formerly seen in another of the Big Blue Boyscout's movies) was in essence, borderline orgasmic! That battle seen alone was worth the price of the movie's admission!...And Man of Steel still had plenty left in reserve. Let's face it; we don't go to movies about comic book heroes to be bored to death by dialogue. We want action and suspense to go along with a good, relatively fast-paced story. In Man of Steel you get that! It currently is and will be by summer's end, the biggest and best movie you will see this summer. Mark my words! Do yourself a favor and don't walk, run faster than a speeding bullet to see this movie! I promise you, you will not leave disappointed! If you do, then you're either dead or worse, a critic! "Gasp!" --- As for the actual product itself, the Man of Steel Collector's Edition Combo Pack: I'm going to keep this short and sweet! Unless you are a diehard Superman fan and look to collect all things Superman, do yourself a favor and save your money. This product though somewhat (albeit barely) cool, isn't nearly as wonderful as I had hoped. :( Yes, it has all the film related media including both 3D and 2D versions of the film; however, the metal "S" glyph is actually a tin container identical to those that used to carry your lunch around as a kid and nothing more. I was expecting something a bit more "solid" and not a "lunch box" made to hold the movie discs, etc. Had this not been The Man of Steel or had I not been a huge Superman fan, and had I not purchased this product at its cheapest price point offered here on Amazon (which just so happened to be less than $10 over the cost of the regular combo pack), I would be promptly sending this item back for a refund. There's a snowball's chance in Hell that I'd pay anything above $40 for this and certainly not the $50 plus asking price Amazon originally had this listed for. So in summary, keep in mind when purchasing this product that it's nothing more than a "S"-shaped lunch box containing the Bluray materials inside that sit atop a plastic stand. It is NOT as nice as one might expect by looking at the picture alone, that's advertised here. However, once again, the movie itself is fantastic and highly recommended, but you are probably better off saving your money and simply purchasing the regular Man of Steel Combo Pack.

Growing up, I was the Marvel Comic fan and my brother was into DC. We always challenged each others favorite superhero against each others. Eventually, we just agreed to disagree. To my appeal, in the past decade or so, there were many more Marvel movie adaptations created than DC. Sure, I loved the Dark Knight trilogy, but The Avengers and all the separate related movies for each superhero kept my Blu-Ray player busy. Until Man of Steel came out! Initially, I knew this picture would be something special and quite unique under Zack Snyder's direction. I have enjoyed his visionary work for years. Along with Christopher Nolan, Man of Steel was a relished break from my Marveldom. Having watched all previous Superman movies and re-runs of the George Reeve TV series, I couldn't resist. How happy I was! As I try to avoid the usual trash talk on the internet, my son was telling me these terrible things that people were saying about Man of Steel. To put his (and my own) reservations to rest, we saw this fabulous movie on opening day. 3D I-Max. Got my $17 ticket worth! While he saw it from a 12 year olds eyes, I saw so much more! Unlike Val Kilmer's Batman or George Clooney as the more goofy version, I will venture to say that EVERY cast member in Man of Steel was fully fleshed out. 3 dimensional characters who made you feel what they felt. From the beginning scenes on Krypton, WE were on Krypton like never before. How the Kryptonian's lived for as long as they lived it. A fully immersive environment that was more biological than ecological. Hence their impending destruction. Before now, we only had glimpses or notions of Krypton in prior movies, comics or cartoons. Each member of Krypton society has (or had) a specific function, and lived to that end. Of those we do meet, no matter how diabolical, one gets their full depth of meaning to said function. There are no "cardboard" actors