Despite being one of the most recognized superheroes out there, Superman doesn't exactly have a shining track record on the big screen.
Filmmakers have long struggled with making a relatable story out of a man with powers of a god.
"Man of Steel," producer Christopher Nolan's ("The Dark Knight Rises") long-awaited reboot, opts to go in the opposite direction, becoming an epic, sweeping action movie that completely embraces Superman's inherent messianic overtones.
Unfortunately, "Man of Steel" gets lost in its own overbearing plot and suffers from its own hype. By putting all of its weight into the presumed "metaphor of Superman," the film completely loses the familiar qualities of the characters that originally brought the story to life.
"Man of Steel" opens at the very beginning on a soon-to-be-destroyed Krypton, the destined Superman Kal-El's home planet.
The medieval fantasy aspect director Zack Snyder ("Watchmen") gives to Krypton is fascinating and a nice departure from the sleek sci-fi aesthetic it had boasted in previous film incarnations.
The film takes its sweet time getting to the point in which baby Kal-El is launched off into space, choosing to go through some lengthy (and a tad boring) exposition that requires Jor-El (Russell Crowe, "Les Mis
