Man of Steel

Man of Steel (2013) is the most recent remake of the Superman story. This, by my count is the seventh Superman movie – there was one Supergirl film (1984) – geewhiz, can't believe I missed that one. The first film was done in 1951, Superman and the Mole Men. I will have to look for that one. The iconic Christopher Reeve did four of these movies... all of which I dutifully attended during the 70s and 80s. Hollywood probably should have stopped there, but they didn't, and there's no stopping them now. Of course, a sequel to Man of Steel is in the works... look for it sometime in 2016 "Batman (Ben Affleck) versus Superman"—I have no idea who the actor is who plays Superman–I guess I don't care, okay, okay, his name is Henry Cavill.

I'm usually not in favor of remakes. I prefer original storytelling when possible. However, because it was a slow Monday night for television and HBO was offering this DC comic classic—I couldn't resist. I was pleasantly surprised, somewhat entertained, and generally felt as if I had not completely wasted two hours of my life. The story was in the same fashion as the previous "origins" films, nothing really new here. It was just reimagined for the computer-generated graphics action-thriller 21st-century audience. In that respect, the producers and directors did a decent job. I enjoyed the sci-fi look and feel of the film. Superman's suit was pretty cool, much better than the blue tights and red underwear Christopher Reeve had to wear. The interstellar space scenes and special effects were quite nice. The action sequences, especially some of the fight scenes were quite well done. I always feel sorry for New York City though, it seems that every superhero has to fight to the death in the streets of that city... Kevin Costner and Dianne Lane as the Earth to Kansas parents of Clark Kent were fun to watch. Russell Crowe as Superman's biological father was passable. Amy Adams as Lois Lane was rather silly, but she looks nice on the big screen. There was some terrible dialogue, and some rather corny scenes, but I expected that – it is based on the comic book after all. So, if that's what you are looking for, this might be worth a rental. However, if you're looking for an original story, dramatic acting, or some deeper intrinsic value—don't bother, you're not going to find it here. Maybe the sequel will be better.