Man of Steel gets an official synopsis, tells us absolutely nothing

MAN OF STEEL is currently filming somewhere in the suburbs of Illinois but we still don’t know a whole lot about the film. But now we have an official synopsis to rescue us from the morass of confusion! Read on to finally learn what fresh aspects of Superman’s legacy will be tackled in MAN OF STEEL!

In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is a young twentysomething journalist who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone’s imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha (Diane Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner), Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves.

Oh my god! That sounds…like I could’ve written it myself. That basically sounds like the synopsis for every Superman movie ever made. And is the big “hook” for this movie that Clark is questioning his desire to be Superman? Wasn’t that kinda the gist of the last movie?

It does seem clear that they’re deliberately leaving out some important pieces of information here. General Zod isn’t mentioned and his actions are only insinuated (“under attack”). I think more so than any other superhero movie in recent history, MAN OF STEEL has to make the biggest hard sell to fans. Why this and why is this worth more to me than SUPERMAN RETURNS (which, so far, this seems somewhat similar to)? Unlike THE AVENGERS or DARK KNIGHT RETURNS where my interest is somewhat inherent, I feel like MAN OF STEEL needs to do some convincing. What do you think? Does this synopsis do anything for you?