Review: The East

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★★

With so many politically based films opening up in recent years, its easy to be turned off by them because they tend to take a stance and press some sort of agenda on the audience. But when a political thriller comes along and doesn’t do this, it demands to be seen. Take note, Hollywood. Not ever film based around a political idea needs to be a soapbox. This is what makes Zal Batmanglij’s latest film “The East” enjoyable. And its not only enjoyable, its one of this year’s best films.

Sarah Moss (Brit Marling) works for an intelligence firm called Hiller Brood who has been asked to investigate a new anarchist group known as The East. This group has promised several attacks on members of prominent corporations who they believe have been poisoning the planet with reckless environmental policy. Sarah is recruited by one of the heads of Hiller Brood (Patricia Clarkson) to go undercover, find and infiltrate this new terrorist cell.

Sarah lives off the land with other drifters and anarchists before having a chance encounter with Luca (Shiloh Fernandez), who helps her escape from sticky situation involving the police. He takes her way off the grid to a house where a group of people are living. She believes this to be The East. She meets Doc (Toby Kebbell) who is welcoming of her and Izzy (Ellen Page) who is a little unsure. She also meets the leader of the group Benji (Alexander Skarsgård).

They welcome her in and eventually warm up enough to have her assist with one of their attacks. Sarah is reluctant to help, but wants to keep her cover. She then starts to form a bond with the members of the group. She even feels a little out of place when the group goes on breaks and she heads back home to give her report to Hillar Brood and see her boyfriend Tim (Jason Ritter).

“The East” is not a film about the environmentalist stances and politics of the perpetrators, but rather about the relationships between those involved and their own personal struggles that turned them toward their anarchist ways. Observing all of this is Sarah, who does not possess the same desires as the group she’s infiltrated. She’s just there to observe, report and eventually help bring them down.

What’s refreshing about this film is that, just like Sarah, we’re here to follow along, not to take sides and ultimately we’re asked to draw our own conclusions. There is not stance “The East” takes that’s imposed of the audience. Its refreshing to not have a movie about environmentalists preach to us for two hours about their opinions.

Director Zal Batmanglij co-wrote the screenplay with Marling, and the outcome is one of the best written espionage thrillers I’ve seen in a long time. Usually the thing that plagues these types of thrillers tends to be the amount of red herrings thrown in throughout in an attempt to confuse the audience. There’s no need to be kept in the dark in “The East”. We know as much as Sarah knows and that’s the way it needs to be.

It’s all brilliantly scripted. There are a few lulls here. When they occur, they’re filled with exposition, but they’re not pointless. Long running, maybe, but every scene and every line has meaning behind it. You could probably go back and watch it again and find subtle nuances you didn’t know where there before. There’s nothing in the way of plot points buried so deep that they’re difficult to spot in one viewing. Second viewings probably won’t give you a better understanding of the story, but it could give you some more insight on these near-flawlessly written characters.

The tension is real and not contrived. The relationships don’t feel forced upon the audience like so many other films. There are many textbook elements present, but everything is covered with great precision so that it all seems organic. The natural flow to the story is a refreshing break from other films we see in the recent summer months.

Brit Marling hasn’t appeared in much before this, outside of a couple other Sundance films like “Another Earth” and “Sound of My Voice” (another film she co-wrote with director Batmangilj) but her performance is here is sensational. The internal conflicts her character goes through in this film – and there are many – are delivered to the audience with such ease. You never question her intentions or her motivations. Her presence on screen is commanding and she demands your attention throughout the entire film.

“The East” is one of the best films of the year thus far. There are very few dull moments, but they are very forgivable due to the complex nature of the story. Again, its not complex because its hard to follow, its complex because there’s so much depth to every element of the film. This film is a hidden gem that will no doubt become lost in the mix of the summer blockbusters and the big studio prestige films of the fall, but there is so much to like about this movie. Going out of your way to find is completely acceptable.

