Man of Steel: Superman reinvented

Superman is my favorite superhero. And I can't say I've been happy with the way he's been depicted in the movies made till date. I mean cocky with a wry sense of humor is great, and works really well with the ladies too, but somewhere down the line I believe Superman stopped being taken seriously. Could be because of that glued hairstyle with just one curl on the forehead (which not once fell out of place, no matter how much he flew around the stratosphere) or the famous red briefs over the blue suit.

Photo: Google images
But all that changed with Man of Steel. The curl and the red briefs are gone as the superhero dawns a new avatar. And I don't think it has anything to do with the new face of Superman - Henry Cavill (drool!) - or his elaborate background story. I think it was more about Christopher Nolan and his vision of Superman. After Inception, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises, we believe in the genius of Christopher Nolan. But unfortunately, that expectation is not met in Man of Steel. Yes, Superman has been reinvented, to my delight, but it did not strike a chord.

There was a dark tone to the film, maybe because Clark Kent was trying to find himself, his true identity. The cocky, wry sense of humor was there in bits, but too little to notice. Henry Cavill does well as Clark Kent and Amy Adams is convincing as the daring Lois Lane. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner add sparkle to the  caste with their performances.

There's a lot of clanking metals and incinerated cities and after all that turmoil, General Zod's end is way too simplistic (I remember thinking "why didn't he do that in the first place?"). The effects are good, the performances are good and the new take on the superhero is very good. But the movie still leaves you asking for more.

My recommendation: Watch it to see Superman in a new avatar.

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