Man of Steel

Superman gets another reboot in this new darker version, directed by Zack Snyder. Mr. Synder strives for the gravitas of "The Dark Knight" but never quite gets there and loses all the warmth and humor that came through in the Christopher Reeves version.

Russel Crowe makes a fine Jor-El, the biological father of Ka-El (Superman). He even gets to flex his muscles in an early fight sequence. His subsequent appearances grow heavy though and even Michael Shannon as evil General Zod gets fed up with him. Superman is played by Henry Cavill and he bears an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Reeves. What he lacks however, is any of the humor Mr. Reeves slipped into the role.

Amy Adams co-stars as Lois Lane and Lawrence Fishbourne plays Perry White. For this version, there is very little "Daily Planet" interaction and they've skipped over Jimmy Olsen completely. The version of Lois Lane here is more action hero than reporter in distress and the romance between her and Superman is almost an afterthought. The best acting in the film belongs to Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Jonathan and Martha Kent, Superman's adopted parents. They contribute real feelings and emotions in their scenes, told mostly in flashback.

The action sequences are basically repeated fights between Superman and Zod and they become tiresome. By the time they battle it out in Metropolis, half the city is destroyed and yet a character proclaims "he saved us", but does anyone look around and say "at what cost?".

 I saw the film in IMAX 3-D and I don't recommend it. The sound is deafening, especially when buildings start coming down and any action sequence gets blurry the faster it moves on screen.

This Man of Steal stole my twenty one dollars. Maybe The Dark Knight can get it back for me.