here! General Zod/Michael Shannon truly believes that killing Jor-El/Russell Crowe was out of fury. We can feel this out of the passion of pain. As he watched the only future he had rocket away. The 2 were friends and this death on Zod's hands scars him to the end. On Earth, Kevin Costner/Jonathan Kent takes in baby Kal-El/Clark Kent. Along with Martha/Diane Lane, as adopted parents, I believe they do the best any parent would. Unconditional love, teach wrong from right and seek spiritual guidance. As seen several times, the "human condition" prevails. As Clark grows from a young boy, he naturally questions these powers he finds he has. Yet Jonathan continues to allow Clark to make the choice. At one point, Clark even asks Jonathan, "Why did God do this to me?" Purely in a hypothetical way as he knows there is no answer. THIS is the spirituality essence of this film. At another critical juncture, and more likely the most important, Clark walks into a church to further seek spiritual guidance as to how and what to do when he knows the fate of all life on Earth depends on his "coming out" as Kal-El. Ultimately, a Man of the Cloth gives him the support needed. While Superman may be seen as "god-like", he too needs a "Higher Power" to look to for the unknown. I thought this was not only relevant but highly un-noticed by all the nay-sayers! These vignettes that occur throughout Clark's life is, inevitably, what makes him the man he becomes. Well before he is the Man of Steel. In his life, in life itself, we must learn morals, values and principals. This goes for anybody. To know the difference from right and wrong and WHY? Jonathan continually tells Clark that "the world isn't ready to find out about him." He makes the ultimate sacrifice to keep the "secret." As that tornado is about to suck him away, he waves Clark off. Had Clark ran or flew to save Jonathan, those under the underpass would surely have found out! Spread the word about the "guy who can fly!" But the time wasn't right because CLARK wasn't ready. In turn, now fully Kal-El, Superman makes his own ultimate sacrifice. Just before Zod was able to depress the fire button and blow up the plane ahead, as it was preparing to destroy the Dark Zero, Kal crashes through Zod's ship. Kal's eyes are lit wit his heat vision and ready to take out Zod, Zod yells out and stops him. "Wait, if you destroy this ship, you destroy Krypton!" Kal thinks for a second and retorts, "Krypton had its chance!" Then relights his eyes and proceeds to take out Zod's ship. THAT was Clark's/Kal-El's/Superman's ultimate sacrifice. Was Man of Steel too violent as some (many) have claimed? Actually, no? When the fighting scenes happen, the special effects are some of the best I have seen in many years! But they are NOT RAMPANT throughout the movie. The destruction of Krypton was no more graphic than "Vulcan's" destruction in "Star Trek." The fight scenes are limited to either Smallville or Metropolis. I mean, there are aliens fighting that are god-like status. This is Superman! Who doesn't know the Superman mythos? The city of Metropolis being crushed, well, let's see... Godzilla has done worse. Clover in "Cloverfield or "The Avengers" battling the "Tretarri" took out a bigger chunk of Manhattan. There are many others... Look, this is a Superman for THIS generation. I had no problem having my 12 year old son watch this with me. And Blu-Ray too now. Man of Steel is by NO MEANS OVER THE TOP. I fear more from what both of my kids can view on the internet. And as far as what the "internet talking heads" say, well, I have a few choice words I shan't post here for them! I absolutely suggest, highly recommend getting Man of Steel on Blu-Ray! DVD doesn't do this justice. The special effects are outstanding! If you do get this package, this comes with a bonus 3rd disc full of extras. I was floored when I saw just how much was special effects! You will not be disappointed! Final thought here... to those who wrote the 1 or 2 Star reviews... I think that there are just some people out here who will not be happy with anything. Maybe they secretly watched Man of Steel and loved it, but were bummed out because their "date" stood them up & popcorn was cold!

