Superman may be the most iconic and recognizable superhero of all-time, but he has also proven to be a beast of a character to get just right. It's a problem that stretches beyond the comics page and onto the screen, whether it be big or small, with different creators each putting a very different spin on the character. Some of those connect with audiences, like the Richard Donner version of Superman that many still hold as the definitive take. Others, like Bryan Singer's failed
Superman Returns, are all about the red and blue suit but leave the man inside it aside.
The trouble is that Superman has become antiquated, a Golden Age relic who stands for everything that is good and right and perfect. Because he means so much to so many people, there's been a reluctance to give him any level of depth. We've seen shades of grey emerge in various comics storylines of late, but on the big screen it's Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder who are finally making Superman relevant again, as the awesome
Man of Steel brings him soaring into the 21st century.
The powerhouse, kinetic visual style of Snyder would seem like an odd mesh with the moodier, more contemplative approach Nolan favors, and for the most part it's a combination that runs on all cylinders. This is a cinematic Superman we've never seen before. Gone are the tired retellings of his origin that tell us nothing about the man, and in its place we get a smartly crafted story that attacks his mythology head on. All of the elements we know are there, beginning with the destruction of his native Krypton, captured with the sci-fi bombast of a steroid-jacked Star Wars. Within the flying warships, laser battles, and exotic creatures is the significant presence of Russell Crowe as Jor-El, who along with his wife (Ayelet Zurer) give birth to Kal-El, the first natural birth in centuries. Unfortunately it happens as the planet is dying, and General Zod (Michael Shannon) is staging a genocidal coup to attain power. Nuance is only occasionally part of Snyder's repertoire, but he wields it effectively as the doomed parents make the fateful decision to send their son to the safety of Earth.
From there, the Kal-El we meet bears little resemblance to the hero he would eventually become. As played by a rugged, physical Henry Cavill, this version has been beaten down by the weight of isolation, responsibility, and destiny. It's a surprisingly measured performance by Cavill, who shows he's more than just muscles and a charming face. His Kal-El is an alien in a strange world, drifting through life trying to find some sense of purpose. In that way he's as human as everybody else, but he's still a man with the power of a god, and when disaster strikes we see him incapable of standing idly by. He becomes a ghost, an urban legend, the mysterious savior who shows up like a guardian angel.
It's an apt description, as the idea of religion in a world where creatures like Kal-El exist is one that comes up frequently, most notably when Snyder turns his attention to Smallville. Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) are still the same blue-collar couple who found the alien baby in their cornfield, and in them we see the pull of two different parenting approaches. Both having seen their entire religious foundation shattered by the super-strong child, they fight to hide the newly-named Clark from the prying eyes of their Kansas neighbors, even as he risks exposure through a number of miraculous rescues. While Jonathan emphatically demands Clark stay hidden in the shadows from a mistrusting world, Martha guides him through his burgeoning powers and acute senses. Like Crowe, Costner's presence looms heavy over the entire film. His impact measured through perfectly timed sage words of wisdom. Lane isn't given quite as much to do, but she's effective enough as the uplifting matriarch and Clark's lifeline to a simpler time.
By the time Clark dons the blue and red suit for the first time, you're ready for the action to explode, and Snyder delivers it in grand fashion. Zod, who had been banished to the prison Phantom Zone along with his right-hand lady Faora (Antje Traue), comes to Earth looking to wipe out the last son of Krypton, and when his full plans are revealed it leads to some epic smackdown with enough city-wide destruction to put Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich to shame. The first is the best, however, in which Superman (he's only called that once in the film, by the way) battles the evil Kryptonians while also defending the over-matched military. It's an immense battle that gives us everything we want to see from Superman; aggression, righteousness, power, stability. Snyder frames this battle perfectly, but his worst instincts flare up in the final showdown. While he's absolutely a filmmaker capable of tremendous sequences, creativity has never been his strength, and so we get a lot of repetitive moments of crashing skyscrapers and exploding fuel tankers. As Smallville and then Metropolis are utterly destroyed, the devastation begins to lose its effectiveness. It may be overkill, but it's never dull. Gone is his frustrating speed-ramping/slow-motion trademark that he used to death in 2011's
Sucker Punch, replaced by a style that is more direct and visceral. When Clark first begins to explore the full extent of his powers, and he takes off into the air with a gigantic sonic boom, it's an exhilarating experience. There perhaps could have been more of Clark's learning curve, but what we do get is a pure joy.
Through the windswept fields, laundry flowing in the breeze, and serene rivers of the Midwest, Snyder shows he's capable of capturing scenes of extraordinary emotional heft, even if on some occasions his camera is a little too hectic. It's almost as if he forgets to wind down between all of those battle scenes. Fortunately he gets a lot of help from yet another epic score from the reliable Hans Zimmer, his music matching whatever Snyder can throw at him. What he doesn't get is much in the way of humor to play with. This is a dark, grim story from start to finish, and hopefully that will be rectified in future chapters.
