Man of Steel

Man of Steel, Action, 2013

Plot: The origin story of the boy scout superhero (aptly called) Superman.

Thoughts:  Man of Steel was DC’s best attempt so far at a live action movie not featuring Bruce Wayne. I think Zack Snyder transition from graphic novel movies to comic book movie was smooth. The production team made the story of Superman feel fresh, which is hard to do with a character that has been around for nearly a century.

That aside, there were still many issues with the movie that almost took the joy of a good story away. My first concern was with some of the holes in the movie. The first major issue was the fact that there was no “aha” moment for Supes. The entire movie he is forced to keep his secret and not use his powers to help others, but at what point does he decide to say “screw that” and do so.

Another point of contention was the fact that he adopted Kryptonian culture fairly quickly. Within a week of finding out that he’s from Krypton he draws a line in the sand between Kryptonians and Humans and it seems he never finds the right balance between the two. I guess, that may be slightly more realistic in terms of how everyone would react, but if I spent 33 years on Earth, I think I’d be a little more skeptical about embracing my “true” self.

Henry Cavill will not win any Oscars for this performance.

The film itself was very dark; not dark in subject matter, but dark in terms of the actual production. The entire movie was under-saturated and had a blue tinge to it. I didn’t understand why everything needed to be so dark, for a second it felt like a Godfather movie. As much as I enjoyed the costumes, I think those too were all too dark when there was great opportunity to allow them to pop off the screen.

I’m glad this movie wasn’t taken straight from Christopher Nolan’s Batman universe, but I could see the influence. I know that realism and dramatic in superhero films are gaining popularity, but I think that it should fit the character. The Amazing Spider-Man, for example, is a dark story, but through Peter Parker’s eyes (a 15-year old, mind you) it is a world of laughs to hide the pain. I know that this is a review of a Superman movie, but I feel that the two are similar in that the tone should be lighter, yet still not be a popcorn flick.

The best part about the movie, to me, was the story of Krypton, which could have been a standalone movie. The motivation of the characters, the writing, the acting, the set design were all executed splendidly. Zod was menacing but with good reason. Jor-El was a watery reflection of Obi-Wan, yet still distinctly his own character.

The first thirty minutes of Man of Steel were rapid-fire, taking you from past to present and back again several times. This hurt the movie in the long run because it slowed it down when things started being shown chronologically. By the final battle, I was ready to leave the theater (although it may have been because the seats were killing my hindquarters).

 Growing up, I always loathed Superman, he always seemed too powerful for me and that ruined the idea that he would actually struggle against something. Also, when your biggest weakness is a rock, it’s hard to be considered a threat; It wasn’t until I witnessed the Superman of the Justice League and Justice League: Unlimited, that I realized how complex his character actually was and began to read some of his comics. The true struggle of Superman is not that he can’t use his powers for fear of how others would react, it’s that he has to toe the line of restraint and vigilantism for the greater good. I don’t feel that this movie explored the latter as much as I would have liked.

Great comback, however, from the disappointing Green Lantern, hopefully there is more to come from DC to match Marvel’s two to three movies per year. If you’re a fan of comics, you’ll enjoy the movie.

The sub-par performances and plot holes mixed with the awesome costumes and fleshed out ideas give this movie a solid:

3.3/5