Review: White House Down

by. Joe Moss
★★

Roland Emmerich’s “White House Down” brings us the second white house take-over film this year [the other Being “Olympus has Fallen”…reviewed by Trevor May 3^rd] but that is not necessarily a good thing. The story, written by James Vanderbilt (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Losers) seems tired—full of the standard espionage clichés.

The President makes a political move that prompts  power-hunger weapons companies to want him removed from office; a plan is set in motion to take him down; the proper people are paid off from all levels of the government; mercenaries are hired; and a down-and-out soldier saves the day. Seem all-to familiar?

Jamie Foxx (Ray, Django Unchained) plays President James Sawyer, a very President Obama-esc president. He never served in the US Military and is about to abolish the war in the middle east and completely withdraw all military presence based on information given him by the Iranian President AL-Shareef. This is not a very popular move on Capitol Hill, especially with Speaker of the House Raphelson (Richard Jenkins) as is intoned during a private conversation with his lead Capitol Hill Police officer, John Cale (Channing Tatum).

John Cale desires more than being Capitol Hill police and is set to interview with Secret Service for a job at the White House. At the interview he discovers that an old college flame, Carol Finnerty (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is now the Special Agent in charge of White House Secret Service personnel. After telling him that he is unqualified for the position, he is summarily dismissed. However, since he brought his daughter along on the interview [exactly…WHAT???] he decides to take White House Tour that is just beginning as they are signing out to leave.

John’s daughter, Emily Cale, played by Joey King (Oz the Great and Powerful) is the break-away star of the movie. During the ensuing White House take-over, she records information on her phone and posts it to her YouTube© blog for the world to see. She becomes an internet and media darling—ultimately leading the bad-guys to recognize her and use her as bait to lure John Cale out of hiding with the President who he managed to rescue from uncountable mercenaries armed with fully automatic weaponry.  King’s performance is amazing as she plays a modern-day damsel in distress courageously and defiantly. She provides the much-needed (albeit shallow) depth to the film’s entire story line.

During the course of this film we come to realize that not only are multiple people on Capitol Hill unhappy with the president, but his own head of Secret Service, Special Agent Walker (James Woods) is in on the hatred as well—due to his son being killed in a President sanctioned Marine insurgence into Iran. He is working with Stenz (Jason Clarke…Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless) and Tyler (Jimmi Simpson…Date Night, Zodiac) to help reestablish the United States’ position in the Middle East.

I will not spoil entire plot (as it is much too thin already) but it is safe to say “White House Down,” while not big on plot and innovative storyline, should easily satisfy all of the big booms and gun-fire that everyone expects from this type of film. On that front, the film editing by Adam Wolfe (who has started to transition from TV series like Criminal Minds and Third Watch) and sound editing by Jamey Scott (Total Recall 2012) are spot on. 

Review: The Bling Ring

by Trevor Kirkendall

★★★

“The Bling Ring” mostly centers on Marc (Israel Broussard). He’s new to a school that’s there to take in kids who’ve been in trouble with the system before, be it cheating, drugs or other run-ins with the law. His first day is a little rough; the spoiled Los Angeles teens that attend this school look down on him and his bad taste in fashion. He does catch the eye of Rebecca (Katie Cheng), a rich teen who is obsessed with pop culture, celebrities and fashion. Marc, Rebecca and another one of her friends, Chloe (Claire Julien), begin to hang out regularly and shop at high priced stores.

Despite being underage, they are allowed entrance to nightclubs along with two other friends Nicki (Emma Watson) and Sam (Tassia Farmiga), who are best friends that live together. They are both home schooled by Nicki’s mom (Leslie Mann). Together, this group makes up a team that’s representative of a stereotypical spoiled southern California rich teen.

