The long awaited arrival of a rebooted Superman has arrived. After the mega successes of The Dark Knight series and almost all of the Marvel comics franchises, the fanboy public has been clamoring for an up-to-date take on The Man of Steel after the disastrous 2006 ‘Superman Returns’ (in fairness, it wasn’t that bad, but they just tried to redo the classic 1978 version with Christopher Reeves. Trying to carbon copy the past is never a recipe for success in the super hero world). Given the success of the Batman franchise, Warner Bros brought on Christopher Nolan and David Goyer as the production and writing team. The square jawed Dudley Doo-Right characters who wear their underwear on the outside of their costumes no longer cut it in today’s grittier world. The public likes their super heroes dark and with a bit of existential angst.
Zack Snyder has been tapped as director and his ‘Man of Steel’ delivers a thoughtful and action packed if not always satisfying film. Henry Cavill, with an impressive american accent and a Bowflex body, is spot on as the modern Superman. There was a time when it was considered slumming for a major movie star to do a super hero movie. Most just did it for a large paycheck, whether it was Marlon Brando or Jack Nicholson. Now, the stars clamor to get in these vehicles as they are huge and respected box office draws. While Henry Cavill is relatively unknown to American audiences, the supporting cast of Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishbourne, Michael Shannon, and Amy Adams are all Oscar level actors who are in top form in this film.
There is much to admire in ‘Man of Steel. Russell Crowe gives a compelling performance as Jor-el. He is the voice of reason on the doomed planet of Krypton, who sends his only son to earth in order to survive. The first twenty minutes of the film showcases a world every bit as impressive as the one in ‘Avatar’, yet is more reminiscent of the classic ‘Dune’. I hope in subsequent sequels there is a chance to explore the world that was Krypton because it is an intriguing piece of science fiction in it’s own right. For those of you who are comic nerds, it takes obvious inspiration from the John Byrne series ‘The World of Krypton’.
Once on earth, David Goyer avoids the linear time lines and introduces us to Clark Kent as a drifter trying to discover his purpose in the world. Whether working on an oil rig or busing tables, we see his childhood through a series of flashbacks with the eerie dreamy quality of a Terrence Malick film. Clark, at the behest of his adoptive father, tries to keep who and what he is hidden. However, he can’t help being a hero and when disaster happens he is always there to help, leaving people to wonder what they have witnessed.
Amy Adams did not strike me as a great choice for Lois Lane, but she does a fantastic job as a Pulitzer prize winning reporter trying to uncover the source of these miraculous rescues. The clues lead her around the world and once she finally meets the mysterious Superman, she is able to track him back to his origins in Smallville. While she is often rescued, she is no damsel in distress and comes to Superman’s rescue almost as much as he to hers.
Where I think the film took a wrong turn were the over abundance and over blown action sequences. They came fast and furious and often left one off balance. In fairness, Superman is a hard character to portray. His omnipotence is difficult to capture on screen (or even the comic page for that matter). The sheer mass of the destruction was so constant and huge that it soon became tedious. Sometimes less is more and this film definitely tried to go for the more. How often can a building explode or collapse before you start saying ‘Okay, been there, done that’?
Michael Shannon does a great job playing well... Michael Shannon. He has an unparalleled bad guy demeanor (in fact, I can’t think of a single film where he hasn’t played a bad guy). HIs General Zod is a welcome change from the typical Lex Luthor stories. How do you challenge someone who is omnipotent? Have a villain who is equally omnipotent. Nobody does psychotic better than Michael Shannon.
Despite my criticism, I feel this was a worthwhile movie and I’m glad it was made. Superman is back and up-to-date and ready to start down a new franchise. Warner Bros is going to try and compete with Marvel’s ‘The Avengers’ franchise, by coming out with ‘The Justice League’. The Superman movie is the first step in this direction. Upon writing this, I read that both ‘The Avengers 2’ and The Justice League’ are scheduled to come out in the summer of 2015. That will surely be a battle of the summer blockbusters. Despite my loyalty to Marvel, I can’t wait to see what Warner Bros comes up with, especially with Zac Snyder and David Goyer at the helm.
I give this film *** stars
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