Who Should Watch "Man of Steel"

Man of Steel - Movie Review

In the words of Grant Morrison (author of All-Star Superman), "Doomed planet. Desperate scientists. Last hope. Kindly couple. Superman." Those words from his critically acclaimed take on the Man of Steel, accompanied by minimalistic art, immediately tells the reader the origins of Superman in a few short bursts.

This sets the stage for the remaining narrative. Kal El has made his way safely to our planet, Earth, and has grown up to become Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) who goes on a journey of discovering who he is. Once he does he triggers a series of events that would eventually launch him into direct conflict with General Zod. It is through this confrontation that he is faced with the ultimate decision: does he save the human race from genocide or does he help his own people restore their race?

A difficult task to shoulder

Taking on a character of this magnitude is very shaky ground. What Superman represents is something beyond the pages of a comic. He represents hope. A hope that there is a better tomorrow. And in the current world we live in, Superman doesn't seem to fit in a world where there seems to be no hope. It is even a world where he is now criticized as always doing the right thing and not being a dark character. This is where Zack Snyder comes in to play, taking on the responsibility of bringing this character into a modern world. The "300" and "Watchmen" director takes on the challenge head on knowing that this will probably be the most important film he's made for comic book fandom other than "Watchmen."

Did his team pull through? Here's my breakdown:

What I didn't like about Man of Steel

1. Promoted itself to be some serious dramatic film when it is really a heavy action film with dramatic elements.
2. The pacing of the beginning after the Krypton Scenes.
3. The oil rig rescue was too short and didn't really deliver a heroic "Yeah! Save them, Superman!" moment.
4. The scenes that occur in between the flashbacks before Lois Lane shows up didn't really add much to the narrative other than being filler between flashbacks.
5. Amy Adams has not really reached the level I was expecting for Lois. She shows promise during the "interrogation" scene with Superman. If she had that type of chemistry flowing through the whole film I would've loved her performance.
6. Some of the dialogue were taken directly straight from comic books. While it may work in a comic, that doesn't necessarily mean it will work in a film.
7. For a script that boasts the writing of David S. Goyer (Batman Begins and the Dark Knight) and Christopher Nolan (the Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises) it wasn't as profound as some might hope.
8. Constant use of a J.J. Abrams Star Trek' Pop Zoom that gets a little bit annoying at times.
9. Product Placement Galore: While its expected, it doesn't really seem that subtle in this film. Despite the fact that their argument for doing so is to show that it takes place in our world. Yes it does, but it's also like shoving an ad in my face.
10. The intense "shaky cam" that was used to give it a documentary style feel.
11. The intense "shaky cam" disappearing entirely at the end of the movie.
12. The final battle did feel to go on forever just a tad bit.
13. Henry Cavill didn't really had that much to work with. His portrayal of Clark was really a man of few words but when he transitions to Superman he had more to say. Even then it still appeared he had little to work with till he put on the "S."

What I did like about Man of Steel

1. The scenes on Krypton were some of the most imaginative and best fantasy science fiction worlds I've seen in a while. I only hope the new Star Wars films will impress me as much as Snyder and his art department have done with Krypton.
2. Jor El was given more than just a mentor role. It shouldn't be a spoiler that he dies on Krypton but the method of keeping him as an active role in the film was really well done and helped move the plot. Russell Crowe's performance as Jor El was definitely my favorite part of the film.
3. The change to Kal El's birth. Making Superman the first naturally born Kryptonian instead of a genetically engineered being with a specific purpose (ex. Zod and Faora were made to be soldiers and nothing else) adds more to his character in giving him the choice of choosing who he wants to be.
4. Jonathan and Martha Kent portrayed by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane respectively. Their scenes added the heart to the film that it needed in order to prevent it from moving to dark territory.
5. The decision to base him a little bit more on Kal L (the original Superman from the 1930s and Earth 2) than Kal El (the mainstream Superman). Kal L is more violent and learns restraint later on in the comics but that is in part due to him being raised in an orphanage. With the Kents in the picture as well as his reaction to killing someone, its clear that this Superman will eventually become the Kal El from the mainstream comics everyone knows."
6. The military actually seems to know what they're doing in this film. Major props to Christopher Meloni's character in the film.
7. The villains actually posed a direct threat to humanity. While Michael Shannon did fine as General Zod, Antje Traue was definitely the more memorable of the two performance wise.
8. Reasonable explanation for Superman's Alter Ego.
9. While the battles may have been too long, they were definitely the best Superhero battles ever produced on film. I actually felt like the world was at stake, unlike in The Avengers where at no point did I feel like the world would be conquered.
10. Cavill is Superman

Verdict: There is still Hope...even if it's not the one we hoped for

Professionaly as a critic: 6/10 - Does not live up to the expectations that were set

My personal view though: 8.5/10 - My standards were met even though they weren't exceeded

Some may ask me why would I like something that seems disappointing? Well first of all, if anyone were to call this the worst Superman movie ever, I'd have to disagree with them when Christopher Reeves' Superman III and IV were clearly the worst Superman movies ever. I refuse to personally label this film a terrible movie, because it isn't. The problem that most people will have with this is that the audience is expecting something like "The Dark Knight" when they should've been expecting "Batman Begins." And when I walked out of the theater, knowing that it was getting negative criticism, I told myself, "I love this movie." Do I disagree with the critics who give it a negative review? No, because they are right. But what I don't agree with, is this being a horrible movie. It is a good start to a brand new Superman Franchise, and I hope to see more in the future.

Who Should Watch Man of Steel?

Fans of Superman who are open for new interpretations should definitely see this take on the character. DC comics fans who have an open mind may be able to appreciate what this film has to offer. Hardcore comic readers will be divided. Fans of Zack Snyder's work should definitely watch this film in order to see a completely different side of him that doesn't involved heightened worlds and numerous slow-mo. For a normal audience, its hard to tell. Most will walk out in awe, with some not so much impressed. Film buffs will look at this movie and really think nothing of it, ignoring what has come before. It is a polarizing film, but it deserves better criticism than what it is receiving now.