Simply put: Man of Steel was freaking awesome. I have been waiting for this type of Superman movie for longer than I can remember. The original Superman movie was a good flick for its time, and Christopher Reeves did a masterful job of making us believe Superman could hide his identity behind the façade of a bumbling Clark Kent. But I'm not ashamed to admit I am from a generation that loves spectacular action and special effects, and I have been craving a Superman movie that really taps into the modern day potential of movie magic, with an equally engaging storyline and characters. Man of Steel delivers in spades. I don't give this praise lightly. I had serious reservations and doubts about this movie going into the theater. The bitter taste of Superman Returns was still fresh in my memory. I know the critics have been espousing that the former movie was better than people gave it credit for, that it actually got better reviews, etc. Maybe Superman Returns wasn't a bad movie, but it certainly wasn't a good movie either. At best it was a "blah" movie, and for a Superman movie that just won't cut it. Superman never even throws a punch in the movie. In fact he gets his ass kicked by a couple of thugs while under the influence of kryptonite. In fact the biggest "super" feat in the movie was lifting a big rock, incongruously while under the influence of the same kryptonite that allowed the thugs to beat him nearly to death. In contrast, Man of Steel has some serious throwdowns with other Kryptonians. Even the super lifting feat included in this movie, holding up a collapsing oil rig tower, is a heck of a lot cooler than slowly lifting a big rock into space. My reservations about Man of Steel continued in the early days of the production as news trickled out. Nolan and Goyer became involved, and though they did a spectacular job with the first two installments of their Batman series, I was skeptical about their suitability for the Superman franchise. How would their dedication to ultra-realism translate to a story about a man who can bench press mountains and fly through space? Furthermore, in my opinion the last installment of their take on the Batman mythos strayed way off course, compounding my doubts. We soon learned that Zod would be the major antagonist of the new movie, and while I was encouraged that Superman would have a real superhuman opponent, I feared we would get another poor copy of the original movies, just as Superman Returns came across as a poorly plagiarized version of the original. The earliest trailers for the new movie didn't help either. They seemed to suggest a long drawn out discovery process, devoid of the Superman action sequences I was craving. The most exciting thing they showed in the original trailer was Superman flying. We've been there, done that. Subsequent trailers offered more promise, though they still didn't show a lot. I guess they were using the old trick of the strip tease, show us just enough to get us interested. In hindsight I'm glad they didn't show or reveal more, because every moment of the movie was a treat, unspoiled by over divulging trailers prior to release. I often despair when I have to sit through another origin story for these comic books icons that I know so well. I'm anxious to get to the good stuff. But Man of Steel managed to make the new origins fresh and interesting, and extremely relevant to the overall story. And holy crap did they nail the casting of the new Superman. Henry Cavill's Superman makes previous movie renditions of the character look like guys playing Halloween dress-up. This guy looks like he could bend steel, even without the movie magic. The acting was solid all the way around. Superman came across as caring, complicated, and heroic. Lois Lane was likable, smart, and had a real adventurous spirit, and loads of integrity. You could easily see why Superman would fall for this mortal woman. Contrast that with super-bitchy Lois from Superman Returns. Is it any wonder he decided to leave the planet for five years? Some critics have argued that this Superman is too violent and not true to the character. These people obviously don't know much about the character. Most of Superman's stories (comic books, animated series, original Superman movies) involve violent conflicts with other superhuman opponents. Do they really think we want another movie where Superman battles the elements and catches falling airplanes. So to summarize, why is Man of Steel the best superman movie ever: 1. Awesome action that makes great use of the environment (smashing buildings to pieces, mega explosions). 2. Intense superhuman versus superhuman combat (can you say using a train as a weapon - gives new meaning to more powerful than a locomotive). 3. A villain with a goal that makes sense (unlike Lex Luthor from Superman Returns, who thought an ugly chunk of black crystal/rock would make for prime real estate). 4. A Superman that looks the part (I am very much a straight man - but even I had to think DAMN when I saw Henry Cavill as Superman, and sans shirt in a particular scene). 5. A Superman who embraces his role as humanity's protector (I loved Smallville, but Clark's crying about being different could be tiresome in the early seasons - come on you can run faster than the speed of sound and juggle tractors - yeah, sucks to be you. Not to mention being able to see into the girl's locker room). 6. Lois Lane is no dummy (A pair of glasses were never going to fool this girl). 7. No more camp (Man of Steel has it's humorous moments, without resorting to the type of campy antics that were pervasive throughout Superman Returns). In summary, Man of Steel is the Superman movie I have been waiting for since I first fell in love with the character. I can't wait to see where they take us next.

