• OVERALL: I can’t stop smiling. This movie made me happy. In fact, during the last third of the movie I felt happy the same way I did when watching The Avengers. 🙂 Now that’s happy. 🙂

• POINTS: This is indeed the Superman movie we have been waiting for. Well done Christopher Nolan for hiring Zach Snyder (one of my favorite directors) to direct and guide this movie. It was beautiful, it was moving, it made me happy. 🙂

• PITFALLS:  The opening Earth scenes where we establish who Superman is are a bit choppy. Plus I truly think there is a length for scenes in movies that must happen to help move the story along or else the film feels wrong. I think there were times scenes in this movie could have been a bit longer or could have put more acting into the scenes, but that was not for very long in the movie. 

• FEMALE CHARACTER(S):  Well everyone loves Lois Lane and for good reason. However, and I was surprised by this, there were times in this movie that I felt Lois Lane was more of a “girl reporter” and not a full grown, Pulitzer Prize winning reporter. However it was fantastic that she was not there to be Superman’s love interest and instead helped guide the audience and world to better understanding Superman. Plus you could tell that she and Clark liked each other but didn’t fall all over each other. And {SPOILER ALERT} the last scene of the movie provides a wonderful look and smile between them. I can’t wait for the sequel!

• CULTURAL PITFALL(S): Well we got a nice range of color. 🙂 Zach Snyder really likes women so his women characters get to have depth. It would have been nice to see some more in the background but whatever.

• HIGH POINT(S): 1) Henry Cavill. He plays Superman. He has an incredible open heartedness and kindness that is perfect for Superman. It is nice to see a man be so open hearted and kind. Men are often not allowed to be gentle in our culture and it is refreshing to see it. 2) Michael Shannon. Wow. He should get some kind of acting nomination for playing Zod. He was powerful, raw, angry, anguished, and in command. He was a desperate man and you could feel for him. Granted he was a short sighted man who did not have compassion for others, but wow, you knew where he was coming from and you understood him. 3) Kevin Costner and Diane Lane. Oh what wonderful parents. They had power and presence and you felt they loved Clark oh so much. You also felt that with their powerful love it is no surprised Clark/Superman was as good as he was. 4) “He’s kinda hot.” This was said by a woman military officer with a grin on her face. Huzzah. It is nice when the women get to appreciate a good looking man on screen. 4) Easter Eggs. There were lots of visual references to the Superman comic and mythos. Superman fans will enjoy them. Plus I bet they will show up in the sequels. (See NOTES below.)

• BECHDEL TEST (Website): A hotly contest 3 of 3. I would say that it was really 2 of 3 since there weren’t longer conversations between the female characters. However it was still awesome to see several wonderful women: Faora-Ul; Martha Kent; Lara Lor-Van; Lois Lane; and the Zod following Faora-Ul. 🙂

• IMDB: Man of Steel (2013)

• OFFICIAL MOVIE WEBSITE: Man of Steel

• DVD/BLU-RAY WORTHY:  OMG yes!!!! Can’t wait to get it. 

•  LION PAW PRINTS: 3.5 out of 5. It was a beautiful movie that made me happy.

NOTES: And if you can’t get enough of Zod, here is Michael Shannon channeling Zod and a fed-up sorority president: Zod is A Sorority Girl. View, laugh, and enjoy!! (I actually feel sorry for the sorority president, BTW.)

Sequels. Yup there will be at least one sequel – Man of Steel Sequel. Plus it looks like Zach Snyder will be helming them again – good! I’m glad he is getting recognition. And hey, Warner Bros. maybe you and DC can wrap your brains around getting smart, like say, acting like Marvel, and starting producing great super hero flicks. Like Marvel. 😉 Speaking of Marvel they know how to use Joss Whedon and I hear you didn’t like Mr. Whedon’s Wonder Woman script. Yet Mr. Whedon penned The Avengers and well, we all know how that turned out. In short, get your head’s out of the sand and let Snyder take Whedon’s script and rock it! Or hire Whedon. 🙂 Come on, take the good advice.