Top 5 Reasons why Man of Steel is my Most Anticipated Movie of 2013 What makes me excited about Man of Steel? Short answer: Everything. A slightly longer answer below. The cast Like Brandon Routh (whom I really liked as Superman), Henry Cavill naturally transmits kindness, honesty and thoughtfulness. The character is a caring warrior, someone that you would pick to lead you into battle and to baby-sit your children. His body of work doesn’t come close to Christian Bale’s when he put on the Batman suit, but that unfamiliarity is an asset when playing an alien in a reboot. Michael Shannon is one of the best actors alive. Period. He can lift any film just by showing his face on camera. General Zod wasn’t my first choice for the villain (at least we don’t see “silly Luthor” again) but Shannon has the depth and ferocity to make him more complex than Terrence Stamp’s icy version. Amy Adams is the one that can easily surpass all previous incarnations of her character. We haven’t seen the perfect Lois Lane yet and the Academy Award Winner has the right amount of beauty, charm and wit to make this love story believable. What can be said about the supporting players? Crowe, Fishburne, Costner and Lane are amazing mature actors that will surely leave a lasting impression even if their time on screen is limited. The Nolan-Snyder dynamic duo It sounds crazy but 10 years ago Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder were unknown by the general public. Despite their different styles, both directors have created bold cinematic adoptions of graphic novels and comic books. In some ways Snyder’s violent and dark Watchmen built on the adult and realistic tone set by Nolan’s Batman. But after writing/directing/producing his dreadful Sucker Punch, many fans like myself started doubting his abilities as a storyteller. Nolan and his team in charge of the writing and Snyder free to bring his unique eye for spectacle and action sounds like a winning formula. The marketing campaign Every single promotional piece Warner Bros. has put out there has been magnificent. From the teaser (one narrated by each of the hero’s father) to the final theatrical trailer (with Lois Lane been interrupted before saying “Superman”). The videos and their sublime score by Hans Zimmer have injected enthusiasm without giving too much away. Every single poster is a piece of geek art. The perfect balance The main complaint about Superman Returns is the lack of action. The hero doesn’t throw a single punch! Judging by the trailers we are going to have the time to explore the man, his identity and family crisis. But this isn’t a New Testament messiah, this Kal-El is a fighter. His final showdown against Zod may well be one of the greatest “mano a mano” (heat-vision to heat-vision) combats of the genre. A fresh new world Man of Steel looks and feels unique. It isn’t trying to be The Dark Knight or The Avengers. There aren’t apparent traces of Richard Donner nor Bryan Singer in its DNA. The originality of this origin story goes beyond previous adaptation. Many sacred elements of the most popular versions of the character have been changed. Forget about the costume redesign (sorry red shorts), and the race/sex changes of some characters, “Clark Kent” is gone. A bearded lone wolf replaces the dork alter-ego that works at the Daily Planet. Will that made-up persona appear at the end? We don’t know, and that is a great thing. Superman lands in theaters June 14. Get your advance tickets now on Fandango and Movietickets! What do you think?
