From Smallville to Man of Steel, an in-depth film review of Superman in West Coast Midnight Run

West Coast Midnight Run™ is a copyrighted publication of Citadel Consulting Group LLC

MAN OF STEEL
Warner Brothers
MPAA Rating PG-13
(action adventure, sci-fi fantasy)

Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Kevin Kostner, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, Michael Shannon

Directed by: Zack Snyder

By Barry Steinbaum

Superman is back in a new film from Warner Brothers with a completely new cast and look. The new story has Zack Snyder from the Watchmen, Chris Nolan from The Batman Returns series and leading powerhouses Kevin Kostner, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, newcomer Henry Cavill in the title role.

Running Time: 2 hr., 28 min.
Score: A-/B+

Insert icon original source photo © Sebastian Decoret

Man of Steel will be the latest re-boot of the Superman film franchise from Warner Brothers that started with Christopher Reeves in 1978.

It’s safe to say it would be really difficult to spoil the plot for anyone, given the number of restarts the saga has been through.

An advanced civilization on a dying planet sends to Earth the son of a leading scientist who grows up as an adopted child and is bequeathed with unimaginable super powers on his new planet and throughout the Universe, making him the most powerful, and most popular of all superheroes.

Will this latest reincarnation draw yawns from younger audiences that have witnessed an entire set of new super heroes from the Marvel Universe lead a successful adventure after the next?

Did Warner Brothers have it so wrong or was it Marvel that did it so right?

Marvel could be the story of the new kid on the block, showed up late and bested the competition, possibly since in developing its properties (Spider-man, Fantastic Four, The Hulk, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and The Avengers) it teamed up with several leading studios and talented crews, tapping not only some of the most

diverse set of directors and producers from Universal, Sony, Paramount and Disney while DC Comics partnered with just one studio, Warner Brothers.

Can Warner Brothers dazzle us with Henry Cavill? WB almost scrubbed The Man of Steel after Brandon Routh failed to deliver on the personna built up by his predecessor.

To help ensure this re-development has a better fate at the box office, the studio promised fans that director Chris Nolan from the Batman/Dark Knight trilogy would be involved in the story rewrites and in the production of the Man of Steel.

And WB did not stop with Nolan, recruiting David Goyer the Dark Knight scripwriting sidekick, basically pulling all the stops in ensuring this time around, Superman would be the mega hit, relative to his legacy as the franchise that started it all for Hollywood superhero films in 1978.

The sneak peeks we have seen so far seem very promising and yet have not been able to dispel a sense of dread.

Superman once more is sporting a new costume, sleeker and more futuristic. Brandon also wore a new version of the Superman suit. From the previews and sneak peeks it

seems some of the stunts and special effects appear to be spectacular, but they always do in film trailers.

And most obvious of all, this film avoids the John Williams trademark score that has been attached to the franchise since its rollout.

The music score in the sneak peeks is amazing and exhilarating, creating a much needed emotional lift for the action sequences.

Will the Man of Steel rise above the fray and sweep audiences off their feet with this new adventure? We can’t say yet with any certainty and we won’t know

unless WB orders a new sequel, something that is almost guaranteed given the investment already poured into this pilot and the fact that Green Lantern has a go ahead for a new adventure despite its rather lackluster performance with fans and critics.

The Man of Steel is almost guaranteed a measure of success just because of the hype with fans.