One night, Rebecca gets the bright idea that they should find Paris Hilton’s house and go hang out there. They know she’s not home because of all the gossip websites that track celebrities every move. They easily gain access and enjoy their time hanging out pretending that they’re living this luxurious lifestyle just like Paris. They even steal some of her things. Breaking into Paris’s house turns into an addition and they’re soon breaking into many other homes owned by celebrities, such as Audrina Patridge, Orlando Bloom and Lindsay Lohan.

Sofia Coppola has put together a successful career for herself without living off her family’s name too much. She also seems to have divided audiences with her films. Some, like myself, love her work while others accuse her of making slowly paced films with dull and uninteresting characters. To each his own, I suppose. I can see how her films could come across as such but I do think “The Bling Rings” finds a nice balance. Those who love her work should still find all those elements that make her films great, while those who find her work tedious should find this more interesting and faster paced.

Coppola’s stories tend to center around the common person, moreso than people with some kind of a special talent or ability. After all, she grew up around one of the greatest minds cinema has ever known at a time when he was cranking out some of the greatest films ever made. She saw critics and fans alike fawn over her father in the 70s, and maybe would have seen someone take their admiration a little too far.

Media coverage of celebrities today is 24/7. TMZ and Twitter have caused people’s admiration of celebrities to reach obsessive levels. It doesn’t surprise me that Coppola was drawn to this story. With the “The Bling Ring”, Coppola has taken a snapshot of five spoiled kids raised in a world without consequence, shows them committing crime after crime with no remorse and then gets us to feel sorry for them. That’s no easy feat.

We can easily empathize with them and their celebrity obsession. How often do we tune in when we hear the latest celebrity gossip and try to learn more about their latest disaster? Most of us are constantly trying to find out more and more about famous people. Jealous of their bank accounts, but not the lifestyles they lead. The five young people in this film have taken their obsession to a criminal level which in turn becomes an addiction. This is a problem many people in our society have with different vices. This topic could have been shown in many different ways; Coppola chose to use celebrity obsession.

But there’s no stance being taken here. There’s no point or moral lessons that’s being imposed on the audience. Once again, Coppola is showing her brilliance by stepping back and just showing us a snapshot of their lives. She’s just observing, and we’re along for the ride.

Emma Watson is the only big name performer of the five teens. She’s sensational in her performance. Her role is that of a snotty girl who, like the rest of her friends, is obsessed with partying and fashion. You don’t want to like her, but she plays the part with just the right amount likeability that we do pity her. But not too much.

This is the first big time role for both Israel Broussard and Katie Cheng and they sell their performances just as well as their seasoned co-star Watson. Broussard plays the part timidly and he’s by far the most likeable person in the group. He wants to fit in and he really wants to be liked by Cheng’s character. Cheng is manipulative and emotionally abusive. The range of emotion and characterization between all roles here is vast and wide. The young cast sells this very well.

“The Bling Ring” doesn’t ever really find the right buttons to push to really kick that empathy level up that all filmmakers are looking to do. Given the characters she’s written, however, Coppola does come very close. Her screenplay and her observant film style have come together nicely with this film. That’s something that people who find her work boring will surely be able to latch onto this time. 

Review: Monsters University

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★

When Hollywood runs out of ideas, they tend to go with one of three things: remake something, reboot a franchise or make a sequel and/or prequel. Seeing as the vast majority of films coming out these days fall into one of those categories, Hollywood is surely coming up short on new ideas. I tend to roll my eyes at things like that, especially the remakes and reboots. Sequels and prequels I can understand a little bit. Most aren’t as good because they try to surpass the original in everyway. That’s not a good way to approach a sequel. If anyone knows how to second film in a series properly, its Pixar. “Monsters University” is a perfect example of a prequel gone right.

In “Monsters University” – as it was in “Monsters Inc.” – screams from children power the city. Monsters are employed by the power company, Monsters Inc., to sneak into the bedrooms of kids in order to scare the daylights out of them. The monsters responsible for doing this are called scarers. Mike Wazowski (Billy Crystal) has dreamt all his like to be a scarer. The day has finally arrived for him to start fulfilling his dream. Its his first day as a college student at Monsters University.