The supporting cast is a mixed bag, though. There's a reason Lois Lane (Amy Adams) has yet to be mentioned this deep into the review, and it's because she's pretty much irrelevant. Adams gets all of the surface traits of the intrepid reporter just right; she's spunky and fearless when she's got a juicy story to bite into, but that's pretty much it. Through heaps of armor and some laughable bad-guy dialogue, Shannon's natural intensity shines through in the overzealous Zod. It's largely due to Shannon that Zod comes off as a credible villain, even if his motivations are a little spotty. Laurence Fishburne is fairly muted as Daily Planet head honcho Perry White, but Traue is a real force as Faora.
Warner Bros. has put the future of their superhero line in the hands of Snyder, Nolan, and Cavill, and it has proved to be the right move to make. It doesn't have the depth of character as Nolan's
The Dark Knight trilogy, but let's not forget that developed over the course of years. There's plenty of time for
Man of Steel to evolve into something even greater. For now, Snyder and Nolan deserve all the credit in the world for finally giving us the Superman we've waited a long time for.
The trouble is that Superman has become antiquated, a Golden Age relic who stands for everything that is good and right and perfect. Because he means so much to so many people, there's been a reluctance to give him any level of depth. We've seen shades of grey emerge in various comics storylines of late, but on the big screen it's Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder who are finally making Superman relevant again, as the awesome Man of Steel brings him soaring into the 21st century.
The powerhouse, kinetic visual style of Snyder would seem like an odd mesh with the moodier, more contemplative approach Nolan favors, and for the most part it's a combination that runs on all cylinders. This is a cinematic Superman we've never seen before. Gone are the tired retellings of his origin that tell us nothing about the man, and in its place we get a smartly crafted story that attacks his mythology head on. All of the elements we know are there, beginning with the destruction of his native Krypton, captured with the sci-fi bombast of a steroid-jacked Star Wars. Within the flying warships, laser battles, and exotic creatures is the significant presence of Russell Crowe as Jor-El, who along with his wife (Ayelet Zurer) give birth to Kal-El, the first natural birth in centuries. Unfortunately it happens as the planet is dying, and General Zod (Michael Shannon) is staging a genocidal coup to attain power. Nuance is only occasionally part of Snyder's repertoire, but he wields it effectively as the doomed parents make the fateful decision to send their son to the safety of Earth.
From there, the Kal-El we meet bears little resemblance to the hero he would eventually become. As played by a rugged, physical Henry Cavill, this version has been beaten down by the weight of isolation, responsibility, and destiny. It's a surprisingly measured performance by Cavill, who shows he's more than just muscles and a charming face. His Kal-El is an alien in a strange world, drifting through life trying to find some sense of purpose. In that way he's as human as everybody else, but he's still a man with the power of a god, and when disaster strikes we see him incapable of standing idly by. He becomes a ghost, an urban legend, the mysterious savior who shows up like a guardian angel.
It's an apt description, as the idea of religion in a world where creatures like Kal-El exist is one that comes up frequently, most notably when Snyder turns his attention to Smallville. Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane) are still the same blue-collar couple who found the alien baby in their cornfield, and in them we see the pull of two different parenting approaches. Both having seen their entire religious foundation shattered by the super-strong child, they fight to hide the newly-named Clark from the prying eyes of their Kansas neighbors, even as he risks exposure through a number of miraculous rescues. While Jonathan emphatically demands Clark stay hidden in the shadows from a mistrusting world, Martha guides him through his burgeoning powers and acute senses. Like Crowe, Costner's presence looms heavy over the entire film. His impact measured through perfectly timed sage words of wisdom. Lane isn't given quite as much to do, but she's effective enough as the uplifting matriarch and Clark's lifeline to a simpler time.
By the time Clark dons the blue and red suit for the first time, you're ready for the action to explode, and Snyder delivers it in grand fashion. Zod, who had been banished to the prison Phantom Zone along with his right-hand lady Faora (Antje Traue), comes to Earth looking to wipe out the last son of Krypton, and when his full plans are revealed it leads to some epic smackdown with enough city-wide destruction to put Michael Bay and Roland Emmerich to shame. The first is the best, however, in which Superman (he's only called that once in the film, by the way) battles the evil Kryptonians while also defending the over-matched military. It's an immense battle that gives us everything we want to see from Superman; aggression, righteousness, power, stability. Snyder frames this battle perfectly, but his worst instincts flare up in the final showdown. While he's absolutely a filmmaker capable of tremendous sequences, creativity has never been his strength, and so we get a lot of repetitive moments of crashing skyscrapers and exploding fuel tankers. As Smallville and then Metropolis are utterly destroyed, the devastation begins to lose its effectiveness. It may be overkill, but it's never dull. Gone is his frustrating speed-ramping/slow-motion trademark that he used to death in 2011's Sucker Punch, replaced by a style that is more direct and visceral. When Clark first begins to explore the full extent of his powers, and he takes off into the air with a gigantic sonic boom, it's an exhilarating experience. There perhaps could have been more of Clark's learning curve, but what we do get is a pure joy.
Warner Bros. has put the future of their superhero line in the hands of Snyder, Nolan, and Cavill, and it has proved to be the right move to make. It doesn't have the depth of character as Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy, but let's not forget that developed over the course of years. There's plenty of time for Man of Steel to evolve into something even greater. For now, Snyder and Nolan deserve all the credit in the world for finally giving us the Superman we've waited a long time for.
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