It's been quite a while since I wrote any sort of blog or review, having taken a slight hiatus to focus on other projects. However, I recently had a good friend ask me for my opinion on a relatively new film and it got me thinking and itching to get back in the swing of things. And so I'm back with my own review of the highly anticipated Man Of Steel!
Directed by Zack Snyder
Running Time: 143 minutes
Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question – Why am I here? Shaped by the values of his adoptive parents Martha and Jonathan Kent, Clark soon discovers that having super abilities means making very difficult decisions. But when the world needs stability the most, it comes under attack. Will his abilities be used to maintain peace or ultimately used to divide and conquer? Clark must become the hero known as “Superman,” not only to shine as the world’s last beacon of hope but to protect the ones he loves. - Synopsis
In the assemblage of superheroes that comics have brought us, Superman is probably the most recognised and revered character of all time, even if - like me - he isn't your favourite. I, like most who had heard or seen anything to do with the Man Of Steel, went in to the viewing more than a little apprehensive. People I knew had said that they loved it, but a lot of critics apparently hated the film - add to this the fact the film had been extremely over-hyped ever since it was first announced, plus the great heights that some of the over blockbusters of the year had already reached (such as Iron Man 3 & Star Trek Into Darkness), and there was a large chance of it not meeting the extremely high expectations.
And so now I've seen it. My verdict? You can most certainly put me in with the group of people who “loved it”.
From the get-go we know we're in for a slightly different experience than what we've had before, when we get an immersed look at the planet Krypton and how Kryptonian society works. The planet looks spectacular, from the wide-shot landscapes to the advanced alien technology and especially the unique alien creatures that call the planet home; everything we've come to expect from such high-budget Hollywood films. Giving the viewers that extra insight into how the Kryptonian society evolved over the years and where it currently stands, perfectly set up the film for it's - albeit then slightly predictable - later primal clash of a climax.
It is here, right at the start of the film that we are introduced to key figures in the later development of the films titular character, most predominantly in the forms of Jor-El (Russell Crowe), the biological father of Superman, Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer), the biological mother of Superman, and General Zod (Michael Shannon), the General of the Kryptonian army and major antagonist of the film. The early interaction between these characters, added to the revelations of the rules of Kryptonian society, really do set up valid and strong reasons for the structured plot-devices for the remainder of the film. The early strong performances, especially from Crowe and Shannon, also really helped kick-start the film - if you ask me.
This part was probably my favourite bit of the film. As I've stated in many other reviews, I'm a glutton for details, and this extra Kryptonian lore just resonated with me. Truth be told I would have been completely happy if this film had just focused on Krypton, leaving "Superman" for the sequel (OK, maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but you get the picture). I found that the whole beginning process if the film better helped us connect with the major characters of the film on a more emotional and understanding level.
In this part of the film I couldn't help feel there were some clear development similarities between these scenes and the television show Smallville (which, if you don't already know, is purely focused on Clark's development into the role of Superman), which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. With some emotional moments, these flashbacks further helped to develop Clark, much in the same way that the Krypton scenes at the start helped do the same for Zod and Jor-El.
In many superhero origin stories the first half of the film always seems to drag on as we get a rehashed reboot of the same old information, yet in the Man Of Steel I felt the style of briefly explaining the primary and important aspects of the young Clark's development in flashbacks helped avoid that potential issue and was an excellent, fresh step for this film.
When Zod inevitably arrives on Earth, Superman is faced with a decision; trust Zod and the Kryptonians, perhaps the last living remnants of his race, or trust his guts and side with the potentially as untrustworthy members of Humanity?
Shannon does what he does best with his role as Zod, and this role has once again reasserted his monopoly on "frightingly-scary-but-with-just-enough-integrity-to-help-the-audience-slightly-relate-to-him" roles. Zod's high-octane, absurdly super-powered and destructive confrontations with Superman, and in part with Jor-El too, always felt and looked completely plausible, and I personally really enjoyed Clark's moment of realisation and horror when he finally realised what Zod's true intentions were.
The level of destruction caused by the evil Kryptonians and the resulting battles was off the scale in this adaptation, which makes perfect sense - even if it feels a little over the top at moments. If you think back to the original Richard Donner Superman films with Christopher Reeve’s, they fell agonisingly short in terms of special effects. In those films, Superman’s speed is so fast he can use it to literally travel backwards in time, but in the fight scenes with General Zod played by Terence Stamp, the speeds used are regular at best; that's why I'm glad they went for Zod as the main antagonist of this film, rather than the more used Lex Luthor (who I'm sure will be in the sequel).
However, one main complaint about this film is how it seemingly holds itself back. There was no doubt that lots of people were dying in this film. Cars were blown up, buildings collapsed and Humans were punched with super strength at super speeds, but did we actually see any clearly seen deaths? Perhaps one or two, at a distance. The one scene that really highlighted this for me was where Zod’s chief-henchwoman, Faora, takes out a group of human soldiers with a combination of super-strong, lightning-fast punches, in the sort of showcase that I've always wanted in a Superman film. However, when you take into account how the Kryptonians are destroying every structure and object in their path, I almost expected her fists to rip through the Humans!
Alas, not a single drop of blood was seen to be spilt that day, with it left somewhat unclear if the said Human soldiers were left unconscious or dead. While at first I thought the reasoning for this might have be the 12a rating that was attached to the film, but then I remembered that The Dark Knight had a 12 rating, and while it wasn't gory and filled with bloody violence, I feel that it still managed to give a better sense of realistic violence than the Man Of Steel did.
By no means was this a fatal flaw for the film, in fact I felt that the lowest point was a strange and totally unnecessary battle with a technological space tentacle (trust me, you'll know the bit when you see it), or perhaps even the several comparisons between Superman and Jesus (seriously, really?). However, there were also some strong, but less spectacular performances in the forms of Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and Perry White (Laurence Fishburne). Though Lois was vital to the film and she played a relatively large role, I felt the romantic developments between her and Clark (which, lets be honest, are sort of the bedrock of all previous Superman lore) were rushed and lacking; hopefully they'll be able to build upon this in the sequels.
3 ½ Rebel symbols out of 5!
Perhaps somewhat generous, but this film delivers exactly what we've all be waiting for: action, super-powered fights, and a villain Superman can finally fight toe-to-toe! Finally doing Superman fight scenes right really is a big deal.
