[Reader Submitted Review] Man Of Steel – A lifelong Superman Fan shares his experience

***EDITORS NOTE*** The Following Is a Reader (what we like to call a Distinguished Nerd) submitted Article/Review. Those of us on Staff here at The Cultured Nerd would like to give Cameron Sartori a big shout out for his awesome review***

For me the initial reaction when I heard the Hollywood powers that be were remaking Superman (again) was  bittersweet. This was a character I have enjoyed my entire life and while his life has been a career of significant victories (mostly), his on screen track record has not been as impressive.

The first two Superman movies starring Christopher Reeve were wonderfully done and two of my favorite superhero movies of all time. The superpowered battle that took place at the end of number two was fantastic considering the special effects of that time. They truly did make you believe that a man could fly.

Unfortunately the sequels that followed just didn’t do Big Blue justice. He was pitted against a power hungry megalomaniac controlling a supercomputer in the 3rd installment. Superman? Against a computer? Huh?! The only saving grace of that movie was the fight between a drunken Superman (after being exposed to synthetic kryptonite) and his alter ego Clark Kent.

The 4th, while having a good idea on paper to rid the world of nuclear weapons, was poorly executed. Nuclear Man was laughable and it made it hard to take the series seriously at that point.

My hopes soared just like Supes himself when I heard about Superman Returns. Would we get to see a new Superman that lived up to expectations? Eh…not quite. While I can’t quite name any one thing that tanked that movie, it just didn’t feel right. There needed to be more Superman…and he just wasn’t there.

Skip ahead to the present. Man of Steel is upon us. Did they deliver? In spades. From the directing to the casting they nailed it on every possible level. They did a very refreshing take on an origin story that almost every person on this planet knows. They showed us a Krypton that we have been waiting to see. It’s said that their technology is thousands of years ahead of our own…so why in the past was it portrayed as the planet Hoth?

The cast was phenomenal. While I was initially skeptical about Amy Adams playing Lois I have to admit she did a very good job convincing me she’s the reporter that gets the story no matter what. Crowe as Jor-El is a total badass, something we had never seen from a character who is a scientist by nature. The rest of the supporting cast does a great job as well. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner as Superman’s Earth parents do a great job of shaping Clark into Earth’s greatest hero. Michael Shannon as Zod makes for a spectacular villain and pushes our hero to a point not often seen.

And Cavill as Superman absolutely shines. There were a couple points in the movie where he looked so much like Christopher Reeve it was freaky. He did a remarkable job playing a character that no matter whether he is in costume or not he’s only thinking about how he can help others.

So there you have it. My faith in a childhood hero has been restored. My only hope is that Nolan and Snyder continue to give the Man of Steel this kind of attention in the future. Because thanks to them I once again believe a man can fly…