‘Man of Steel’ receives largely positive response

Reviews of ‘Man of Steel’, the eagerly anticipated ‘reboot’ of the Superman franchise, have been largely favourable, with some reservations.

The film, directed by 300’s Zack Snyder and starring British actor Henry Cavill as the superhero, opens in UK cinemas this week.

Total Film praised ‘an intelligent, earnest attempt to modernise and mature the original superhero’.

But The Guardian noted Cavill’s ‘frowning humourlessness’, reports the BBC.

In his review, writer Andrew Pulver said the influence of producer Christopher Nolan, British director of Inception and the Dark Knight trilogy, was evident in early scenes where Superman struggles to accept his identity.

‘Reminiscent, perhaps, of Batman Begins, this is superheroism as a burden, and a burden transformed into neurosis,’ he wrote.

‘It’s this early part of the film that is most successful,’ Pulver continues.

‘Nolan and Snyder, along with scriptwriter David S Goyer, have created a plausible context for the introspection and self-doubt that dogs the adult version of their costumed warrior.’