Man of Steel is an
origin story akin to Batman Begins. I
know I know, it’s frustrating for fanboys. We know the tale of Krypton and
Smallville, and we want to cut right to a story that’s fresh and hasn’t been
told countless times. However, unlike The
Amazing Spiderman, this is an origin story that needed to be told. This
Clark Kent is far removed from the bumbling Christopher Reeves version and the
angst ridden Tom Welling portrayal of the Smallville series. This Clark is an
80’s baby who brings all the baggage of that know-it-all generation with him.
Gone is the goofy duality of Clark/Superman, here they are one in the same, a man
out of place, yet sure of his destiny. For the first time in the history of the
character, we’re greeted with less of a turn the other cheek Clark Kent,
and more of a “Just wait and see you sons of bitches”, Clark whose searching
for the moment where he’s allowed to be the bad azz he knows he is.
The film begins at the beginning, which means the end for Krypton. I read a novel called The Last Days of Krypton a few years back, and it was an exceptional retelling of
this story in detail, making it more about the mistakes of a people, then
simply a launching pad for Superman. The self-destruction of the Kryptonians would
be better told in an R rated series format similar to Game of Thrones, than as a 15 minute movie opening. This is a Superman movie not a Jor-El movie, which means
that we have to get in and out of the Krypton backstory quickly while getting all the
exposition out of the way as fast as possible. I credit the filmmakers for
making Krypton feel like the last days of a crumbling civilization, not in terms of planetary catastrophes, but the government breakdown, that we didn’t
see in the Richard Donner version. Here we have General Zod leading a military
coup to take over the dying planet and on the opposite side of the spectrum
Jor-El and Lara rebelling in their own way by producing the first natural born
child in over a century. First rule of Krypton sex, there is no raw boning! It sounds convoluted but Nolan & Company solved a
major problem with the Superman Myth. What makes Kal-El special? If it’s just
that he’s from Krypton, it’s not as believable because as DC fanboys know, a
new Kryptonian pops up all the time and they don’t measure up to Big Blue. Here
we find out that he’s the first of his kind born with free will to choose.
From the destruction of Krypton and Zod’s banishment to the
Phantom Zone we fast-forward to Clark Kent on a shrimp boat. While it’s never
spelled out why Clark is doing his best Bruce Banner impression, running from
place to place, saving people when needed, we can assume that he’s waiting for
that sign where he can finally reveal himself. Throughout the film we flashback
to Smallville and see the evolution of Clark from strange boy to strange teen.
All of the classic elements are here, the discovering of X-Ray vision, Pa Kent
showing him tough love by scolding him to keep his powers secret at all costs,
and the discovery of the ship that brought him to Kansas.
The true story doesn’t begin until Lois Lane arrives. I give
Man of Steel kudos for having the most realistic take on the character, this
Lois quickly does away with all the bullsh*t and figures out who this mystery
hero is in no time. As a fan of
Lois, it’s always bugged me that the world’s greatest reporter wouldn’t figure
out who Superman was within a month. Here Lois does it in a matter of weeks. Amy
Adams does a wonderful job making the famous role hers, less sassy and more
ballsy, you have to believe that even if Superman wasn’t around she would find
ways to save herself. Lois gets word of a ship frozen in a Canadian province and
uncovers it’s mysteries at the same time as the snooping Clark. For those who
read the Man of Steel prequel comic
you probably geeked out when Clark entered the control room. For those who have
yet to read it, SPOILER ALERT-------------------
It’s Supergirl’s ship, complete
with missing Kara Zor-El hmmmm. That’s merely an Easter Egg. The real purpose
is that this ship being activated gives us an updated Fortress of Solitude and
alerts a freed General Zod and his militia to come to earth.
Here’s where I’ll stop the plot summary as not to spoil the
big moments of the film, and get into the nuts and bolts of the movie on a more
critical level.
Man of Steel is a
mixed bag. There are three very powerful beats in the movie that deal with
death and trust, and they’re touching enough to make a grown man cry. At the
same time the tone of the film is often cold, dry, and humorless. Superman isn’t
Ironman; he’s not witty or snarky. He’s not Batman, there is no quiet cool to
him, or funny supporting cast to play off his loner nature. While we do see a lot of passion from Supes this
go round, and a more edgy side in battle, the movie lacks any real personable
moments. I can point back to the original Superman and the little Boy Scout
things like saving a cat from a tree or the winks Christopher Reeves would give
that while corny felt authentic to that person. Those small gestures spoke a thousand words and allowed you
into the heart of the character. Here we understand Clark’s anger and torment,
but aside from watching a college football game on TV, we don’t really know
Clark on a personal human level. This chilly isolated tone works for Bruce
Wayne because when he’s not playing the role of Billionaire he’s dead inside.
Clark’s supposed to represent the flip side of the coin, bright, optimistic,
Apple Pie. In toning down the Boy Scout qualities of past Superman interpretations,
I fear that Snyder made him a little too distant. On the other hand Henry
Cavill may have brought that balance back with his superb job in the title
role. While there weren't many scripted moments to show the depth of Clark
outside his quest to find himself, Cavill still comes across as extremely
likeable. While I had my doubts going in, Cavill brings weight to the character
physically (No Michael Keaton Suit Pads for this guy) and emotionally, and was
perfect for this particular version of the Last Son of Krypton.
Superman Returns
was bashed unmercifully for not having Superman fight anyone the entire movie.
This film overcompensates for that in a big way by having several big action
scenes that run entirely too long. The initial battle between Superman, Faora,
and the Air Force goes from being awesome to cartoony because it simply lasts forever.
I was shocked that the early action scenes weren’t as stylized as Snyder’s
other works like 300, Watchmen, and Sucker Punch. While Snyder’s Watchmen
adaption had some of the greatest Superhero action ever filmed, Man of Steel let’s the CGI get in the
way. Not until the final battle with Zod do we get a cleaner fight, but by then
you’re pretty burnt out on Kryptonians punching each other in the face.The cast is terrific. From Lawrence Fishburn as a more
fatherly Perry White to Russell Crow’s stoic yet entertaining Jor-El, it’s
almost perfect. However, the chemistry between Amy Adams and Henry Cavill seemed
extremely forced, which created a strange dynamic. It’s as if Lois and Clark
were great when paired as friends, but as soon as they were left to have tender
moments, the eye rolls began. The Comedian backhanding Silk Spectre then bending
her over the pool table in Watchmen
felt more romantic than anytime Lois and Clark kissed or held hands. Not sure if it’s
because the two actors became friends and those friend vibes shined through, or
if the romance was just shown in a poor manner with all the destruction and
chaos going on. Michael Shannon’s Zod, on the other hand, clicked on all levels. He was a one of those
rare villains, one who allowed us to not only see his motivation but gave us
true cause to believe that what he was doing wasn’t evil, it was out of loyalty
to his race. It can be argued that Man of
Steel was just as much as Zod’s story as it was Kal-El’s.
Overall Man of Steel
was a good start, it rebooted the franchise and added new elements to a familiar
world (don’t worry no super baby) that makes you wonder where they can take it
next. The lack of Kryptonite, Lex Luthor, and Jimmy Olsen will probably upset
purist, but we needed those three things like DC needs a new multiverse. Is it
as meaty as The Dark Knight movies?
No way. This wasn’t meant to tell an epic story about the human complex, it was
an origin story to reintroduce and redefine someone we thought we knew. In that
respect it does excel over X-Men
Origins, Amazing Spiderman, and Batman Begins. Man of Steel may not soar as high as it could have, but I have a
feeling it’s just taking off.
X ____MUST
SEE.
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