After being hyped up for months on end with trailers, pictures, and secrets about this movie, it's over. Superman has arrived in a new cool suit. Wow, where do you begin? Well, how about Russell Crowe delivering a baby on the dying planet of Krypton. I often wonder if alien planets were out there, would their technology look as cool as the stuff we imagine? Kudos to the minds who thought up these visuals. Perhaps they had an alien muse from Area 51. Aside from the nifty technology, Crowe was great throughout the picture alive and dead (you'll have to figure that one out). Move onto planet earth with Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, more legends on the screen giving great performances. The movie offers insight into Superman's younger years with terrific performance from the young lad (Dylan Sprayberry), who plays his part. It's an internal struggle that Clark must journey on his own to find his identify. His earthly father teaches him wisdom and restraint with his gifts, until he finally meets his real father and learns of his origins and why he is on planet earth. Enter cute Amy Adams who plays Lois Lane, destined to fall in love with Superman. As one army woman says at the end, "I think he's hot." And hot he is! Henry Cavill did a great job in the role with the internal identity struggle and the will to do good among the humans he has lived with for thirty-plus years. It's not until the end in order to save the planet does he finally succumb to willfully killing another to save others. Amy is cute in her own right, falling in love with a handsome well-dressed alien in red and blue, but she is also acquainted with the man in jeans and a tee shirt. I'm sorry, but you just can't help but wonder what making love to Superman would be like - perhaps we shouldn't go down that road. The technology of the aliens is quite cool. The alien ships, suits, and costumes are unique. Though many humans are killed in the battle for earth, there isn't a lot of blood and gore. The only complaint I really had about the movie was the lengthy fight scenes between Superman and the aliens. They seemed to go on forever, and frankly I think they could have cut a good half-hour out of the movie. All right, you get the point, it's a fight of evil and good, but a few good cuts on the editing floor would have done the movie better. My guess is the guys in special effects were like kids having too much fun seeing how many walls and buildings they could throw Superman and his enemies through. Of course, as you watch the movie you think things like -- How can he fly in space without air? How can he get beat up for a half hour straight and not have a scratch or drop of blood on him? How can he walk through fire? How can he breathe under water? How could society recover at the end with so much devastation? The list goes on and on - but hey, it's Superman! I suppose if we ever do get invaded by aliens, I'd like this dude on my side. It's quite obvious at the end that sequels are coming, because it ends with Clark Kent getting a job at the Daily Planet to blend into society. Of course, Lois Lane, who has probably kissed him a few more times by now, knows his secret! One more note, Hans Zimmer does a great job at a musical score. A bit dark like the Dark Knight, but nonetheless quite good. I love the guy's music anyway. Is it worth the watch? Sure. Just for the story and the visuals, plus the top-notch stars in the movie. Is it worth two-hours and twenty-three minutes? I could have done with one and forty-five and less fighting between Superman and Zod (played by Michael Shannon), who by the way is one of those damn villains who just won't die! All in all, Superman is just super. It is not a movie filled with jokes and lighthearted scenes. It's serious. He overcomes obstacles constantly when he should have died at least twenty times in the movie from all that he went through to save the human race. Probably a little over-the-top but that's the movies. It's all make believe, epic sci-fi special effects, and cute Henry Cavill in one good looking suit. And it's not an "S" on his chest - it's a symbol that means hope. But on earth, it's an "S" to us, standing for Superman. There are some great lines in the movie that stay with you. "You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders." If only the human race could really accomplish wonders and rise above a Zod mentality. Surely, we need someone to show us the way, even if it's in a movie.

