Movie Review: "Man of Steel"

If someone was to tell ten year old me that by the time I turned nineteen I'd be tired of superhero movies, I'd probably laugh in your face. Growing up at a time when you could expect at least one superhero movie a year, my summer wasn't complete until I got to see a masked hero take on bad guy in a special effects driven blockbuster. Little did I know that I was only experiencing the beginning of this cultural phenomenon. In the summer of 2008 Robert Downey Jr. donned the Iron Man armor for the first time, the Dark Knight faced off against the Joker and Nick Fury emerged from the shadows to announce that the Avengers would finally assemble. Hollywood suddenly became a comic book movie factory, with films ranging from entertaining but unimpressive (Captain America), wildly disappointing (The Dark Knight Rises), wholly unnecessary (The Amazing Spider-Man) and occasionally epic (The Avengers). The novelty of seeing your favorite hero on the big screen is gone, and I've found myself straddled with a bad case of superhero fatigue.

Enter Man of Steel, a film from a director whose films I don't enjoy very much and with a hero at the center that I've always found quite boring. Warner Bros. really deserves praise for their highly effective marketing because when I was on the long line to enter the theater with dozens of other moviegoers, I was actually excited. Not just interested, not just curious and not just in search of a way to kill a few hours. I was genuinely anticipating Man of Steel. And while the film was not a great one, it was one that left me satisfied in a way few comic book films have.

As I mentioned above, the big thing missing from comic book movies these days is novelty. The first time Tobey Maguire donned those red and blue tights, filmgoers were given the chance to see what they have never seen and do what they have never done: fly through the streets of New York, battle a menacing villain in midair, and kiss the pretty girl next door (upside down no less). That's what made The Amazing Spider-Man so disappointing- it wasn't bad, just bland. That's what makes the best superhero films stand above the rest: the ability to give something to audiences they have not seen on the big screen before. Christopher Nolan managed to bring superheroes into the gritty "real world", with an incredibly unique villain to boot. Iron Man had a hero like no other: an incredibly entertaining wiseass with a garage of cool gadgets. Even the tagline for 1978's Superman offered a window into what made that film a classic: "You'll believe a man can fly." So, what can Zack Snyder bring to the classic superhero that audiences haven't seen before? The answer is simple; action scenes of epic proportions that are simultaneously brutal and beautiful.

Right from the opening scene one thing about Man of Steel was abundantly clear: this was going to be a great looking film. Great cinematography is not uncommon with superhero movies these days- The Dark Knight received an Oscar nomination for theirs and Sin City is renowned for it's style- but Man of Steel may be the best looking comic book adaptation to date. Clearly inspired by Terrence Malick's films, cinematographer Amir Mokri has crafted a beautiful looking film that manages to personify the term "eye candy" without necessarily relying on CGI to do it (though, rest assured, the CGI is there and great looking). Many have lauded Snyder's visually style in his previous films, namely 300 and Watchmen. While Watchmen is fine looking (albeit a bit too dark and grimy for my liking), I never saw what was so special about 300's look. To me, it looked like nothing more than a polished video game. But here, Snyder and Mokri lighten things up and truly capture Superman in all his epic glory- a feeling that is supported by the scope and size of Snyder's action scenes.

Not being particularly knowledgeable in all things Kryptonian, you can imagine my surprise the first time I saw Superman fly down from the heavens, grab General Zod by the neck and toss him through a silo of grain miles away. In all my watching of superhero flicks, I had never seen something like that happen. For the final hour or so of Man of Steel, Snyder unleashes huge action sequences that remind us why audiences flock to the theater during the summer movie season. By having his hero and the film's many villains toss each other through the streets, obliterating buildings in the process, the film becomes more exciting and more action packed than any film I've seen this summer. Not to mention that each action scene brings something new to the table, whether it's by placing Lois Lane at the center of things or by having Zod and Clark flying through the city. We've seen Iron Man use his armor to take on bad guys before. We've never seen a hero punch a man toss a villain through a building.

But, while Snyder has brought some originality to the action scenes, David S. Goyer brings absolutely nothing to the table as the screenwriter. The film relies heavily on dramatic flashbacks between Clark and Jonathan Kent to develop our hero, but these scenes are all just versions of Uncle Ben's "Great Responsibility" speech. There are just enough lessons in morality to serve as bridges between action scenes so the film can't be deemed "brainless." Likewise, the romance between Lois and Clark, while expected, breaks no new ground. There is no extra layer or interesting twists- Lois and Clark meet, Lois and Clark flirt, Lois helps Clark, Clark saves Lois, they kiss. While Cavill and Adams have chemistry, they aren't given any material that makes their romance worth caring about.

The film also tries to add religious imagery where it, simply, doesn't belong. Yes, Superman is essentially a reinterpretation of Moses or Jesus, and acknowledging that is fine, but Man of Steel doesn't use the imagery enough to make it mean anything. The most annoying of these scenes is a moment where Clark consults a priest to gain guidance on a particular plot point, despite the fact that virtually everyone in the audience can predict what's going to happen. The sequence feels both unnecessary and out of place- Clark never questions his purpose in life, and jumps into action to save people at earlier moments. Why is this one any different? While the film (thankfully) doesn't bash audiences over the head with the metaphors, a la Superman Returns, Goyer should have made a firm stance: incorporate the religious imagery throughout the film, or not at all.

Thankfully, Henry Cavill does his best to to make Goyer's script less troublesome. This man was born to be a movie star. Radiating with charisma from the moment he walks (excuse me, flies) on screen, Cavill has the physique of a super hero, but is likable and relatable in a way too few protagonists are. The rest of the cast isn't quite as strong, but there still isn't a bad performance in the bunch. Michael Shannon and Russell Crowe turn in solid performances, while Laurence Fishburne, Kevin Costner and Diane Lane do their best in their handful of scenes. Stealing scenes from the A-lists in the cast is Antje Traue, portraying the sidekick to Zod as both sinister and badass. The only disappointment amongst the group is Amy Adams. Adams is a wonderful actress, but she's clearing phoning this one in. She's not bad, but uninspired and merely serviceable.

The response to Man of Steel has been polarizing to say the least. Some have praised it to the high heavens. In my opinion, that's a bit too hyperbolic. Some have been tearing it apart. That's a bit unfair. Man of Steel is hardly original in it's script, but it carries out the worn out clichés more efficiently than many of its peers. And its action scenes are truly one of a kind- a perfect combination of epic visuals with a lead that brings humanity to the special effects on the big screen. Toss in some awe inspiring cinematography, and you have yourself a winning summer movie. So while Man of Steel hasn't cured my superhero fatigue, and I'm not necessarily excited for Man of Steel 2,3, Justice League or the inevitable reboot, I can say, without hesitation, that the film left me thoroughly entertained as a fanboy and mostly satisfied as a film critic.

OVERALL GRADE: B