Story
Man of Steel begins on the doomed planet Krypton with the birth of a baby boy named Kal-El. This is the first natural birth to have occurred on Krypton in centuries. Kal-El’s mother, Lara (Ayelet Zurer), and father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), have committed crimes to have their son. Many of the planet’s warriors are unhappy with Krypton’s leaders. Led by General Zod (Michael Shannon), the warriors attempt a coup, during which Jor-El is killed. The coup fails, Zod and his followers are imprisoned in the Phantom Zone, and Krypton self-destructs, but Lara saves her baby by sending him on a spacecraft to distant planet Earth.
We next see Kal-El as a grown man called Clark Kent, the adopted son of Jonathon and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Clark has kept his special powers hidden from the world for the past 33 years, although investigative journalist Lois Lane (Amy Adams) almost uncovers his secret.
Circumstances change drastically for Clark when he discovers an ancient Kryptonian scout ship buried in the ice in Canada. This reveals his true identity, but also sets off a homing beacon that leads a revengeful Zod, who has escaped from the Phantom Zone, to Earth.
Themes
Superpowers; alien beings; revenge
Violence
Man of Steel has intense and sometimes brutal sequences of science fiction action violence, including some deaths and some blood and gore. For example:
Sexual references
This movie has one sexual reference – a female air force officer says that she thinks Superman is ‘kind of hot’.
Alcohol, drugs and other substances
This movie shows some use of substances. For example:
- People drink beer and spirits in a bar.
- Lois drinks a ‘scotch on the rocks’.
Nudity and sexual activity
This movie has some sexual activity. For example:
- Superman and Lois hold hands in a couple of scenes, briefly hug and kiss passionately a couple of times.
- In a bar, a man touches a female waitress on her buttock in a sexually suggestive and dominating way.
Product placement
There are some products shown in this movie, including Nikon cameras.
Coarse language
This movie has some coarse language (some of which is spoken by school children) and name-calling.
Ideas to discuss with your children
Man of Steel is a superhero action adventure targeting teenage boys and men, as well as fans of Superman movies and comics. It is darker than previous Superman movies and has a similar feel to the Dark Knight movies.
Although the movie will probably entertain its target groups with its almost non-stop action, its running time of nearly 2½ hours is perhaps longer than it needs to be. The movie’s scary characters and many violent and disturbing scenes are likely to terrify younger children. Therefore it isn’t recommended for children under 12 years, with parental guidance recommended for children aged 12-15 years. The scary scenes are more intense in the 3D version.
Several characters in this movie show selflessness. For example, both of Superman’s fathers give their lives to protect the people they love, and Lois risks her life several times to save Superman. Superman uses his powers selflessly to protect humanity. The message that you should use your powers and talents for good comes through strongly.
You could talk with your children about the dilemma Superman faces when he must choose between killing a fellow Kryptonian and allowing the Kryptonian to murder an Earth family.