This is what watching superhero movies for one week taught me

Man of Steel (2013)

The character of Superman is like Coco Chanel — a classic. This made Man of Steel a logical starting point. I know the basics. A kid from the planet Krypton gets sent to Earth, is raised on a farm in Kansas, chats with his dead dad in the Fortress of Solitude, uses glasses as the worst disguise ever, works at a newspaper and spends most of his free time saving the world.

I was a six years old when the first Superman (1978) movie came out, and my best guess is my parents either dragged me to see it, or I caught it on TV years later.

Man of Steel has one undeniable thing going for it: the perfect male specimen who plays Clark Kent/Superman, Henry Cavill. I dig this brooding, searching, reluctant reimagining of the guy with the “S” on his chest. Little did I know it isn’t an S at all.

I like Man of Steel. It’s a great stand-alone movie about an alien who gets his powers from the Earth’s Sun, and who would be a regular Joe on his own planet (if it still existed). The less complex the storyline, the more likely I am not to lose interest.

There is something comforting about the black and white of good vs. evil. The world makes a little more sense when Superman defeats Zod (words I never in my entire life thought I would type). It is the purest, simplest theme to wrap a movie around.