His roommate is a creepy chameleon-like monster named Randall Boggs (Steve Buscemi), who we all know was the primary antagonist from the original film. Here, he’s just as nervous as Mike and trying desperately to fit in and be one of the cool kids.

On the first day of class, Mike encounters James P. Sullivan (John Goodman), a laid back student who thinks the success he’s going to achieve has already been handed to him thanks to his family name. He’s here for show and to party. His name even gets him into the coolest fraternity on campus, Roar Omega Roar, led by Johnny Worthington (Nathan Fillion).

Mike and Sulley end up competing against each other for the whole semester and their antics ultimately cost them passing grades on the final exam of the semester, kicking them out of the program by the chilling Dean Hardscrabble (Helen Mirren). Determined to still be a scarer, Mike joins a second rate fraternity – Oozma Kappa – in order to compete in the Scare Games. Sulley joins too, much to Mike’s disapproval. Hardscrabble agrees to let them back into the program if they win the Scare Games.

That’s quite a bit of plot for the first twenty minutes of the film, but its incredibly engaging. You never feel lost, confused or – worst of all – bored at any moment during the movie. Pixar’s story department has always been able to cram a lot of layers into their films without seeming like its too forced. They also know what type of film they’re making. Their films are not just meant for kids. They have many elements that the kids like, but the story is also deep enough that it can be identifiable with an older audience.

What “Monsters University” does well to keep its older audience’s attention is to put small homages everywhere that will remind of some of the great college films out there. While there might not be a direct reference to something like “Animal House”, there are elements that sort of remind us of films like that. There might also be a few things here and there that might remind you of your time in college, too. So many little things, even in the background of the scene, can help conjure up those memories. You need to be on the lookout because they’re everywhere.

Pixar has mastered the ability to create a very strong supporting cast of characters. First there was “Toy Story” with two main characters and a whole room full of secondary characters. The film would have been nothing without each and every toy in the child’s bedroom. Then there was “Finding Nemo” with the crazy fish trapped in the fish tank. Each character helped make that feel like a “One Flew Over the Cukoo’s Nest” style metal hospital.

The secondary characters that make up the Oozma Kappa fraternity help bring “Monsters University” to that classic Pixar level of characters. Middle-aged founder Don (Joel Murray), two headed monsters Terri (Sean Hayes) and Terry (Dave Foley), loveable geek Squishy (Peter Sohn) and the crazy Art (Charlie Day) make up the fraternity characters. They’re so well written that it gives the film the additional humor to go along with the natural humor that derived from the screenplay. And they’ll probably remind you of someone you might have known at that time of your life.

“Monsters University” is entertaining enough for everyone to enjoy. I don’t think it’s quite as good as “Monsters Inc.” but that was going to be a tough film to follow. The idea for making it a prequel was a smart idea. Mike and Sully were fun to watch in the original, but it had a definitive ending. The only way to show us more of these two was to go back to their youth.

Pixar won’t be breaking any new ground with this film like the did with masterpieces such as “Up” or even “Toy Story 3.” Its not designed to work on that same emotional level. But what it does provide is an enormously entertaining way to spend a couple hours. Pixar continues to prove that they are the standard bearer for animated filmmaking these days. They are one of the very few production companies out there today that understands good storytelling. If they’re not the best, they’re certainly up there.

On a side not, the Pixar animated short film the precedes “Monsters University” is called “The Blue Umbrella” and it is magnificent. Its only six minutes long, but every frame is beautifully told. What caught my eye was how very realistic the cityscape was animated. There were moments when it didn’t even look like a cartoon. It should definitely generate some interest in what Pixar has in the pipeline. Particularly their June 2015 release “Inside Out” which is set inside a girl’s mind (that’s all they’ve said about it) and their June 2016 release which will be about Dia de los Muertos. Of course, there’s also the fan favorite: the November 2015 release of “Finding Dory”, the long awaited and highly anticipated sequel to “Finding Nemo”. 

