Clarke Kent(Henry Kavill) has been raised by the people he believes are his parents on a small farm in Kansas. However he is actually from the planet Krypton… ok, hang on. If you don’t know about Superman, who are you and where have you been forever? Certainly, there has not been as much about Superman lately, but there was a radio series in the 40s, a television series in the 50s, an animated series in the 60s, a series of feature films in the 70s and 80s, another television series in the 90s, (The New Adventures of Superman), yet another television series in the 00s (Smallville) and a recent reboot, Superman Returns (2006), which was not a huge success at the box office. Oh, and the comic book which has been published since 1938. So, if you don’t know about Superman, get on board.
I totally and utterly loved Man of Steel. It’s long (143 minutes) but couldn’t have been a moment sooner. One issue is that there is such huge and important back-story that is needed for audiences who have not grown up with all of the versions above. It’s not like The Incredible Hulk where the whole back-story was covered excellently in images during the opening credits; there is far too much information for that. The solution? Flashbacks. Flashbacks for me often mean corniness and slack storytelling. Certainly, there were a few parts which were a bit sentimental, but that’s all part of the story being told.
Luckily, the action started early in the film. There is some cool stuff up on Krypton, but even once they arrive on Earth, it skips straight to the action. And what action! I just love it. Explosions, fistfights (but between super strong people), planes, helicopters, spaceships, the whole lot. Lots of ground being smashed up and buildings falling down; the whole kit and caboodle. Awesome.
Man of Steel opens in Australia on Thursday June 27. See it at the cinema, and see it in 3D. I reckon.
ireckonthat 