There have been numerous opinions about positive and negative points dealing with this film. No movie will ever be perfect and please everyone but I have to applaud Zack Schneider for giving us a new vision of Superman never seen on screen before. When 'Superman Returns' came out in 2006 most fanboys were screaming about having no action in the film. "Superman didn't even throw a punch" was a common critique. Well, WB heard their complaints and made a 180 degree turnaround. As far as I'm concerned, they went from one extreme to the other. I've described this film to others as a rollercoaster ride that rarely stops. It's shocking how much is thrown at you during the course of this story. You will not see a Clark Kent with perfect parents who bake apple pies and have the perfect answers for any questions Clark has. You will not see a completely happy childhood where little Clark has no real cares and worries until his father dies. You will not find a Superman who has all of the answers of exactly what he needs to do to solve a problem. This is a movie where Clark is uncertain who he is and doesn't necessarily want to have his powers and abilities that set him apart from everyone else causing him to be a target by others. He learns how to control his anger with people he would be able to turn into a pretzel if he wanted to. He does not know how to deal with another kryptonian named Zod who wishes to rule planet earth. He just knows he needs to stop him from this alien invasion. There are a few scenes that I believe were inspired partially from the Avengers. When Superman is handcuffed and marched into custody it is almost exactly the kind of shot used when Loki was marched to his cell in the Avengers. Near the end of the film there is an invasion that also takes me back to be Avengers inspired. Is that bad? I would say no. Zack Schneider had a tremendous undertaking to take a hero who was losing interest to Batman and give him a huge comeback while also setting up a DC universe of films at the same time. There were big changes made to Superman's origin story. There are changes in how his father dies. His fortress of solitude is very different than what you imagine in any other Superman film before it. But none of these things take away from the identity of the character of Superman. Only people like me who grew up with the Reeve version may try to compare films like this. Of course, there is an extremely controversial ending. If you don't know what I mean, this is a SPOILER ALERT.... Superman makes the ultimate life or death decision to either allow Zod to continue his mission of death to all humans or stop him. In one pivotal scene he makes the quick decision to break Zod's neck rather than allow him to do any more killing and destruction. Some people were screaming how Superman doesn't kill. They need to realize that Superman has killed before. For goodness sakes, he fought and killed Doomsday in the comics. In Superman II he allows the three Kryptonian villains to fall to their death. In Schneider's world Superman doesn't have the hard and fast rule that you NEVER take a life. He made this decision based on the basis of a killer who cannot be killed. And now he will live with it for the rest of his life. For this Superman, it probably is the origin of the no-kill rule. It's going to be interesting to find out how they deal with this in the next installment. I loved the casting. Russell Crow is a wonderful Jor El. There are also ties to other Superman shows. Diane Lane was in "Hollywoodland" where she played the girlfriend of George Reeves, the actor who portrayed Superman in the 1950s. By the way, I also was very excited to find out Ben Affleck will be Batman in the sequel because he played George Reeves in the previously mentioned movie and donned a Superman costume. Lois Lane Amy Adams was in the first season of Smallville. For me it was just fun to watch these characters who had a Superman connection previously. Was it a perfect film? No. Name one film that is. But it does do justice to the world's first Superhero and tried to find a balance between the darkness of Batman and the opposite brightness of Superman. This movie is not a bright one like the previous films. It is shot in a grittier fashion. For those seeking a Superman film with bright scenes and beautiful colors, you won't find it here. Go back to the Reeve films. But Superman is finally given a story that many fans have been waiting a very long time to see. I think it's a very well done film and I hope you do too. Superman flies high and seems to relate to what happens in today's world. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel in 2015.

