Man of Steel - Review

So, Superman’s my favorite superhero.........besides Batman. Alright, so Batman’s my actual favorite superhero, but Supes is a very close second. Whenever the brooding, gothic, hard-hitting escapades of The Dark Knight begin to wear me down, the inspiring, diligent and sunny adventures of the Man of Tomorrow help me to catch my breath and not look at the world with such cynical and pessimistic eyes. DC’s philosophy of aspiration rather than relativity has always been close to me since I was a kid, especially a creative kid. However, Superman being unrelatable has always been a surface assessment at best. Superman’s origin is the original immigrant story and his alien heritage pulled the “fear of fitting in” card long before the X-Men hit the scene. In spite of this however, he hasn't had the same recent luck that Batman has had in film.

The Batman and Superman films had gone through an interesting parallel during the course of both their franchises. Prior to reboots, they both had four films under their belt, each one garnering significantly less critical praise than the previous entry and by the end of both Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Batman & Robin, the franchises seemed stuck in limbo for the time being, with multiple attempts to re-oil the machine on both sides to no avail. But, the Caped Crusader struck a chord with audiences once again with Christopher Nolan helming Batman Begins. But, the same couldn’t be said for Bryan Singer’s admirable but misguided Superman Returns, a half-reboot, half-sequel that failed to bring the world’s first superhero back into the spotlight. Because of this fumbling, the series had been halted with failed attempts to produce a sequel to Returns and a desire to start completely from scratch much like the increasingly successful Dark Knight Trilogy. So here we are.

Man of Steel is the freshly rebooted take on the character written by David S. Goyer (Blade, The Dark Knight Trilogy) and directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), and produced by Christopher Nolan himself, although his stake on the actual film is very exaggerated. The film re-tells the origin of Kal-El/Clark Kent/Superman in a modern context as Clark travels the world to discover himself whilst the threat of General Zod and a militia of surviving Kryptonians travel to Earth in search for him.

Now, the origin has been done a million times, this isn’t news to anyone, including myself. The Man of Steel, Superman: Birthright, Superman: Secret Origin, the list goes on. However, this is the first time audiences have experienced the origin on film in forty years, so I don’t think a renewal is unwarranted. As far the origin goes in this film, I felt the weight of Clark’s turmoil and comprehension throughout his young life, even if it doesn’t go as in-depth with his history as something like Batman Begins did for Bruce Wayne. But, considering the lack of enthusiasm and weariness towards superhero origin stories, I found it refreshing that we begin on Krypton and transition to an adult Clark travelling the world and his childhood is illustrated through flashbacks as the narrative progresses. Some may criticize this as being fragmented, but I found it an interesting change of pace and each stroll down memory lane felt natural and contextual to the situation whenever it occurred.

Russell Crowe was a great Jor-El, he actually gave his performance a bit of effort for once.

We’ve done away with the distracting miscasts of Brandon Routh and (especially) Kate Bosworth and now have the very likeable Henry Cavill and Amy Adams as Clark and Lois Lane, respectively. Not since Christopher Reeve and Margot Kidder have there been such serviceable and accurate portrayals of both these characters. Henry Cavill portrays a more brooding Superman, no doubt about that, which may put off fans and casual viewers alike, but considering the events that surround him and the purpose of the film being that he’s on the road to becoming the hero he needs to be, it made sense. Besides, he’s not all frowns and sighs, there are plenty of moments of levity where Cavill can just stand and pull off that trademark smile so few actors can pull off.

From an aesthetical standpoint, this is a gorgeous looking film; Zack Snyder lends his cinematographic prowess to what is essentially the Superman film that we’ve been long overdue. The film is shot entirely on single-camera, and handheld, at that. Speaking of things belated to us, Man of Steel delivers non-stop ounces of mayhem, destruction and a threat worthy of the character for the first time since 1980, when Superman II hit theaters. The final forty minutes of the film are relentless but not without earning such a breathtaking climax after thirty-three years of dead space from this franchise.

I believe the film is worth it. I also believe the marketing is somewhat misleading, and the tone is more in line with later trailers, so I’d recommend not getting overhyped. For a first chapter in what will hopefully now become a recharged series, this film was a blast, especially after the polarizing and unsatisfactory Iron Man 3. It is most definitely a relevant but faithful take on the timeless character, even if it’s not as deep as you might as expect. But hey, after Superman III, IV, and Returns, this comes as blessing. As a huge Superman fan, it’s the most fun I’ve had so far this summer. There will be repeat viewings, and this will sit right next to my Superman: The Animated Series volumes and Superman Collector’s Edition DVD, where it belongs. 8.5 out of 10.