Should you watch this at weekday movie ticket prices? Yes.
Should you watch this at weekend movie ticket prices? No.
Secret ending? No.
Running time: 143 minutes (~2.5 hours)
Cast: Henry Cavill (Superman/Clark Kent), Amy Adams (Lois Lane), Kevin Costner (Jonathan Kent), Russell Crowe (Jor-El), Laurence Fishburne (Perry White), Michael Shannon (General Zod)
Man of Steel is the latest reboot of Superman (well there was only one other attempted reboot, which was Superman Returns), which features the origin of Superman, his fight against General Zod (another Kryptonian), and the government’s response to him.
I liked the film, though not as much as I had hoped I would. Reviews have been rather polarised online, and I must admit that right after watching it, I hated it. This was largely due to the preconceived notion of Superman that I had in my head (coming from his appearances in Justice League and Justice League Unlimited).
Now, the good bits first.
Action
There was plenty of it. The fights were massive brawls of destruction. Cars smashed, buildings levelled – this is what you’d expect when flying bricks fight. Their punches sent each other reeling through buildings, and the sheer amount of destruction wrought was rather cathartic. There was no sense that anything punch was pulled or the glaring obviousness that it was a special effect – the superpowered fights were actual fights.
Superman’s Dads
Jonathan Kent and Jor-El (both start J, hey) were omnipresent through the film, in the sense that it wasn’t just oh hey here’s Krypton so we only see Russell Crowe here, oh that’s Clark Kent’s childhood so we only see Kevin Costner there. The repeated flashbacks and plot devices were a little jarring at first, but helped to reinforce the fact that Superman is a being of two worlds. Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe (especially Russell Crowe) both delivered excellent performances that helped you understand Superman’s character than Henry Cavill’s actual performance (unfortunately).
Superman Is Special
One thing I really liked about this reinterpretation was that it showed that Superman was special, even amongst Kryptonians. You see, usually Superman’s specialness comes from his Kryptonian heritage, which is OK until you get a story involving other Kryptonians (like this film). Then Superman ceases to be that special.
But here, even if it’s not hugely emphasised, Superman is special. He’s the Chosen One, regardless of how many other Kryptonians exist. And that makes Superman even more Super.
Everyone’s Reaction to Superman
It was appropriate. Believable. Zack Synder (the director) was quoted as wanting to create a sense that this situation could actually happen in real life. And he pulled it off. My suspension of disbelief is never disabled, because institutions and individuals could and would plausibly act like that in reality.
Of course, the movie wasn’t perfect. There are some bits that made me sigh, and made me wish that a different direction had been taken.
Superman’s Moral Event Horizon
He crosses a line that I feel is one of the sacred cows in Superman, in the climax. Perhaps it’s justifiable in that context, but Superman has so many other powers and abilities that I don’t buy it. One of Superman’s key traits is that he possesses a superhuman amount of restraint and morality, a trait that is reinforced in his childhood and growing up scenes. Yet this set up about Superman’s character is completely overturned, making for a very… upsetting moment.
Colour Correction
It’s dark. Right, going for gritty. But just as Batman is meant to be dark, Superman is meant to be bright and colourful. I miss the brightness and light and hope that Superman is meant to bring. It looks like I watched the movie through some Instagram filter.
Superman Reacts
Superman is incredibly passive. The movie revolves around everyone’s reaction to Superman. Things happen, Superman reacts. But Superman is hardly proactive. The problem is that he doesn’t drive the plot, the plot just kind of shoves him around. And since he’s Superman, well, he can solve anything by punching it hard enough.
Henry Cavill himself doesn’t emote very fantastically – it’s either smiling brick or angry brick. Granted, Superman as written doesn’t have a lot of acting chops to stretch either, so it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Thankfully, the actor does have the Superman face, build, and confidence/gentility to bring believability to Superman.
Tone
I read another review that said this is not a superhero movie, it’s a first contact movie. And it’s right in so many ways. We don’t see Superman going around fighting crime. We know he saves people and prevents disasters, but we don’t see enough of it. Superman is not Superman (in the sense of his cape and name) long enough for this movie to earn its name, for him to be represented as a credible enough force to repel an alien invasion.
And the naming of Superman. Good grief. The naming of a superhero is always special in every superhero origin movie. Yet here, we are teased with the naming scene – and then it’s glossed over at the end! How can you do this? If Superman wasn’t named Superman, I could buy it. But here it looks like Zack Snyder changed his mind towards the end and thought he should name Superman, when the rest of the movie pointed to his decision not to call him Superman.
Neither is Superman called by the eponymous Man of Steel. Or the Man of Tomorrow. Or the Last Son of Krypton. Or any of his other titles. Not being called Superman – forgiveable if he had been called Man of Steel, which he wasn’t.
Ultimately, Man of Steel is a movie worth watching, simply because of the reinterpretation of Superman. It’s a fresh update (better than the new 52, really) that does away with cheesiness.
Unfortunately, it’s the cheesiness that made Superman so fun to begin with.
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