About three-quarters of the way through Man of Steel, Clark Kent's adopted home of Smallville is virtually decimated by the nemesis of his alter-ego, Superman. There are monster explosions galore, spaceships bouncing off buildings, and Superman spearing through the air, flinging aside alien invaders.
The sense is that this is the final denouement, a poetic justice in Superman returning to protect the town and family that gave him refuge. But, no, it isn't over. There's another big battle scene. And then another.
Director Zack Snyder's reimagining of Superman is as big and loud and racy as you might expect it to be, knowing the filmmaker's "more-is-more" aesthetic. The action is so relentless that you have to gasp for breath. That's great if you're a 12-year old boy, but for the rest of us, maybe not so much.
Which is not to say that Man of Steel isn't a terrific movie. Snyder isn't one to do things by halves, and casting, the costumes and the sets are all spot on.
The story stays more or less true to the original: on the eve of the destruction of the planet Krypton, a baby named Kal-El is shoved in a space pod and sent off into the ether, his parents knowing their death is at hand.