No surprise here that producer Christopher Nolan (Director of Warner Bros. recent Batman trilogy) has personally reshaped the now 75 year old franchise super hero for a new generation. Loaded with state of the art fx and cgi with dark but resonating art direction, Man of Steel is a reboot of an entire mythology in a universe where “we are not alone”. How would the world react to this alien intruder if his secret were known?

Nolan and director Zack Snyder (300, Sucker Punch) have threaded the answer philosophically with themes of good and evil, hope and faith and with a deliberate tip of the hand to a messianic tradition: Snyder‘s Man of Steel (Henry Cavill) only emerges to “save humanity” in his 33rd year, he experiences a crises of faith, is misunderstood and must suffer at the hands of his peers before his exaltation as a super- hero saviour. This Kal El (Clark Kent) has a “higher purpose” explains Jor-El (played with an inspirational depth by Russell Crowe), echoed also by Clark Kent’s adoptive father Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner). Clark at the tender age of 9 clutches to his Plato as he experiences a bullying episode by his classmates. Socrates it seems is also a mentor in Clark seeking what is good and virtuos in man, including restraint. In his rebirth, Kal/Clark must himself first become fully human, so as Jor El instructs him, he can bring the best of his two worlds to humanity. It turns out that this was Jor El’s intention from the outset: Kal/Clark is predestined to be transformed from a Son of Krypton to a Son of Man.

As one might expect this more serious redaction of our comic book hero does pay homage to its predecessors, albeit with more of everything except romance. The gravity of Kal El’s mission leaves little room for sparks to fly between Clark and Lois (Amy Adams). What we do get is loads of back story to frame up what Warner/Legendary obviously hope to be a multiple film franchise. And this Lois is no dummy. No less than a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, she is neither starry eyed nor to be fooled by a Clark Kent disguise as a mild mannered/fumbling reporter. The reboot doesn’t even go there but rather has Lois discover Clark’s secret through her journalistic skills and then becomes an effective accomplice in defeating the insurgent General Zod. And at least in this edition, Snyder and company have spared us the sappy Jimmy Olsen. Maybe in the expected sequel Jimmy will appear with a makeover too; we hope so.