Man of Steel is a much better movie than it gets credit for being. I think it gets ragged on by a lot of comic book fans who would frankly never be satisfied with anything that deviates from the story they want to be told. This is, of course, the movie that launched the current DC Cinematic Universe. It tells the origin story of Superman in a much different way than the 1978 film did, but still stayed true to the comic book mythology. Like the 1978 movie, this one starts out on Krypton, showing the planet in its last days, and setting up Zod, played by Michael Shannon, as the villain of the film. It has many of the same elements as the origin story we know, Jor-El (played by Russell Crowe) trying to convince the leadership of Krypton that the planet is doomed, Zod being sent to the phantom zone, and Jor-El and Lara (played by Ayelet Zurer) sending Kal to Earth. Then the movie jumps to a time where Clark/Kal-El is an adult (played by Henry Cavill), working odd jobs as a drifter until he would be discovered helping someone and then have to move on. His childhood is told in flashbacks as he learns how to deal with powers like x-ray vision and super hearing, and learning to control them with the help of his Earth father and mother, Jonathan and Martha Kent (played by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). So, for much of the movie he is not Superman until Zod comes to Earth and threatens all of humanity. The movie is really about how he becomes Superman, which he fully is by the end of the movie. The movie was directed and produced by Zach Snyder (of 300 and Watchman fame) and as a result, has a much grittier feel than the original movies with Christopher Reeve or the Superman Returns reboot with Brandon Routh. This version of Superman is not the "big blue boy scout" but you can see that he has that in him. Lois (played by Amy Adams) is much wiser than any other version of the character and finds out pretty much immediately who Clark is and about his abilities. The rest of the case is made up of very recognizable actors including Laurence Fishburne, Michael Kelley, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, and Harry Lennix. For those who get the blu-ray set, there are three discs, two blu-rays, and one DVD. The first Blu-ray disc and the DVD has the movie and about an hour's worth of behind-the-scenes and making-of material. The second Blu-ray disc has the movie with an in-movie mode in which clips from the cast and crew are interspersed throughout the movie explaining how various scenes were shot, how they approached making the movie or a particular scene in the movie, and the like. It adds about 30 additional minutes to the running time of the movie but is entertaining to watch. Then, there is a mockumentary made for the movie about Krypton and Kryptonian technology that was gleaned from the aftermath of the invasion. Overall, the movie is very good. Very well written and acted. Yes, it changed the origin story of the character a bit, but as I said above, it still stayed true to the overall mythology. Henry Cavill did a great job in the role, getting absolutely jacked for it, and totally pulled off the superhero look. He, wisely, did not try to mimic Christopher Reeve or any of the other actors that ever played the role. He made it his own and ran with it, as did Amy Adams with her version of Lois. Of course, the movie sets up the larger DC Cinematic Universe that would go on to include characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, etc., but they really kept this a contained Superman movie. It was very well done and is definitely worth watching.

I watched MOS in a crowded movie theater the first time. While I enjoyed it the first time there's something to be said for watching it in the privacy of your own home, without someone noisily munching popcorn in the seat next to you and some other jerk sticking his or her knee in the middle of my seat. This time around I was able to fully appreciate the movie as a whole without the added audience noise. If that sounds anti-social, so be it. Henry Cavill was perfect as Clark/Kal-El. The rest of the cast (Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crow, Michael Shannon and Lawrence Fishburne) were all top notch. I had no problem with the costume change or the redesign of Krypton. Let me be clear, right from the start: I've seen George Reeves, Christopher Reeve, the much maligned Brandon Routh and Tom Welling. I've enjoyed them all, and in poor Brandon Routh's case I know that he wasn't the problem, it was the script. Bryan Singer meant well, but we'd seen that Lex Luthor land grab before. Routh's Superman needed something fresh. I've also watched (and enjoyed) Dean Cain and most of the other incarnations of the man of steel. The main complaint against MOS seems to be that this isn't Christopher Reeve's Superman. Thank goodness. Compared to Cavill's Supes, Reeve's Superman looks dated to me right now. Zack Snyder did an excellent job of updating the character and rebooting the franchise. I have but one complaint against the movie, and I'll address that