Review World War Z

by. Joe Moss
★★

OK…so… Marc Forster’s (Quantum of Solace, Stranger than Fiction, Monster’s Ball) “World War Z,” starring Brad Pitt, is Hollywood’s attempt to hone in on the massive Zombie craze started a few years ago and kept going with the huge success of “The Walking Dead” television series. The only problem is that we have seen a variation of this plot before—and better done—11 years ago in Danny Boyle’s sleeper hit “28 Days Later.”

The basic premise of the film is easy. In the not so distant future (or maybe now…it is never specified) we are shown the family life of Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), a former UN investigator who has retired early to spend time with his family in the wake of many worldwide catastrophes. He is driving is family to an outing (we are never told where they are going) that takes them through the heart of Philadelphia. Where all hell breaks loose on the city while they are—surprise—in a massive traffic jam. Brad Pitt and his wife Karin (Miriella Enos) must fight through the ensuing craziness developing as “walking dead” creatures begin to ravage the cityscape. They escape in an RV to make it to Trenton. While on the way, Brad Pitt is called by the Undersecretary General of the UN, Thierry (Fana Mokoena), where he is told they will evacuate him if he can make it to the morning.

            Sound familiar yet…. Just wait…there’s more. Brad then is trafficked with his family to a ship 200 miles off the coast of the US where he is given the ultimatum. Help the UN find the cause of the pandemic, or you and your family will be dropped back in Philadelphia immediately. Hmmmmm. So what does Brad do? I am sure you are all waiting with baited breath? He signs up for duty and proceeds with a small team—one other PhD from Harvard and 4 Navy Seals (who make it a few more scenes into the film)—into the wasteland of Korea, Jerusalem, and Wales to track down the cause of the zombie disease.

            While the plot is tired and doesn’t create much in the way of NEWNESS to the zombie craze of the last five years, I do have to give it to Brad Pitt. He does manage to carry the entire film by himself which says a lot about his screen presence and his ability to draw empathy from an audience--even though we are not given much in the way of character information other than what I previously mentioned. Additionally, while not a huge fan of zombie movies, I did find this film very entertaining and easy to watch. It was wrought with suspense and Marc Forster as well as the film editing duo of Roger Barton (The Grey, A-Team) and Matt Cheese (Quantum of Solace, Stranger than Fiction) do a fantastic job on the final cut of the film. Had it gone much longer, the audience would have lost interest and the major holes of the screenplay (by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Drew Goddard with contributions from Damon Lindelof) would have become much more obvious.

            So basic recommendation, if you have 2 hours of spare time and have seen all other action movies in the theater this week, World War Z is a much better alternative to The Purge.

Review: World War Z

by Trevor Kirkendall
★½

You don’t have to look to far for movies, TV shows, video games and books about zombies these days. I’m a big fan of AMC’s “The Walking Dead” and look forward to its new season later this year. The show focuses on a group of survivors and how they deal with the new world after the apocalypse. Zombies play a small part. Then there’s Danny Boyle’s horror masterpiece “28 Days Later” which, again, focuses on survivors and very little on the actual zombie. So when “World War Z” was announced, it was an intriguing idea. Now, we’d actually see the world fall into disarray rather than having the movie begin several months later when some guy wakes from a coma. Unfortunately, that’s not what we get. We’re left with flat and boring film complete with video game effects that don’t look all that great.

News broadcasts open “World War Z” telling us about a deadly virus that’s been spreading. Next, we meet Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt), family man and stay-at-home dad. He and his wife Karin (Mireille Enos) are packing up to leave their Philadelphia home with their two daughters (Abigail Hargrove and Sterling Jerins). I don’t think they ever really explain where they’re going.

