The Lowdown:Superman is arguably the most iconic superhero of them all. He can fly, he’s super-strong and super-fast, and he can emit laser beams from his eyes. What else does he need? Well, apparently he needed a darker and grittier reboot for the new age we live in. Directed by Zack Snyder, produced by Christopher Nolan, written by David S. Goyer, scored by Hans Zimmer, and starring many A-listers, Man of Steel is about as good a cinematic package as one can get. Oddly enough however, the final product doesn’t transcend greatness. The film manages to contain an abundance of CGI-heavy action setpieces with a dash of heartfelt drama and humor, but overall, the film tries to do too much and ends up achieving too little. But if you came for a summer blockbuster chock full of entertainment, then look no further.
1. The Plot: We all know the Superman story, and despite a few minor tweaks, not much has changed here. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) discovers that the core of the planet Krypton is going to explode, so he sends his newborn son, Kal-El, off to Earth in order to save his life. On Earth, he is found and raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) as their son, Clark (Henry Cavill). However, Clark soon learns of his alien origins, and vows to seek the truth. However, trouble brews as the nefarious General Zod (Michael Shannon), a Kryptonian survivor with his own evil agenda, resurfaces to enact a plan that will destroy humankind. Obviously, it is up to Clark to save the day. There are a few changes made to Superman’s origin story that I won’t spoil here, but fortunately, the new concept is not incredibly contrived. Some argue against the changes, but Man of Steel is a reboot. Superheroes change along with the times, and Superman is no exception. Remaking the exact same film as the original Supermanfrom 1978 would be redundant and boring. Still, there are some drawbacks. Man of Steel sets a dark and serious tone and carries it throughout the entire film. This is fine, but there doesn’t seem to be a balance of humor, wit, and emotion that one would expect from a Superman film. In the past, Superman films had a liberal dose of fluff and humor. Man of Steel is so serious in tone that it feels somewhat stiff and rigid, and this kind of reduces the “fun” factor one would expect from a superhero film. Fortunately, Man of Steel replaces a lot of the cheesy fluff from earlier films with poignant human drama that really stirs up emotions. Scenes depicting a young Clark Kent growing up in Smallville are probably the closest thing to an emotional core of the film. These scenes concisely reveal Superman’s origin story without dragging. However, remaining dramatic scenes in the film don’t have as much weight by comparison.
2. The Characters: Henry Cavill is Clark Kent, a.k.a. Kal-El, a.k.a. Superman, and he is ideal for this role. He is appropriately handsome and muscular, but as an actor, he also has screen presence. More importantly, he is able to imbue Superman with a certain gravitas that makes him more human. His struggle with being “different” when growing up in Smallville is affecting because we get to see him face the challenges presented to him; we learn more about him at the same time that he does. The supporting cast is inspired. Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Ayelet Zurer (Munich) are Jor-El and Lara Lor-Van, Superman’s parents from Krypton. Zurer seems a bit wooden next to Crowe, who embodies the honorable Jor-El in a similar vein to that of Marlon Brando. On Earth, Kevin Costner (Field of Dreams) and Diane Lane (Unfaithful) are Jonathan and Martha Kent, who find and raise Clark as their own. Their roles are small, but they encompass the film’s human and emotional core. Then there is Amy Adams (The Master, Doubt) who plays Lois Lane, the plucky reporter who becomes fascinated by this man from another world and will go to great lengths to get her story about him published, despite the chagrin from her stern boss, Perry White (Laurence Fishburne). She fares so much better than Kate Bosworth from the boring dreck known as Superman Returns (2006), but is perhaps less energetic than Margot Kidder from Superman (1978). The villains are sadly one of the weaker elements of the film. Michael Shannon (Revolutionary Road) is General Zod, who was imprisoned for attempting a coup to take over Krypton. Overacting is a requirement to play a supervillain, and Shannon seemed ideal for the role. Unfortunately, Zod doesn’t make a huge impact because, although Shannon is a great actor, his performance here is inexplicably restrained. His right hand, Faora-Ul (Antje Traue) delivered a far more sinister performance, though her character was much more one-note than Zod.
And you thought he was going to overact his face off.
3. The Score: Hans Zimmer is the composer of the soundtrack, and if there is anything he knows, it is how to arrange dynamic music for summer blockbusters. His credits include Pirates of the Caribbean, Gladiator, Master and Commander, The Dark Knight, and Inception. That said, Man of Steel isn’t his best work overall, but the standout track is the new Superman theme, titled “What Are You Going to Do When You Are Not Saving the World?” It is a long title, but the piece is one of those that starts off serene with a slow piano melody and builds slowly until it reaches a thunderous crescendo filled with pulse-pounding percussion. It rivals the original Superman theme composed by John Williams, and that is saying something.4. A Visual Frenzy: Perhaps both a strength and a weakness, the second half of Man of Steel features wall-to-wall action and special effects. I never thought that a Superman movie would be exciting in the ways of action because Superman is, let’s face it, about as generic of a superhero as it gets. Super strength, super speed, the ability to fly, and laser eyes, we’ve all seen this before. However, Zack Snyder is an action movie veteran and visual effects maestro, so Man of Steel has some incredibly intense, visceral action sequences, including a spellbinding and devastating attack on
The Bottom Line:As far as superhero movies go, Man of Steel is a solid commercial effort. As a summer action blockbuster, it packs a punch and delivers exactly what one would expect. As a Superman reboot, it mostly succeeds thanks to inspired casting and an efficient screenplay; it doesn’t deviate from the Superman formula, but it makes enough creative changes that prevent it from feeling stale. There is an overreliance on action and somewhat of a weak villain, but overall, Man of Steel is a solid superhero film. While it won’t top the original from 1978 (not much can), it is still in the realm of “pretty good”.
Man of Steelis property of Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, and Syncopy. This review was written by me.
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