Man of Steel

The Man of Steel.

Itinerant and contemplative.

Modest and self-sacrificing.

Sculptor of the spectacularly withdrawn.

Called to action.

Zack Snyder's Man of Steel seeks to altruistically benefit humankind while remaining practically skeptical of their leader's self-serving pretensions.

A 21st century Superman, different from Richard Donner's incarnation, the past continuously and instructively resurfacing, as opposed to being left behind at a certain age.

Like Superman on Facebook.

Prominent features of Superman lore, even his title, are humbly introduced, a sign mentioning Smallville here, an advertisement for LexCorp there, as the film's quasi-historical background subtly reflects Kent's (Henry Cavill) psyche.

Although there's no Jimmy Olsen.

The film confrontationally yet reticently undulates surreal mnemonic passages with sensational graphic carnage, Superman style, as the effected take the time to lend a helping hand, the innocent are humanely taken into consideration, methods of disseminating information multiply, and the ego is intransigently mollified.

The environmental movement finds support as Krypton explodes à cause de rampant resource extraction and later on we find a sole polar bear exploring beside the vestiges of his or her once dependable pack ice.

Jor-El (Russell Crowe) rides a wicked cool H'Raka too.

Solid blend of Superman (1978) and Superman II (1980), paying homage to its most convincing   predecessors while leaving the door open for more adventurous avenues of inquiry.

General Zod's (Michael Shannon) still a bit of a dickhole.

Wasn't impressed with the new Ursa (Antje Traue as Faora-Ul).

Some of the supporting cast had more depth in the earlier films.

It's not just that I was 7 years old when I first saw them.

It's not.