Man of steel-the review

Rebooting one of the best loved film sagas of all time was no easy task, but Zack Snyder has done a good job.
Epic smack downs, cool suits, a fine score and dazzling special effects all ensure you get plenty of value for money.
However, it's remarkable for a film that cost more than $200 million features dialogue so clunky it sounds like it was written by a first year film student.
Some of General Zod's lines, especially during the inevitable smack down near the finale, are cringeworthy.
Thankfully, at least Michael Shannon does a great job as the Shakespearean-style bad guy.
Russell Crowe dominates the first 10 to 20 minutes of the movie as the noble Jor El; Inevitably, considering this is a Snyder movie, Kal El's mother looks like she stepped out of 300.
Henry Cavill is rather good as the eponymous hero, while Amy Adams makes a sexy and likeable love interest.
It's also good to see Law and Order veteran Christopher Meloni proving he can dominate the attention on the big screen.
Considering this has to compress so much information into a relatively short running time, Snyder and his colleagues have thankfully managed to keep assorted plates spinning.
Mixing flashbacks with present day action, the screenplay deftly juggles assorted plot points, including the destruction of Krypton, Kal's arrival on Earth, his growth to maturity, and his romance with Lois.
It's not a perfect film by any means, but at least I cared about the hero and heroine. Which was more than could be said for Superman Returns.
In 3-D and D box, this is a treat for the senses.
Hans Zimmer had an unenviable task of creating the score, considering how influential John Williams' original theme had been since 1978.
It could have done with more laughs, and a decent script doctor, but on the whole this Man of Steel soars.

Inception

When Christopher Nolan's latest film Inception opened in July, i predicted a $700million worldwide haul. It was clearly a smart movie - one of the smartest ever made - but didn't have the widespread recognition of his Batman saga, so as The Dark Knight grossed $1billion, it seemed a good guesstimate that Inception would do less business.
However, a couple of months on and the movie is still going strong.
It's just opened in China - one of the strongest openings there since the Transformers movies. It seems Nolan has finally cracked the formula for making great cinema that appeals to different ages and expectations.
For those tired of wafer thin plots with next to no story, Inception is a feast of a film that keeps you thinking about it for weeks afterwards.
However, it's not all chin-stroking philosophy; there are muscular action scenes here worthy of any 007 movie, so the action crowd go home happy.
Then there are all those little moments that are well worth a second look, which is why repeat viewings are not only recommended but almost essential.
On top of which you have a solid performance from Leo DiCaprio; arguably his best in years, and there's little chance of guessing the outcome halfway through like some did in Shutter Island.
Oh, and there's also the outstanding Ellen Page, who asks all the questions that we, the confused viewer might ask, and Tom Hardy, as the muscle to Leo's brain.
Inception isn't just the best film of 2010, but also one of the best films ever made; a Blade Runner for the millennium, whose skillful construction will be analysed by countless filmmakers for years to come as they try and craft their own movies which balance brain and brawn on the big screen.
A few will succeed, most will fail.
A+