Tyler’s Movie Review: Man Of Steel

“It’s a bird! It’s a plane!” Two phrases you won’t hear uttered or referenced anywhere near Man Of Steel, the new Superman reboot from producer Christopher Nolan, who brought you the birth of the realistic, gritty, and dark superhero epic with his Dark Knight Trilogy (2005, 2008, 2012). Why? Because this isn’t your father’s Superman. There’s no kryptonite, no John Williams fanfare, and certainly no corny heroism. This is all about the darkness. The humanity. The emotion. The scope. However, the aforementioned phrase does have some relevance here, since just as people in the comics were divided over whether Superman was a bird or a plane, critics have been divided over the latest reincarnation of the classic superhero character. On one end, it’s being hailed as a superhero epic for the ages, one of the greatest comic book films ever made, with an unparalleled scope and fantastic visuals and action. On the other, critics claim Man Of Steel delves into a realm oft travelled by Michael Bay through his Transformers films, one of mayhem, destruction, and whatnot without the character and emotion to make that madness matter. Well, fresh out of my midnight screening, hopped up on theater soda and candy, my thoughts are clear as to where I stand on that polarizing scale. Man Of Steel follows Clark Kent, otherwise known as Kal-El, an extraterrestrial with tremendous abilities who must face his heritage and powers when other long lost members of his race come to threaten Earth. 

Playing Superman, I’m sure, is no small feat. It may not be the most emotionally challenging role an  actor could assume, and it may not be the most complex, but the role in itself is an icon for the ages, a timeless symbol that cannot be understated. With that said, Man Of Steel was banking on who played their Superman. They had to look the part. They had to play the part well. In a sense, they had to BE Superman. It seems, almost ironically, that British actor Henry Cavill was more than up for the challenge of playing the classic American hero. Cavill plays all sides of Superman. As Clark, an emotionally confused, soul-searching young man. As Kal-El, a fish-out-of-water searching for meaning and learning the ways of his people. As Superman, a heroic, incredibly cool, and undeniably badass hero whose powers light up the screen with amazing force. Cavill’s portrayal of Superman has some emotional depth, and although that’s undermined by the surrounding chaos, Cavill’s not to blame there. He plays the role perfectly, and its safe to assume that this generation will forever link him to Superman, for better or worse. Amy Adams steps in as Lois Lane, a part surprisingly prominent in this origin story, and rightfully so. Adams is more than capable for the role, and plays it with likability and grace, just as an actress of her caliber would. One can only assume, like much of this supporting cast, her role will be expanded through future installments. The rest of the supporting cast includes Kevin Costner, a standout with his poignant wisdom and emotion, Russell Crowe, powerful and prominent as Jor-El, Superman’s birth father, and Lawrence Fishburne, who’s kind of just there, but you know that’s okay, because he’s Lawrence Fishburne. Squaring off against Superman is the villainous, seemingly fascist General Zod, a Kryptonian engineered to protect and serve his people, even if it means destroying the Earth and its inhabitants to do so. Zod’s an interestingly written character, not as inherently evil as he is inherently patriotic. But it’s also easy to root against him, and easy to hate him, a tribute to Michael Shannon’s ability to play an unnervingly insane villain.

Man Of Steel has big ideas, big aspirations, and a big budget. What results is epic in scope, scale, and visual splendor. From the opening scene (a prologue that takes us through the end of Krypton), you know you’re in for a massive ride full of destruction and explosions that defy any scope you’ve seen in a  superhero film thus far. The Dark Knight Rises is child’s play when you look at what is at play here. As the film progresses, it morphs into an unconventionally told origin story, which, through its unconventional, loses some of its heart and charm, but undeniably has its memorable moments thanks to a strong presence from Kevin Costner and a few eye-catching classic “origin” moments (Clark saves a bus full of school children, Clark stops himself from beating the living daylights out of a schoolyard bully, etc.). There’s even a semi-controversial (due to recent events) tornado scene, a scene whose effect  can’t be understated: it’s one of the most moving moments in a superhero film to date. After we’ve gone through the checklist of creating Superman, the plot is ready to go full speed ahead, and once Zod arrives on the scene, the film really doesn’t slow down from there.

The action is nearly non-stop for an hour, and is plentiful in its destruction. The destruction is visually  incredible, for sure, but it somewhat lessens the emotional depth and strong characters the film spent so long building up. There’s a little bit too much “random block of city people gets decimated” where instead character moments could’ve been sprinkled throughout the film’s final hour to give it more depth. That’s not to say the moments aren’t there, since even the smallest of characters get their heroic moment in the sun, driving home the film’s message that even the non-superpowered humans can be heroes if they choose to be. But the destruction is loud and chaotic, and ultimately is counter-productive to what the film really should be accomplishing with its action: breathtaking use of Superman’s powers, put into action with incredible fighting and scope. However, when this is accomplished, it’s absolutely incredible. Never have I seen anything like the fist fight throughout Smallville that drives a train through a department store and sends Superman and Zod through a brawl through a cornfield. It’s all eye-catching stuff that encompasses the scope and epic feel of the film with visual genius and Hans Zimmer’s typically epic score. The film’s climax is like nothing I’ve ever seen in a superhero film. While the action does at points get too Transformer-y with its destruction and mayhem, the fight between Zod and Superman had my heart stopped. I’ve actually never seen anything like it. It’s brilliantly shot, chaotic, epic, and incredibly exciting stuff, so when the film does the fighting right, it really makes up for the other flaws the action has.

I won’t try to convince you this is a perfect movie. It’s far from it. The film has strong characters and a strong cast, but sacrifices them halfway through for a more destruction-oriented plot, something that really could’ve been avoided if the scope had been controlled a bit more. However, the climactic fight and ending brings back emotional satisfaction perfectly. The film can get a bit too heavy-handed with its symbolism that Superman is our Jesus. When you have Henry Cavill realizing what he has to do in front of a stained glass window prominently featuring Christ and then proclaiming his age is 33 (the exact age at which Jesus sacrificed himself in the Bible), you should know you may have gone a bit too far. But it’s not distracting from the overall experience at all.

In the end, that is what the film is: a superhero, movie-going experience. It’s not perfect, and it’s not amazing filmmaking, but its blockbuster filmmaking at the most epic its been in years. If this is what DC Comics is starting their Justice League with, The Avengers better watch out. Superman is in town.

FINAL GRADE: ★★★★★★★★☆ (8.5/10 stars)

FINAL SAY: Its action delves into mindless mayhem and destruction a bit too much, but for the most part, Man Of Steel is a fantastically exciting, visually incredible, well-acted superhero epic.