Man of Steel
2013  PG-13  ACTION  2h 23min
CAST— Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Ayelet Zurer, Christopher Meloni, Russell Crowe
MUSIC— Hans Zimmer  DIRECTOR— Zack Snyder  BASED ON— Characters appearing in DC Comics

     Though labeled by an alternate moniker everyone should know that this is still the big blue boy scout we’re talkin’ here. In yet another reboot of the Superman franchise viewers are in for a treat and more than a few tweaks to the DC Comics mythos. Our story begins on the doomed planet Krypton (a fully realized digital world rather than a crystalline sound stage) as sympathetic scientist Jor-El stands at odds with former ally (and maniacal dictator wannabe) General Zod over Jor-El’s choice to send his infant son Kal-El into the cosmos so that he might live. After living over three decades on Earth Kal-El (now known as Clark Kent, soon to be known as you-know-who) is a man with extraordinary abilities just learning to harness his true potential. But Zod has finally found him and is determined to use Clark as a stepping stone to recreating Krypton on Earth, destroying life as we know it. Together with love interest Lois Lane in tow Clark (alright, Superman, already!) must resist and defeat Zod and his disciples or else see humanity suffer. Visually stunning, with characters you can actually care for, a somewhat sympathetic villain, and probably the most destruction ever seen onscreen, this is a brilliant new beginning for the last son of Krypton.
OUR RATING— ***
FOLLOWED BY— Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), Suicide Squad (2016), Wonder Woman (2017), Justice League (2017), Aquaman (2018), Shazam! (2019)