Man of Steel

After a torturous journey to return to the big screen, the big boy in blue has most certainly returned in the chiselled form of Henry Cavill’s jaw-line - an action-packed, bombastic and most definitely epic return for DC’s Superman.

With the planet of Krypton on the brink of destruction, Head Scientist of the Planet Jor-El (Crowe) decides to save his newborn son by sending him away from Krypton to live a new life on a distant planet named Earth. The young Kryptonian child is taken under the wing of the humble farm hands of Kansas couple Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name the small boy Clark. He soon realises however, that he is not like everyone else; that he possesses special powers granted to him by the Earth’s sun and atmosphere.

As a grown man, Clark struggles to come to terms with his powers and becomes somewhat of a wandering loner, trying to figure out who he really is and what destiny his powers grant him. He soon finds the answer when fellow Kryptonian survivors come to Earth, led by General Zod (Shannon). Banished from Krypton for betrayal, Zod has been scouring the universe searching for the son of Jor-El, who he believes holds the key to the possibility of Krypton ever living again. With Zod proving to be a dangerous force, threatening the fate of the Earth, Clark begins to realise his true calling: to become Superman.

With Snyder, director of 300 and Watchmen, at the helm, the film is certainly not short of expensive action and stunning special effects, with a balance aiming to be struck between spectacle and emotion in a way that has never quite been done in a Superman movie before. Superman has most definitely returned and he is soaring into the future.

Andrew Gaudion