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Man of Steel had the most remarkable marketing campaign in years. Every poster, trailer and photo kept increasing my expectations. Even after watching the film those promotional pieces give me goose bumps! After enjoying a so-so interpretation 7 years ago of my beloved DC character, I wasn’t ready just to have a good time but to experience one of the best super hero movies ever made.

Zack Snyder’s film is not that. However, it is a very good re-imagination of a 75 years-old icon that needed to regain his live-action appeal. It accomplishes this goal by exploring and exposing the hero’s traumatic childhood. As a young Clark, he had to control his abnormality in a small town (no pun intended) and his impulses to do good.

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His father Jonathan (a profoundly touching Kevin Costner) made him conceal his true nature, fearing that he would be taken away by the authorities and rejected by his peers. This Clark is a broken man. Beyond his biological parents, he hasn’t made meaningful connections, nor exploited his potential. His powers have felt more a curse than a blessing.

We learn most of this through flash-backs, a narrative device that works well the first couple of times but afterwards it’s prone to abuse. Specially when we are trying to know and connect with the grown up man of the title, instead of his younger self. Yes, it’s the same character but we need time to get familiar with this fresh face (a Henry Cavill that was born to wear the red cape).

That time is allocated elsewhere during the first half: On Krypton and Jor-El’s over-complicated new storyline (along with some terribly bad acting from Ayelet Zurer as Lara), with Lois Lane (a thin-layered character for the always solid Amy Adams) bumping into what should have been otherwise Kal-El’s moment; time also spent on some military guys that nobody cares about.

While those scenes played longer than needed (some didn’t need to exist at all), others felt really rushed. Many times the audience is dropped into a place or situation, without knowing how people arrived nor what happened after the cut. The editing wasn’t specially kind with Lois and Clark. Their relationship seems to develop off camera for an extended cut that, if exists, I would love to see some day.

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The second half is just amazing. Michael Shannon’s Zod is the supernatural adversary needed for the crazy action scenes fans craved for -and didn’t get- in “Superman Returns”. If the Joker was pure anarchy this foe is all about order and control. His final fight with the hero is one for the ages: Big, loud and extremely violent for a PG13 family film. Compared to Neo vs. Mr. Smith in “The Matrix Revolutions”, it is clear how better the special effects are. The transition between the actors and their CGI versions is seamless.

From the sets to the costumes (no red briefs at last!) and the unbelievable music, technically speaking it is a masterpiece. The handheld camera -“realistic zoom ins” included- is an interesting choice for a big science fiction adventure. Its shakiness was mild and it didn’t bother me even in 3D. The tridimensional effect was even less noticeable, something that may improve on IMAX 3D. Let me comeback to the score to say that Hans Zimmer has elevated every single frame that plays with his composition. If John William did the best possible music for the first Superman, Zimmer has done the same for this grittier, more serious version.

Despite its shortcomings, Man of Steel is a blockbuster than manages to be at moments both personal and colossally big. It reintroduces an old friend with a modern appeal. A messianic warrior out of the comic strips that is back to thrill us and inspire us. Can a Justice League movie be as good, or even better than The Avengers? Don’t know for sure, but now I have hope.

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Man of Steel is in theaters June 14th in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D.