A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Let's be honest, Richard Donner and Christopher Reeve created an iconic film over 30 years ago and was the symbol of Superman representing "Truth, Justice and the American Way". When I heard that Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan were going to reboot the Superman franchise with a modern take I was hesitant to get hyped up but after the sensational first trailer I was hooked on their new vision. We start on Krypton and it is a magical but dying planet due to the greed of it's people. Which leads Jor-El to send his only born son to earth so he may live and one day bring Kyrpton back, but his plans are almost thwarted by General Zod who is played with intensity by Michael Shannon. Zod and his team of militants are sent to the Phantom Zone.
We join little Kal in his ship and then cut to a bearded and strong looking man who rescues workers from an exploding oil rig and moves on protecting people from there. We know it is Superman but he isn't that man , yet. Flashbacks fill in the blanks of his life with Johnathan and Martha Kent and it is a treat to see young Clark saving children from a drowning school bus. Amy Adams as strong willed reporter Lois Lane has been tracking this do gooder for some time and tracks him down as the military finds something buried deep in ice. This turns out to be a scout ship and becomes Kal's Fortress Of Solitude and this is when he puts on the iconic blue & red suit and becomes Superman. The pure joy we see on his face as he flies faster than a jet over plains, mountains, canyons and orbiting Earth then goes back down to Smallville with after burning effect was a goose bump moment for me. General Zod then invades Earth and tells them to hand over the citizen that has been hiding on their planet for 33 years. Superman does show up and from that moment on the last hour of the film is non stop action and chaos that few films have achieved before. The battles between the Zod's crew and Superman as well as the U.S Army is thrilling with the final battle taking place in Metropolis with Zod and Supes one on one. They fly and swing their fists with a speed and ferocity that astounds, crushing buildings (hopefully empty) in their wake. I won't spoil the ending but will say Clark Kent makes an appearance at the Daily Planet.
The film was perfectly cast with Henry Cavill becoming the new vision of Superman before our very eyes and he does a superb job saying more with his eyes and facial features. Michael Shannon is a memorable "villian" as Zod , who is doing what his purpose for being created was which is protecting Krypton , even if that means destroying human life first and then terra forming the planet. I for one can't wait to see what the creative team does with the sequel which is set to feature Ben Affleck as Batman. 10/10
Man Of Steel arrives on Blu-ray with a 1080p transfer in the aspect ratio of 2.40:1. - A stunningly detailed and crisp viewing experience. Colors are stylistically kept more on the muted side with bursts of deep red and blue, as well as a yellow bus and lush green fields shining through. Skintones have a very natural appearance. Fine detail was revealing to say the least. Every ridge and stitch of fabric in Superman's costume is visible, a moment where the makeup crew put to much makeup on Amy Adam's right cheek is seen as well as her adorable light freckles, the almost bone like structures on Krypton it's weapons and ships are really shown off. Black levels were inky and deep throughout with good shadow delineation. 10/10
Audio is provided by a DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 track. - From the opening note of Hans Zimmer's percussion heavy and masterful score I was enveloped in the world of Krypton and then Earth. This is a track with an almost constant 360 degree sound field with smooth panning effects and surrounds engaged to depict choppers, ships, an oil rig blowing and make them feel like they just flew right past you and on top of you. LFE response is in a word thunderous. Bass crashes and bellows with authority throughout the film and the battle sequences at the end of the film had me checking to see if anything fell off the book shelf, it also drives the deep notes and bass of of the already mentioned score. Through all this action dialogue was crisp and clean. No hisses, pops or cracks were heard. Demo worthy material in the highest sense. 10/10
**DISC 1**
* Strong Characters, Legendary Roles (HD, 29min59sec) "Explore the legendary characters of the Superman mythology and how they have evolved in this new iteration of the Superman story." - We get insight from Director Zack Snyder, principal cast and crew and David. S Goyer. They speak of their inspirations in creating this new Superman and all the history of the character that lead them here. Some nice behind-the-scenes footage with some bright crisp images of comic book panels of past Superman comics are used to tell the story.
* All-Out Action (HD, 26min2sec) "Go inside the intense training regimen that sculpted Henry Cavill into the Man of Steel and Michael Shannon and Antje Traue into his Kyptonian nemeses. Includes interviews with cast and crew." - I really enjoyed this fun look at the grueling six month training program that Mark Twight and Jim Jones put Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon and rest of the cast involved in any kind of action scenes. We see Cavill dead lift 435 lbs, wow. Then it moves on to the stunt choreography used for the dramatic fights and we learn that 95% of the Smallville battle was actually practical effects done on location. Stunt coordinator Damon Caro gives insight into the fighting styles used.
* Krypton Decoded (HD, 6min42sec)– "Dylan Sprayberry (Clark Kent, age 13) gives the lowdown on all the amazing Krypton tech, weapons and spaceships featured in Man of Steel.” - The young Clark Kent gives a brief look at Krypton's destruction, the Scout Ship, Kryptonian display technology which the director dubbed "liquid geo", Kryptonian armor & weapons, the Phantom Zone, and the ship Black Zero that Zod and his crew use to get to Earth.
**DISC 2**
* Journey of Discovery: Creating “Man of Steel” (HD, 2hrs54min5sec) – "This immersive feature-length experience allows you to watch the movie with director Zack Snyder and stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane and others as they share the incredible journey to re-imagine Superman." - This is a massive undertaking and well worth taking the time to sit down and enjoy. There is tons of behind-the-scenes footage that plays some times full screen and other times in a separate window while other video windows show conceptual drawings, pre visual animatics, cast or crew interview discussing a particular scenes, and the finished film. One of the most fascinating things for me was all the work that went into creating the glyphs and language for Krypton.
* Planet Krypton (HD, 17:18) "The world’s first exploration of Krypton and its lost society." - Shot and told in the format of a History Channel documentary like "Ancient Aliens" this is a fascinating look at the planet Krypton and it's culture, tech and ultimate downfall. It is told as though you are really in the world after General Zod has broadcast his message and every one now knows we are not alone and that a Superman exists and is here to save us all. Fun stuff.