Countdown to Superman: Man of Steel (2013)

While Superman Returns didn't wow audiences. The Christopher Nolan Batman/Dark Knight movies were critical and commercial successes. So much so that Nolan was a producer on a new, rebooted Superman movie. Early on Nolan and director Zack Snyder considered having this movie linked with Nolan's Dark Knight series, the title certainly suggested it. They ultimately dropped the idea. The then became the genesis of what has been called the DC Extended Universe or the DCEU, or most often, the Snyder-verse. 

Man of Steel is a reboot and introduces British actor Henry Cavill to the role of Superman/Kal-El/Clark Kent. Look, if you read this blog I am going to assume you know who he is even though I have not talked about him here before. Cavill is great as Superman. He is even a good Clark. His portrayal was needed to escape the long shadow of Christopher Reeve, while still being (mostly) true to Superman. Cavil also delivers one of my favorite Superman lines ever, "I grew up in Kansas, General. I am as American as it gets." Coming from an adopted alien played by a British actor. 

I say "mostly" because the most significant criticism of his performance and indeed the director's vision here was that this Superman was a little too dark both in tone and, frankly, color palette.  Jumping to the end here, yes, Superman kills Zod. BUT if you remember correctly, he also kills a depowered Zod in Superman II, the Donner cut, and implies he is left to die in the Lester cut.  Personally, I would have rather he find a way to get him back into the Phantom Zone, but no one is paying me to write movies.

On to other bits.

WHO do you get to play Jor-El following Marlon Brando? Well, Russell Crowe is not a bad place to start. Kevin Costner plays Jonathan Kent equally well. A lot has been made about Jonathan not letting Clark save him. And yeah, it was kind of stupid. I *get* what the director is trying to do here by "Uncle Ben"ing him. I mean Jonathan dies in every version of Superman except for the ABC series "Lois & Clark" so that show that superman can learn a lesson without it resulting in the death of someone. Oddly enough he has to kill Zod to get him to stop. So was the lesson learned? Was the lesson for him or us?  Again, I get what the director is trying to do here, I just don't think the execution is good.

Amy Adams is fantastic. I never considered a red-head Lois before, but here we are. For the record, my favorite Lois Lane is Elizabeth "Bitsie" Tulloch from "Superman & Lois." Though Erica Durance from "Smallville" is also great. The interactions between her and Cavill's Superman are great.

Michael Shannon's Zod is closer to what we might see in the comics. He feels like the ruthless General bent on a coup. Now that his world is dead, he will conquer and remake our world. 

Diane Lane is great as Martha Kent, one of the best, to be honest. She brings enough presence to the role to be the mother of an Earth-bound God. Well. Mostly Earth-bound. 

The movie is long on action, and unfortunately, it's a story we've seen before.

I liked Cavill as Superman. I liked the idea of the Snyderverse. But I am also glad we are moving on to something new. 

The Smallville scenes were filmed in Plano, IL. Not far from where my wife grew up, and not far from where the fictional Midvale would be in the Supergirl movie. Would this count as a cameo?

Cameos

Sadly, here the movie falls down. Look, it's a Superman tradition, and one that should be honored.

Marc McClure, Jimmy Olsen from the Salkind movies, does make a cameo later on as two different characters in  Justice League (2017) and  Zack Snyder's Justice League (2021). I'll mention that one later on. Marc also makes cameos in Smallville. Smallville, like Supergirl, was great for this.