"Man of Steel" Review

Let me begin by congratulating director Zach Snyder on two things:
1. Creating a movie without excessive slow motion.
2. Making Superman interesting.

Film Summary: It's a Superman origin movie. That's all you need to know.

I have always been a big superhero fan, and that love for fictional symbols of justice and hope came from movies. I bought my first comic book after seeing it's leading character on the big screen for the first time (even though it was an Electra comic during a time when I actually liked the Daredevil movie). So, I tend to hold the superhero genre on a pedestal and judge it on a totally different level than others. In my opinion, a superhero movie must include and pull off specific elements in order to be considered at least "good" in my book. For example, the hero(s) must be complex; not just the nice guy next door who is always willing to fight for good, but someone who has to struggle with morality and other issue in order to find out what he is truly fighting for. The villain must also be complex, if not more than the hero is. And as for the leading lady; the movie must recognize that the female in a superhero movie doesn't always have to play the damsel in distress. There has got to be action, there has got to be destruction, but most importantly, the movie has got to make the audience believe their beloved comic panels have come to life before their eyes.

It makes me happy to say that Man of Steel has done just that.

Before viewing Snyder's latest cinematic take on a beloved comic book series, I will admit that I was not too excited to see it. For one, Superman has never been a favorite of mine. I personally never saw him as much of a complex and memorable character, rather a perfectly boring hero with only one weakness to slow him down. My mind was much more interested in the brooding likes of Batman and Spider-Man. I also wasn't too thrilled with who was seated in the director's chair. While I will admit to being a fan of (most of) his take on Alan Moore's opus, Watchmen (I'm sorry, Mr. Moore, but I did), the last thing I wanted this movie to be was an over-stylized, slow-motion riddled blockbuster-hopeful such as 300 or Sucker Punch. Honestly, what convinced me into going out to the theater on Monday to see it was knowing who produced it (Christopher Nolan) and who wrote the score (Hans Zimmer).

To my relief, Man of Steel was neither boring nor overwrought with slow motion. While the script was nothing Oscar-worthy (did Lois Lane really ask where to "tinkle"???), I appreciated the films unique mix of cinematography styles; switching between that of what you'd expect from a superhero blockbuster and a personal, almost shaky-cam feel that pulled the Kryptonian's story into a more realistic light. And while they could have treated this as just your normal origin story, the movie luckily failed to follow the usual chronological timeline and gracefully covered the events of Clark Kent's past on Earth through a series of non-distracting flashbacks. The acting from the majority of the cast is something to be commended, as well. Henry Cavill brought a new depth to a character I had once found incredibly one-dimensional. Michael Shannon also gave a standout performance as General Zod. He was able to turn a role that could have been so easily-overdone into one that made the audience both empathize with him and fear him at the same time.

Upon viewing Man of Steel, I cannot help but compare it to another recent reboot of a popular superhero franchise; Sony Pictures' The Amazing Spider-Man. Both films had the difficult task of regaining a mass audience after their predecessors had fallen under deservedly harsh criticisms (Superman Returns, Spider-Man 3), and they both succeeded in restoring hope to fanboys and fangirls everywhere. But there are two areas in which both vary in superiority. One of these areas is the way the origin story is handled. Unlike The Amazing Spider-Man, Man of Steel was aware that a large portion of its audience was already familiar with the back story of how and why Superman came to Earth, and it doesn't dwell so much on the past or how he came to be what he is today. Even though it was obligated to cover it all, Snyder's film did it in a way that was refreshing and new for longtime fans and informative for newcomers. However, while Spider-Man was almost all back-story and no action, Man of Steel quickly became the opposite towards the end of the film. By the time the final battle between Superman and Zod began, I was so mentally exhausted and ready for the movie to be over, I didn't care who won the battle! I just wanted someone to die so I could go home.

Superman will not be topping my list of favorite superheroes any time soon, but Christopher Nolan's experience and influence did Snyder well on his venture to reboot the franchise. It was risky trying pull off the same, realistic tone as the producer once found success in with the Dark Knight trilogy, but overall, the team pulled it off quite nicely. From the films clever little details (the Smallville water tower, the LexCorp fuel tank) to the overwhelming sense of heroism that explodes from each piece of Zimmer's score, Man of Steel proved to be quite the pleasant surprise.


FINAL VERDICT: It's worth seeing on the big screen