Rating of
3/4
Superman Soars Once More
Chris Kavan - wrote on 06/14/13
When you're rebooting a beloved franchise - you have to get things right or risk alienating both long-time fans and a new audience alike. Though it's not without flaws, Man of Steel manages to buck the trend and join Batman Begins as a successful re-launch of a classic hero.
We open at a place that has rarely been touched by the previous movies: the planet Krypton - which is on the verge of destruction due to bad resource management. It turns out mining your planet's core is a bad idea. Jor-El (Russell Crowe - in full serious mode) and his wife, Lara (Ayelet Zurer) have conceived the first naturally-birthed child on the planet in centuries - and in him, they place the future of their entire race. But General Zod (Michael Shannon - perpetually scowling and angry) is also interested in preserving his race - by force if necessary - and stages a coup. Both men want the same thing - the codex, which contains all the genetic information of their people. Amidst stunning aerial and ground battle, Jor-El successfully implants the information within his son and sends him away to a planet where he will be a god-like being: Earth - but not without sacrifice. Zod and his cohorts are sentenced to a near endless prison - though he vows to track down Kal-El, the son sent to the stars.
This mini-movie unto itself is an excellent introduction to the main story - and also provides background to a rarely-seen side of the story. Of Clark Kent - however - we are introduced when he is already a young man (Henry Cavill - with the right look) - working on a crab boat. After a deckhand saves him from a falling cage, he in turn saves a group of men from a burning oil rig - and we get a glimpse of the hero to be. During the course of the film we do get flashes back to his past - coping with his powers, which threaten to overwhelm his senses, dealing with anger, dealing with how and when to use his powers - and simple struggling with coming to terms with who he is. Think of puberty, but on a level that defies explanation - and that's what our hero has to face.
After the government spots a mysterious object buried deep in the arctic ice, Kent somehow gets on the team and helps reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams - fiery and feisty) with her bags. She is there to get the full story, no matter what - so when she spots a mysterious man walking outside, she of course follows him. The object turns out to be a scout ship from Krypton - the occupants long dead - but it reacts to the key left to Kal-el by his father. He gets a short history lesson - but he doesn't have time to absorb much as the ship has alerted General Zod to his whereabouts. Soon, he gives the people of Earth an ultimatum - deliver the alien who has been hiding amongst them or face destruction. Thus we reach the action portion of our film.
Saying the film is action-packed is an understatement - there are so many excellent fight scenes, it's hard to put a finger on which one is the best. The only thing that bothered me is that for a savior of humanity it seems Superman isn't too worried about collateral damage. Seeing the destruction, one has to think that a lot people would have died and it's a bit disconcerting coming from the boyscout. But that's the thing about Man of Steel - Superman is presented as a regular guy - he likes getting petty revenge (on a truck driver early in the movie), he has strong feelings about family and he isn't above killing someone. It's a bit of a departure from the nice guy we've grown up with. Some people may find it a big off-putting, but I, for one, like a bit of darkness to go with my heroes.
There are a few things working against the film. For one, there is hardly a bit of levity to be found. There are a few good jokes - but for the most part the movie is deadly serious with mass genocide, destructive terraforming and brutal beatdowns par for the course. They could have lightened things up just a touch. Shannon is excellent as Zod - but he must have worked on his glower face for a long time - as that and yelling are his main expression. Also, I wanted more of a spark between Adams and Cavill - they worked well together, but I was left wanting more. I have never been a proponent of 3D - the extra dimension didn't do anything for me - other than make the action scenes even harder to follow as it suffered from that slightly fuzzy, washed-out look that accompanies most post-conversion films.
That being said, the supporting cast from Laurence Fishburne as Daily Planet head honcho Perry White, to Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as ma and pa Kent are quite refreshing. For the most part the actors really work well off each other so even when there isn't action on the screen, the emotion feels just as real. However, Lex Luthor is nowhere to be seen - though the way things are set up, I'm expecting him to be in the inevitable sequel (along with the likewise vacant Kryptonite). Although I prefer the original Superman music, Hans Zimmer provides a sweeping score with the main theme being especially grandiose.
All in all - this is far and away better than Superman Returns and sets up the DC revival nicely. Though I have a feeling it won't quite match Marvel popularity - there is enough here to get the Justice League up off the ground. In a few years, all we're going to have are superhero movies.