But while trying to leave, all hell breaks loose. Swarms of infected people pour through the street, biting anyone they can catch which in turn infects them. The movie doesn't try and hide what it is these people have become: they’re zombies – flesh hungry zombies with the speed of Usain Bolt and the distance jumping abilities of Carl Lewis.

Because Gerry used to be some former go-to employee for the United Nations, he and his family seek refuge onboard a Navy ship. There, he’s asked to venture out and try to find answers about what this disease is and where it came from. His wife and kids remain on the ship awaiting his return while every other nation on earth crumbles at the hands of this dreaded disease.

From the start, “World War Z” never fully grabs ahold of its audience. Its a medical mystery drama masquerading as a zombie thriller. I almost expected Dr. House to emerge from the shadows in the final act and give his solution. Sure, there are moments of tension, but its so forced that it doesn’t even come across as organic.

Director Marc Forster (“Quantum of Solace” and “Monsters Ball”) creates the tense moments by putting our hero in the middle of all the hysteria and running after him with a handheld camera. This is supposed to give you – the audience – the sensation that you’re really there with them. When done properly, this can be effective (see anything by Paul Greengrass). Here, the effect leaves you dizzied and confused. Confused by what exactly is happening in the scene. You know these zombies are chasing them, but a shaky camera inside a massive amount of people isn’t tense.

And it doesn’t help that there’s nothing tying us to the characters of this film. The film opens with Pitt being a family man by making breakfast and showing us that he gave up his job to spend some more time with his girls. He even seems like he misses it, and that he might very well regret the decision. So he’s a dad and a father and we’re supposed to identify with that. But its difficult because he and his family have friends in high places that are able to pluck them up and take them away from the action.

How is surviving the zombie apocalypse relatable when the person you’re supposed to identify with is someone with the personal connections to stay ahead of everything? Furthermore, the establishment of Pitt’s character is so brief. The complexities of his character are sacrificed in order to get the zombies in as soon as possible. He’s an impossible character to root for. Not that I want to see him die, but everything is just so flat and one-dimensional that it wouldn’t ruin my day if this guy never made it back.

“World War Z” is based on a novel of the same name by Max Brooks. I have not read the book, so I have no other information to go on other than what was presented by the screenwriters. And speaking of screenwriters, there are four people credited to the contribution of the script (screen story credits to Matthew Michael Carnahan and J. Michael Straczynski and the screenplay by Carnahan along with Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof). This never works. Four different people with for different four different visions of how the plot should work. That’s a recipe for disconnection.

If there’s something that’s missing from the film that was in the book that might make me actually care for the Lane family’s survival, then it should have been put into the film. Instead, what we’re left with is a movie that just wants to bring in some cash from the fans of the book. I’m sure the book is great and I’m not trying to knock on it. The film, on the other hand, suffers from a complete lack of development and direction, which really makes it tedious. 

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Review: Man of Steel

by Trevor Kirkendall
★★★½

Superman has always proven to be one of the trickier superheroes to put on the big screen. We’ve seen a few good shows on television that have helped keep the character alive in the public’s eye for many years. But when it comes to film, Richard Donner’s 1978 version with Christopher Reeve is still the favorite among fans. The subsequent sequels, followed by Bryan Singer’s 2006 abomination “Superman Returns” ran the franchise into the ground. Today, with Marvel’s Cinematic Universe ruling the box office every year, and with the conclusion of their most recent Batman franchise, DC Comics was in need of something big that would bolster their standing. With the new Superman reboot, “Man of Steel,” they may have just struck gold.

“Man of Steel” serves as another origin story for the famous character. The planet Krypton is in disarray, and the world will soon come to an end. Fearing this, Krypton’s biggest scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends his only son, Kal-El, away from the dying planet and straight to Earth. In the spacecraft, Jor-El includes information that could one day help to repopulate the people of Krypton on another world. A sinister military commander of Krypton, General Zod (Michael Shannon) knows what Jor-El has done and vows to find Kal-El.

