When Superman Returns came out I went to see the midnight screening and in true fanboy fashion I donned my Superman t-shirt and made my way to the theater. While walking to the theater I heard in passing someone snicker and throw a nerd my way. I didn’t let it bother me, it’s who I am. It’s kinda like walking by the police and throwing a cop their way.

But tonight was a different story. In fact there was young lady in a full on Supergirl costume  and more Super-shirts on every size and gender of Super-fan. Since Marvel presented it’s modern offering of it’s comic products, we have seen the superhero and comic book culture be socially normal within pop culture. This culture has been very profitable for Hollywood and has brought us a string of awesome and not-so-awesome flicks.

Aside from Nolan’s Batman trilogy and Burton’s Batman, Warner hasn’t had a great offering of it’s iconic heroes and villains.

That is until now.

I had the privilege of attending an advance screening of Man of Steel tonight and I’m not holding anything back so if you’re waiting to watch it, stop reading now!

We’ve all seen or have read some interpretation of the Superman origin story. What Snyder did with his foray into Krypton is give it life. You walk away with a better understanding of the politics of Krypton and the actions that bring Zod and the house of El to an impasse. Michael Shannon plays Zod in a way that by the end of the film, you understand his hatred for Kal and how it fuels his actions and passion for seeing his Krypton live on. In fact you almost feel sorry for Zod at the end, he simply could not fight the genetically rooted need for him to continue defending Krypton to the bitter end.

But I’m getting ahead of myself here, Zod aside, the rest of the cast was perfectly suited for the roles they played. Sure there was no Jimmy Olsen, maybe we don’t need to see Lex Luthor until later films (although the little Lexcorp logo appearance was placed very well). And of course Henry Cavill, we finally get to see a Superman that feels natural. Throughout the film we see only the truest form of Kal El. His suffering, striving for his place in our world. The hard choices he has to make and how he carries each loss making him the hero that he was meant to be.

Now I am sure my admiration for this film is inflated due to the fact that I just came from the screening with a similar excited feeling that I got after I saw the ’78 film, humming the theme song all the way home. I did the same thing tonight thanks to the score put together by Hans Zimmer. He was able to choreograph a score that was able to blend in so perfectly and accent the ebb and flow of the story. It  made me grin as Supes learns to fly with eventual success and made my heart race as Zod and Kal go blow for blow. The action in this film can only be compared to Superman 2, where we finally saw a villain that Supes could go toe to toe against. This was far better then the classic Stamp vs Reeve battle of ’80 and once you think that the enemy has fallen and the earth is safe once again, there is Zod. Unrelenting and completely brutal in his attack on Kal.

Finally there’s the ending. There was NOTHING that hinted any direct path to where the next film can go, but the door is wide open for whomever wants to take on the next chapter. I loved that aspect of it and I guarantee this is going to lead to a very successful offering of DC films. However as we ALL have our opinions I want to be the first to pitch this story line for the sequel:

After the brutal attack on Metropolis and the battle between Zod and Kal-El, the city lies ruined and in dire need of repair. The people come together from the poorest to the richest, including none other than Lex Luthor. He generously offers his money and business to help restore Metropolis and improve upon it with the aid of some recovered Kryptonian technology from the crash at the end of Man of Steel. This draws the attention of not only Lois and Clark but it brings old Gotham money to the city to aid and investigate the danger of Lex’s real intentions for the Kryptonian tech. After a brusque first encounter, Kal and Bruce don the cape and cowl to go up against Lex and what’s brewing deep inside the Cadmus division of Lexcorp. As Batman battles Luthor, Superman is left to take on Cadmus’ shattered attempt at understanding Kryptonian genetics, it’s most bizarre creation that is exactly what Superman is not.

You simply call the movie Superman/Batman and Warner, call me and we’ll hash out the details of my payment.

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