later on. This is Superman just starting out. He's not smooth or polished, the first time he flies he crashes. His X-ray vision seems to bother him, if not cause outright pain, and Kal-El flinches when someone shoots him. The scenes of him as a child having problems with his senses was spot on. (SPOILER ALERT:) As far as his code against killing, I have to believe that his killing Zod is the reason he came up with that in the first place. I appreciated Snyder's attempts at realism, which is weird considering that this is a superhero movie. I can believe that Pa Kent was worried for his son, that he instilled in him the overwhelming urge to hide what he was and what he could do, because Pa felt the world wasn't ready. As the movie showed, Pa was right. Now, as far as the destruction in Metropolis goes, that makes sense too. I have no doubt that Superman is going to pay a price for that in the sequel. And really, who's gonna believe that aliens show up and there's absolutely no damage to property, and no human deaths? Seems to me you guys who are bitterly complaining about that are hypocrites. You knew this movie had those elements going in. In the quiet of my living room I was able to hear the dialogue properly. For those of you who nitpicked about the action of the end, if you'd stayed quiet you would have heard that even if Zod's ship was destroyed the world engine would continue to terraform, so they had to be hit the same exact time. And how you missed the fact that the only other Phantom Zone engine on earth took out Zod's ship is beyond me. This new Superman didn't have a spare laying around. That's why Kal-El couldn't imprison Zod again. Zod was on a killing rampage, and death was the only way he could be stopped. He made that perfectly clear. This isn't the first time Superman's killed Zod. In the second movie Superman killed a de-powered Zod, and Lois killed Zod's female lieutenant by throwing them down into a bottomless ravine. The scene was so bloodless when I first saw it I didn't know what the heck I was seeing. And to those who claim that by tossing Zod and his compatriots into the abyss Big Blue really put them back into the Phantom Zone, well, that was a scene I must have missed. Now I've heard that there was a deleted scene showing the villains alive and taken into custody, but that wasn't what I saw at the movies. That scene didn't make the final cut, but it was in the DVD version. Bottom line: Kal-El chose humanity. That's amazing to me, because the way that kid was bullied I wouldn't have blamed him if he'd looked at Zod and said, "Okay, I'm in. Earth's gotta go." And this brings me to the only problem I have with MOS: If Lois Lane could find him, don't tell me that the military couldn't either. Remember, Clark saved the kids in that school bus. He was seen doing other heroic things. And I admit at the end I cringed when he told the General he grew up in Kansas. I actually yelled out "Dude, shut up! Don't tell him that!" MOS is not perfect, but then again neither is Joss Whedon's "The Avengers". I enjoyed that one too. If you're expecting Christopher Reeve's Superman you're probably going to hate Man of Steel. To each his/her own. I enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel.

I grew up watching the 1980s Superman originals and idolized Reeves. Then along comes Man of Steel over 30 years later, and I was absolutely blown away by it. From beginning to end, Man of Steel is a thriller to watch. This film was way ahead of its time, and it's as thrilling to watch now as it was during 2013 when it was released. Bravo to Zack Snyder, cast, and crew on this one...Cavill fits the role of Superman like a glove, Crowe an excellent Jor-El, and Michael Shannon plays a convincingly evil villain in General Zod. Furthermore, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane exemplify the top quality acting in this film, shedding new light to the story in portraying the Kents, who raised Superman from childhood. Amy Adams is by far the best and most lovable Lois Lane yet. Can't say enough positives about the cast and acting. To accompany the thrilling nonstop action from start to finish, the Hans Zimmer soundtrack takes the action scenes to another level. While it's tough to top a John Williams film score, Hans Zimmer has pulled it off with this one. The Man of Steel soundtrack is truly amazing. Man of Steel is not simply a Superman reboot, it's an entirely new story, retold in a more believable, dark, Nolan-like manner compared to the originals. If you have a decent home theater setup, it's well worth purchasing the UHD DVD of this film and having it around for repeat watching. Man of Steel is epic, one of the most underrated gems in the film industry. Over the past 5-7 years, I have not purchased ANY movies based on the fact that you can find them streamed from almost anywhere, but Man of Steel was an exception. If you have the sound system, a UHD 4K display, and a modern blu-ray DVD player, Man of Steel is a masterpiece worthy of having on the "DVD shelf" during a time when DVDs are fading as an option for movie media.