1. Henry Cavill's Performance
Obviously, the most important element of any superhero film is how the main protagonist is portrayed. Henry Cavill entered
Man of Steel acting in the shadow of Christopher Reeve - for many the embodiment of Superman - and finished by making the role his own. He's a worthy face for this franchise. When the "Man of Steel" title card came up to start the end credits, you truly felt this Kal-El had earned that title. The best superhero movies stand out above the rest because they make the actual person more interesting than their costumed alter ego. Whenever Batman was on screen during the
Dark Knight trilogy, you felt like it was Bruce Wayne and not Batman... if that makes sense. It's a testament to both the filmmakers and Cavill's talent that during
Man of Steel, I never thought of Superman as Superman (he's smartly called that in the film only once). He was always Kal-El to me. That's how I saw him. Cavill effectively conveyed Kal's inner turmoil as a loner from another world during the film's first half. He was extremely likable and made it easy for the audience to relate and care about this interpretation of the character (one who has always been criticized for being impossible to relate to). His performance may have been a little restrained, but it fit with the mild-mannered nature of his character and the fact that Kal-El intended to remain hidden; it wouldn't have made sense if his character drew attention to himself. Cavill did a great job with the film's dramatic moments. His cry of anguish after breaking Zod's neck showed a new layer of emotional vulnerability we had not seen from this character before. I felt something in that moment and I loved it. The actor also got a chance to show off some slight comedic talents, mainly in the scene where he is being questioned by Lois Lane. I loved how he nonchalantly broke the handcuffs off and told the military guys what he was seeing with his x-ray vision. In a film that was mostly serious, it was a nice moment of levity. I hope Cavill gets more opportunities to do scenes like this. If sequels focus on his Clark Kent persona, he may be able to. All of the actors were terrific in my opinion. Oscar nominee Amy Adams took over Lois Lane, making our favorite Daily Planet reporter more proactive and independent. She was a feisty little one and was more than a damsel in distress. Russell Crow gave the role of Jor-El an authoritative presence it needed and Kevin Costner brought good old-fashioned American spirit to Jonathan Kent. Laurence Fisburne, Christopher Meloni, Diane Lane, Henry Lennix, and Antje Traue also gave very credible performances in their supporting roles. I already raved about Michael Shannon's Zod in this article. Cavill deserves his own section on this list because the entire film depended on him. We had to believe that this man was the symbol of hope for our society. Not only does he look the part, he sold the part and gave the audience no choice but to buy in. Well done, Mr. Cavill.
What did you think of Man of Steel
? Do you agree with this list? Anything else you liked about the film? Sound off in the comments section below!