So I got to see the Wal-Mart premiere of Man Of Steel and thought I'd just jump on and say how utterly AMAZING it was! (Definite spoilers are ahead for anyone who hasn't watched it yet!)
My hands are still shaking from the adrenaline actually, and the emotions evoked by a movie that focused on the character beneath the famous Suit and the characters that made him who he is, help support him, and are always there for him. It was phenomanally done, and one thing that really stood out visually was how they were able to take our common understanding of what Superman's powers are and exponentially magnify that until I was really gasping in awe at seeing all of his powers at their most...well, POWERFUL.
I could have done without the changes made to the Daily Planet crew (like turning Jimmy into Jenny which just seems like a weird, unnecessary turnaround that doesn't even register for most of the movie; I was wondering where Jimmy was and why I cared about this female intern they kept showing), but Lois Lane was absolutely perfect. She was skilled, professional, very capable, extremely smart, and she didn't have to bluster or shout to be heard. She followed leads, put together an unbelievable story, then when it came down to it, made the right choice. And I LOVED how she was always there for Clark when he needed her. It was the best rendition of the Lois and Clark love story in a Superman movie that I've ever seen!
The Kryptonian story was a breath of fresh air -- based off the Man Of Steel series Kryptonian history but incorporating our own knowledge of it -- and I love that they made Jor-El and Lara both into heroes, revolutionaries of their own, and also showed them both to be heroes. Zod was even more monstrous than I remember him being from the New Krypton comic books, but he was a very three-dimensional villain, and I love that they gave us a sense of personal history with Jor-El.
Clark was my favorite part, though -- he was the Clark Kent I know and love, searching for his place in the world, and grounded very deeply in the teachings instilled in him by Jonathan and Martha -- who were so likable, and I was not expecting the tornado scene, which made it all the more painful! I love that Clark constantly referred back to them, to show why he believed the way he did and chose to do as he did. I think what I loved most of all is that they showed he had real, deep, human emotions -- he laughed when he flew, and he wept when he came to his darkest moment, and he smiled at jokes, and he did what he thought was right even when he didn't know why he was here.
Maybe my favorite moments were when he was on his knees over Zod's body and Lois ran to him, and then when Clark came to the Daily Planet and Lois smirked to see him.
I really hope they do a sequel (the cleverly placed LexCorp signs and logos in the background of Metropolis, coupled with all that Kryptonian wreckage surely floating around, means that Luthor will be in a prime position to cause trouble for Clark/Superman), because I can't wait to see more of this newly envisioned world for Superman -- they made it new but kept the characters I loved and stayed true to the core of Superman's message -- hope.
