Director: Zack Snyder
Actors: Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne
What’s It About: When an alien planet, Krypton, is destined for destruction, its last naturally conceived child is sent to Earth, to live and grow in safety. That child turns out to be incredibly strong, can fly and is able to shoot lasers from his eyes… COOL!!! When a former inhabitant and traitor of Kryton learns of this amazing male’s existent, he is intent on destroying this strong guy, and pretty much everything else in his path. But what will happen to this super… chap?!
Thoughts: To say I went into Man of Steel with high expectations would be an understatement. One of my favourite comic book characters making a much needed return to the big screen, paired up with a director who I considered to be the perfect person for the job. Add two of The Dark Knight Trilogy’s most important assets, in the shape of Christopher Nolan on production duties, and David S. Goyer onboard for the screenplay, it’s safe to say that such anticipation was justified. Maybe, just maybe though, I’d set my hopes a little too high.
To break Man of Steel down into it’s sum of parts results in the following: 1 part mild chaos, 3 parts backstory, 2 parts complete destruction.
Man of Steel starts with a pretty impressive and action heavy opening. Visually, we’ve never seen a cinematic version of Krytpon quite like that of Snyder’s. This is an alien planet with dragon like creatures, upon which the Kryptonians soar through the sky. Technology is incredibly advanced, but they face the same issues as us on earth: over harvesting natural resources. It’s here we’re introduced to Russel Crowe as Jor-El, Clark’s birth father, who puts in a decent enough performance throughout, but it’s nothing iconic. As far as introductions go, it’s Michael Shannon’s performance as General Zod that stands out from the beginning. The moment you see those eyes, and his cries of “I WILL FIND HIM!!!”, it’s quite evident he will own this role – and he does. Shannon’s Zod is one of the best villains to grace our screens for some time, and I imagine it’ll be a while before we see another comic franchise with a character so merciless, played this well.
Not before long, the story moves to Earth, where we get to meet our new Superman. And don’t worry, you’re given plenty of time to get to know him (about thirty minutes too much). I’ll be honest, my biggest reservation about this reboot, since it’s announcement, was the casting of Henry Cavill. No amount of press shots or trailers changed that. Thankfully, within about 10 minutes of meeting his Clark, my reservations had vanished. Sure, he’s chiselled and well built, but that wasn’t going to be enough for me. He needed to have that mild, humble, calming manner about him, and he absolutely does.
The rest of the cast all play their parts well. Kevin Costner as the primary father figure, Diane Lane as Clark’s mother, both convincing in their role as the adoptive parents of an alien with superhuman strength. Clark’s relationship with his dad has some touching moments, which have become a staple of comic books, and their respective films. At moments, they’re a bit too schmaltzy, but ultimately they’re important in setting our hero up with a purpose. If anything, it’s nice to see big Kev back on the big screen. Amy Adams slips into the role of Lois Lane naturally, with the story portraying her much in the same way she’s been since the comic’s creation – a headstrong lady, who follows her heart, while managing to get into enough trouble to require rescuing. And while Laurence Fishburne’s Perry White doesn’t quite get to flex his muscles, there’s no doubt he’ll play a much bigger role in the (inevitable) sequel.
For its strong cast, and promising start, Man of Steel is let down by its middle act. As I mentioned, it’s long, and feels so. We go back and forth with Clark, wandering from town to town, job to job, present to past, and back to present. A John Doe type character, trying to find out where he’s from and what makes him different, this is familiar cinematic superhero territory that Clark treads, but it’s necessary – and mostly welcome. In its most simplistic moments, this part of Snyder’s film is beautiful. Unfortunately Goyer’s script makes a mess of the middle, dragging it out too much, while also laying down some very convenient / ridiculous moments in the story for Lois *cough* spaceship trapped in ice *cough*. The chopping and changing between different times in Clark’s life feel like they exist only to stop the film feeling too linear, and potentially even longer.
Once Clark’s platonic relationship with Lois is established, and he’s given reason to live up to the destiny his adopted father believed he was sent to earth for, the real action kicks in. Compared to the middle of the film, the pace of final third is insane. We’re not talking about about a 15 minute action sequence to wake things up a bit. We’re talking about what is essentially a 45-60 minute long finale. At first, it’s a much needed and exciting change of pace. Snyder get’s to show us some truly great set pieces, and it’s clear these aren’t just two very strong humans. No, these are two superhumans, with strength that defies the physics of Earth. Whole blocks are destroyed, cities are left in complete ruins. It makes the damage you’ve seen in any disaster film, any alien invasion film, any Marvel film, look miniscule. And then this goes on and on, and it gets louder and louder, and it’s all just a bit much. I doubt it’s even worth rebuilding Metropolis.
It’s a shame, because the actual finale between Zod and Superman is simple, yet powerful. It’s great to show the strength of a character like Superman, and makes for compelling cinema. But on its base level, he’s a character with morals, and a strength that lies beyond that of his muscles. I really hope that we get to see more of that in the sequel, and a better balance between the man behind the cape, and the physical strength that goes with it – especially if pitted against Lex Luthor.
Summary: Man of Steel isn’t a great film. It’s a good film, with a great film lost somewhere within its messy middle, and its over indulgent destruction scenes. I still maintain that Snyder was the right man for the job, and if anything, it’s Goyer’s story that leads to this film’s flaws. Shannon is the star, and Cavill is more than worthy of wearing one of the world’s most iconic logos. We’re told in the film that the ‘S’ stands for hope. Well, I’m hopeful that there may be some legs in this reboot – I at least left the cinema wanting to see more of these characters. It just might take Snyder some time to find his footing. Or maybe he needs to learn how to fly?
Watch If You Liked / Avoid If You Hated: Watchmen, Batman Begins, Thor
Rating: 6.75 capes out of 10
LET'S KISS TO MAKE IT REAL 