The Man of Steel trailers released so far paint director Zack Snyder's Superman movie reboot as a contemplative and morose take on the character. Costar Russell Crowe (who's playing Jor-El) has been emphasizing the film's scale and scope as something the previews cannot fully do justice. Meanwhile, his onscreen son Henry Cavill insists Snyder's superhero flick is less dark and more action-packed than screenwriter David S. Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Well, Warner Bros. has begun Man of Steel test audience screenings, and the initial consensus is positive so far (bear in mind, many responses are coming from fans). More interesting, however, is that initial descriptions very much align with what the cast and crew have been claiming, with regard to Snyder's movie being realistic, but not overly-serious, in its approach to the fantastical comic book mythos.

JoBlo received the following Man of Steel early screening reaction/description from "a scooper (whom we know and trust 100%)," which arrives pre-packed in bullet-point form and covers several points of interest dealing with the film's overall tone and style.

You can check it out below:

  • Imagine a Nolan story with Snyder effects/action.
  • It's the best movie of the year.
  • There's TONS of action with Superman kicking all kinds of ass in his suit.
  • The cape is CG'd most of the time so it can look awesome.
  • They have intentionally left out most of the the Super action in trailers to save it.
  • It's not nearly as dour and serious as the trailers suggest.
  • The movie is complete, minus the 3D post-conversion, which is currently taking place.

Again, passing over the scooper's "best movie of the year" claim (obviously, it's just one response from an excited fan), their Man of Steel descriptions should help lay to rest misconceptions about this being more Nolan's film than Snyder's; not to mention, complaints that Snyder is abandoning his own trademark style in favor of grounded action and spectacle more on par with The Dark Knight Rises.

Superman Man of Steel Not a Comic Book Movie

Visually-expressive titles like Snyder's Watchmen and 300 movies (as well as his less-popular Legend of the Guardians and Sucker Punch) demonstrate his strength as an action filmmaker, which is part of the reason I've long been interested to see how he brings Supes to life - especially, while making it seem believable that Kal-El could exist in the real-world. Content-wise, Goyer and Snyder are smart in drawing from modern comic storylines like Mark Waid’s “Superman: Birthright” and Geoff Johns’ “Superman: Secret Origin.”

Action and contemporary relevance are both departments where Man of Steel aims to dominate Bryan Singer's Superman Returns, in addition to overshadowing the now-outdated effects and battle sequences pitting Superman against General Zod and his troops in Superman II. As for everything else, well... that remains to be seen (though, the early signs are encouraging).

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Man of Steel stars Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Laurence Fishburne and Ayelet Zurer.

Look for it in theaters on June 14th, 2013.

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Source: JoBlo