A visually ambitious, emotionally earnest reboot that treats Superman like a mythic refugee story rather than a bright comic-book adventure. It has strong performances, huge-scale action, and a memorable sense of weight, but its chilly tone, destructive climax, and uneven character writing make it divisive.
Man of Steel
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Action · Adventure
Wed · 2h 23m
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe
Overview
A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.
Director
Zack Snyder
Cast
Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe
Curator Review
Verdict
A visually ambitious, emotionally earnest reboot that treats Superman like a mythic refugee story rather than a bright comic-book adventure. It has strong performances, huge-scale action, and a memorable sense of weight, but its chilly tone, destructive climax, and uneven character writing make it divisive.
Best for
Viewers who want superhero spectacle with a serious, operatic tone
Fans of origin stories that lean into identity, exile, and destiny
People who like large-scale destruction and polished blockbuster craft
Audiences open to a darker, more contemplative Superman interpretation
Skip if
You want a hopeful, warm, or lightly humorous Superman movie
You dislike relentless CGI destruction and city-level collateral damage
You prefer tightly written character drama over mythic symbolism
You are sensitive to grim pacing or emotionally cold blockbusters
Overview
Man of Steel is less interested in making Superman charming than in making him feel ancient, alien, and burdened. That choice gives the film a distinct identity: it plays like a modern myth about a godlike outsider trying to find a moral center in a world that fears him. Henry Cavill’s physical presence and Michael Shannon’s ferocity give the movie a real sense of scale, and Hans Zimmer’s score helps sell the grandeur.
Worth noting
At the same time, the film’s seriousness can feel like a trap. The flashback structure slows the momentum, the emotional beats are often blunt, and the climactic destruction is so prolonged that it overwhelms the character work. Some viewers will read that as bold, others as hollow. The movie is never boring, but it is frequently severe.
Bottom line
If you want a Superman film that behaves like a solemn origin epic, this is a notable one. If you want the character’s classic buoyancy, it may feel like it’s reaching for transcendence and landing on steel-gray spectacle instead. The result is flawed, but memorable, and still one of the more interesting big-studio superhero reboots of its era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Lise (2★) · 5664 likes
There is a scene in Man of Steel that says it all. In the middle of a showdown with the bad guys in downtown Metropolis with people everywhere, a flaming truck or some other huge thing is thrown towards Superman who is standing in front of a building. A building presumably filled with people. Superman jumps out of the way.He jumps out of the way.Superman. The truck goes into the building destroying I don't how many floors killing… more
Jonathan White · 4082 likes
$225,000,000 Two Hundred And Twenty Five Million Dollars. The budget for this turd was Two Hundred And Twenty Five MILLION dollars. What else would this sum buy you? I checked; a random search for 2014 / 2013 favourites lists here on LB. I looked at 30 or so, and picked out what I saw as peoples favourites. Under the Skin class="h-100 apple-font-system"6MBoyhood $2.4MOnly Lovers Left Alive $7MGrand Budapest Hotel $31MHer $23M12 Years a Slave $20MDallas… more
David Sims (3★) · 2364 likes
Henry Cavil's jaw could plausibly run for office
George Carmi (4.5★) · 2046 likes
This is how you help yourself... Put on a movie you fucking love. And I really mean LOVE. Fuck the critics. Fuck the toxic ShitTok comments. Fuck what anyone says. If you love it, you're valid. If you love it, wear it as a badge and let the world know. Lose yourself in what you love. Escape reality. Let your mind run free through film. Man of Steel is my love. Always has been. Always will be.
Eli Hayes · 1953 likes
when you think you're going to jail but they meld you to the interior of a giant metallic penis instead.