Thirty-three years later, we find Kal-El (Henry Cavill) living amongst the humans attempting the keep a low profile. He works odd jobs here and there but his special abilities keep showing up under different circumstances, causing him to move on to a new place. Flashback sequences also describe his troubled up bringing in Smallville, raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) who found baby Kal-El in the crashed spacecraft.

Elsewhere, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams) has discovered this mysterious man and begins to track him down. Once she finds him in his hometown, she discovers his apprehension about going public with his abilities. After all, he was raised to keep his abilities a secret.

This is also about the time General Zod shows up to Earth looking for Kal-El and demands that Earth cooperate with him or he’ll destroy the planet. Kal-El must now choose between helping to save the planet and the humans, or staying in seclusion.

Most origin stories can be plenty boring because the audience is already aware of the backstory, such as the case with a character as popular as Superman. But “Man of Steel” works on many different levels without boring the audience to tears. The nonstop action and breathtaking synergy between live action and CGI keeps the film on a very quick pace. Before you know it, sixty minutes have gone by. Then ninety. Then two hours. Then its done. “Man of Steel” is the fastest moving two-and-a-half hour film since “The Dark Knight.”

Director Zack Snyder (“Dawn of the Dead” and “Watchmen”) has once again proven himself to be a highly skilled filmmaker when it comes to constructing high-octane action sequences. The seamless interweaving of CGI on top of the live action is also a high point. Sure, you know what’s being done on screen isn’t possible and that its got to be computers making this come to life, but the realism on display here is exceptional. I’m not sure if Snyder will ever direct something that’s not action packed or heavy on the effects, and that’s okay. If he wants to direct every other action movie that came out, I’d be more than okay with that.

Christopher Nolan’s presence here is a welcomed asset that really helps elevate this film beyond that of other superhero films. Along with David S. Goyer, who is also credited with developing the story that made up all three films in Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy, Nolan was able to craft a story that doesn’t seem like something that is utterly fantastical. Sure there are space aliens, rocket ships and a man who can fly, but the world where all this occurs is utterly real.

“The Dark Knight” trilogy worked in the same way. Gotham City is a fictitious place, and there aren’t any egomaniacal billionaires running around fighting crime (although Sergey Brin running around in his stupid Google Glass glasses could be a possible contender – but I digress). But everything felt real and genuine. “Man of Steel” as that same feel of authenticity.

Cavill and Adams worked well on screen together. Cavill’s portrayal of the man confused and ashamed of his abilities is performed with great empathy. Adams recognizes that she’s the first person he’s trusted and doesn’t hesitate to step up and make this journey with him.

Then there’s Shannon’s Zod, who not surprisingly steals the show as the films villain. Anyone familiar with this brilliant actor already knows about his intense portrayals from other works such as “Take Shelter,” “Revolutionary Road” or HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” He’s evil as Zod, and you can see it in his eyes. He’s the perfect villain for the origin story, rather than starting with someone who might be better known to casual fans (Mr. Luthor, perhaps?).

“Man of Steel” is an exhilarating and unrelenting action film. Its a film that fits nicely into the typical “summer movie” mold, but I don’t think we should limit it as such. This is truly one of the more exceptional films of this style to come out in recent memory. I remember feeling the same way after seeing Nolan’s “Batman Begins” in 2005. We all knew we were in for a much different story of the Batman saga after that movie came out, and I think the same thing will apply here.

With a sequel already in the works (summer 2015), its safe to say that the Superman franchise finally has the film it deserves. Both Snyder and Goyer will return in their roles and Nolan will most certainly be around to lend his brainpower to the creative process. As much as I enjoyed “Man of Steel,” I’m more excited about all the possibilities this franchise has. DC Comics needed a winner, and they got it. They couldn’t sit idly by and watch Marvel have all the fun.