Man of Steel (Blu-ray)

Man of Steel

A young boy learns that he has extraordinary powers and is not of this Earth. As a young man, he journeys to discover where he came from and what he was sent here to do. But the hero in him must emerge if he is to save the world from annihilation and become the symbol of hope for all mankind.

Man of Steel is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Warner Brothers with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. Whatever qualms some may have with the dramatic content of this film, few are going to have even slight quibbles with the stunning visual allure of Snyder's latest opus. The film seamlessly blends live action and lots of CGI, something that surely should come as no huge surprise to fans of Snyder's previous films. Some of that CGI is just slightly soft looking, as tends to be the case, but it also gives the film some amazing set pieces, both Earthbound (when Clark rescues workers off of an exploding oil rig) and in space (courtesy of both the long Krypton sequence as well as Zod's incursions later in the film). The image here is sharp, precise, and full of superb fine detail (just take a look at that weirdly rubbery lizard like suit Superman wears, or the close-ups of faces, where every pore is visible). As is the standard operating practice these days, things have been variously color graded. The Krypton sequence is kind of amber-brown, while the final act featuring the wholesale destruction of Metropolis is largely made up of ice cold blues and slate grays, but never is fine detail compromised. Contrast and black levels are rock solid and consistent throughout the presentation. Some may have passing qualms with the brief moments of softness, or even mere seconds of murky shadow detail here and there, but given the overall excellence of this presentation, which I personally would rate as reference quality, I don't think anyone is going to have major issues with the video presentation of Man of Steel.

You don't have to wait long at all for Man of Steel's incredibly forceful DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 mix to announce its very visceral presence. As soon as the seemingly endless series of production entity logos starts unspooling, the listener is greeted with an almost chthonic rumbling gurgling up from the subwoofer, in an approximation of what being in a live volcano probably sounds (and feels) like. That's just the opening salvo in what is a nonstop barrage of artful surround activity. Both the opening half hour as well as the final half hour-plus of the film are incredibly loud and sonically hyperbolic, which will no doubt delight those who like their home theater setups pushed to their limit. But even in quieter moments, there's great attention to detail. Listen to the rush of the water when a school bus the young Clark is riding in crashes into a river, or even better, the simple ambient environmental noises—quiet, but very present—in the Kansas farmhouse scenes. Dialogue is cleanly and clearly presented, even in the busiest aural environments, as are the ubiquitous foley effects, which effortlessly create nonstop immersion with a wealth of both discrete channelization and fantastic panning. This is certainly one of the most impressive soundtracks in recent memory. It frankly bludgeons the listener quite a bit of the time, but it's an incredibly visceral experience from the first moment until the last.