3 out of 5 stars

I wanted to love Man of Steel as I did director Zack Snyder’s and producer Christopher Nolan’s previous films. Unfortunately, the movie comes across more as a 2 1/2 hour explosion fest than a character based origin story.

At first, the film captures the audience’s attention with a solid expository sequence. Opening with Superman’s birth, the planet Krypton is on the verge of destruction as the evil General Zod (Michael Shannon) launches a coup. In order to protect his son and preserve his species, the Kryptonian leader Jor-El (Russell Crowe) must send the infant Kal-El to Earth.

Here’s where the film starts to make it clear to viewers that it can’t go five minutes without an over the top CGI action sequence. As soon as we see Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) on Earth, he’s seen as a grown man rescuing a sea crew in the middle of the ocean. Keep in mind that we’ve just seen a 15-minute scene on Krypton that was mostly composed of fight sequences.

Unlike the magnificent 1978 Superman, which is really devoted to looking at the psychological elements which made the character who he is, this film is almost as fast-paced and formulaic as a Michael Bay film (maybe not that bad, but disappointing nonetheless).

I was particularly annoyed that Superman’s childhood in Smallville is featured in flashbacks, and these scenes aren’t given nearly as much depth as they deserve. The relationship between Clark and his adopted parents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha Kent (Diane Lane) is pretty overshadowed and watered down. This is surprising given that Nolan and co-writer David S. Goyer have proven their ability to make a phenomenal origin story with Batman Begins.

Where the film delivers is through its spectacular visual effects. Having done other blockbuster films such as Watchmen and 300, Zack Snyder once again proves his ability to provide viewers with an exquisitely cinematic experience. This, accompanied by the tremendous soundtrack by composer Hans Zimmer, makes for an entertaining thrill ride.

Yet while there are countless dazzling visuals in the film, characterization and plot tend to come second. Superman’s iconic love interest Lois Lane (Amy Adams) pretty much just shows up right as Clark discovers the Fortress of Solitude, and their relationship is as rushed and underdeveloped as the overarching plot. There’s also the fact that the classic Daily Planet Editor-in-Chief Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) doesn’t get half as much screen time as he deserves.

While I appreciate Nolan and Goyer’s attempt to provide originality for the sake of a reboot, some of their choices present significant flaws. For instance, Zod comes to Earth to hunt down his opponent before Superman has even revealed himself to the world. Then for the next hour and a half, there’s hardly a moment where something’s not blowing up.

What many people don’t know is that the equally iconic filmmaker J.J. Abrams was originally signed on to reboot the franchise. He completed a script before Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns, which leaked online and I had the pleasure of reading.

Although Warner Bros. rejected it due to some major changes from the original (such as making Lex Luthor a Kryptonian), that’s the reboot I would’ve liked to see. It captures the essence of the character beautifully, and maintains a perfect balance between action and story.

Man of Steel is overall an entertaining summer flick. It’s certainly not on the same level as the 1978 Richard Donner film, and it also doesn’t match the brilliance of The Dark Knight trilogy. Nevertheless, see it in theaters as its appeal is better appreciated on a big screen.