MAN OF STEEL
Superman's redemptive return is thrilling, heroic, and hopeful.
Should You Watch It?
MAN OF STEEL is a big, exciting superhero movie with an unusually strong moral center. Superman protects the innocent, saves lives, sacrifices for others, and learns to do the right thing despite personal cost. The story also emphasizes faith, trust, hope, and the responsibility of being a positive role model.
The movie’s Christian content is direct rather than incidental. When Superman seeks guidance in a church, a priest speaks to him about taking a leap of faith so that trust can follow. The film’s hopeful view of Superman’s calling gives its spectacle genuine emotional weight.
The tradeoff is content. The action is intense, with fighting, gunfire, explosions, destruction, and super-powered battles. There is also foul language, though the worst language comes from villains rather than Superman. For middle schoolers and older viewers who can handle those elements, this is worth seeing.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESAs the planet Krypton faces destruction, Superman’s parents send their baby son, Kal-El, to Earth in a spaceship. Raised in Kansas as Clark Kent, he grows up hiding his extraordinary powers while quietly saving people’s lives.
Clark eventually discovers his Kryptonian heritage. Then Lois Lane learns his identity, and the evil General Zod arrives with his soldiers, demanding that Clark surrender. Earth’s future—and Clark’s understanding of who he is—hang in the balance.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means MAN OF STEEL is one of the most satisfying, moving, and rewarding superhero films in the source review’s judgment. It delivers the large-scale excitement expected from a Superman blockbuster while also providing a powerful character arc.
The script is brilliantly structured. Clark’s encounters with other people and the lives he saves shape his character and influence his decisions. Flashbacks to his childhood with Jonathan and Martha Kent add emotional depth, while the performances are strong throughout. The film’s major turning point in a church gives the action an unexpectedly thoughtful center.
The Worldview
MAN OF STEEL presents a strongly Christian, moral worldview. It exalts faith, trust, hope, sacrifice, protecting the innocent, saving lives, and doing what is right despite personal cost. Superman becomes the positive role model his biological father hoped he would be, offering hope to humanity when General Zod threatens to destroy it.
The film also has a strongly positive, patriotic view of America and Americans, especially people in the heartland. American soldiers receive a similarly positive and patriotic portrayal. The story’s central hope is that power should serve others rather than rule them.
The film’s use of a church scene and a stained-glass image of Jesus makes its Christian content unusually overt for a superhero movie. Its faith is expressed through trust and action: sometimes a person must take a leap of faith before trust follows. Scripture likewise connects faith with hope: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Very strong Christian, moral worldview stresses faith, trust, hope, being a good role model, protecting the innocent, saving lives, sacrifice, and doing the right thing despite personal cost with an important turning point scene is set in a Christian church with a stained glass image of Jesus prominently displayed where a young priest with a clerical collar is asked about an issue of trust, and he says sometimes you have to make a leap of faith and the trust will follow and lead general says “Godspeed” to a group of people setting out on a crucial mission against the genocidal villain, plus very strong Pro-American, patriotic, positive view of America and Americans, especially people in “the heartland,” and a strong positive, patriotic view of American soldiers; 13 obscenities (just one “s” word and a few “a**” words) and two light exclamatory profanities (OMG twice); lots of strong action violence includes much fighting, gunfights, explosions, beings with super powers crash into buildings, tornado crashes cars and blows one man away, spaceships firing lasers, spaceships trying to destroy Earth, man strains to hold large oil rig structure, Superman and other Krypton people use their heat ray eyes; no sex but a couple kisses; upper male nudity in one or two scenes; alcohol use in bar scene; no smoking or drugs; and, bullying but rebuked.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Superman repeatedly uses his powers to protect people. What responsibilities come with the abilities God gives us?
1 Peter 4:10 · Philippians 2:4The church scene connects faith with trust. When have you had to move forward before you had every answer?
Hebrews 11:1 · Proverbs 3:5–6The film presents hope as a gift Superman offers to frightened people. Where does lasting hope come from, and how can Christians share it?
Romans 15:13 · 1 Peter 3:15Superman becomes a role model through sacrifice and doing what is right despite personal cost. Who has modeled those qualities for you?
John 15:13 · Philippians 2:3–8The Final Word
MAN OF STEEL combines spectacular superhero action with faith, hope, sacrifice, and a compelling moral vision. Its language and intense violence call for parental discernment, but older children, teenagers, and adults can find a redemptive, heroic story here. WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
