




The makers of the new "Man of Steel" -- director Zack Snyder ("300") and screenwriter David S. Goyer working on a story from producer Christopher Nolan (director of the Dark Knight films) -- seize on those hints of gray in their reboot of a franchise that hasn't really clicked since 1980s "Superman II." The result is a film that while relentlessly grim and badly in need of humor, manages to be a smart, nuanced take on the Superman mythology. It successfully tweaks the now-familiar Superman origin story to make it more complex and more interesting. And it carries enough visual and action punch to succeed on that level.


The Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) we first meet in "Man of Steel" is hardly a Superman (that name for the character is actually used only once in the movie). He is a man in his 30s drifting through life, going from job to job with only occasional flashes of his powers. Much of the first half of the film consists of flashbacks to the dying planet of Kyrpton and to the Smallville of Clark's youth.




The Many Faces of Superman




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There are far more psychological layers to this Superman-in-the-making with a fuller exploration of the tragic Kyrpton and Clark's relationship with his adopted Earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane).


One big shift in the Superman storyline comes when Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) discovers his secret early on and actually helps him protect it. That doesn't last long, though, as General Zod and his followers (the only other survivors of the destruction of Krypton) turn up looking for Kal-El. Since most of humanity didn't know there was an all-powerful, Godlike alien walking the planet, they're not sure whose side to take and the American military simply wants to blow the heck out of all the superbeings.



Cavill is perfectly fine as Supes although it's not until the very end that he gets to flash the kind of charm and sly wit Christopher Reeves brought to the role. Shannon, a terrific actor, is a big plus as Zod and you want to see more of Adams as Lois because she animates every scene she is in. Crowe, Costner and Lane all do fine by their parts.

That said, "Man of Steel" is just too grim to be fully successful and way too heavy-handed in its attempts to draw parallels between Clark/Kal-El and Jesus. OK, guys, we get it -- Godlike figure willing to sacrifice himself for all mankind -- so let it go.

If just a few glimmers of the wry humor of, say, "The Avengers" and of the joy that was watching Christopher Reeves soar into the skies for the first time had made their way into "Man of Steel," this film really would have been something.

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Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon

Director: Zack Snyder

Running time: 2 hours, 23 minutes