NOTE: This is a review drafted on 3/24/2016 on a different blog that is no longer in use. I decided to transfer content from that website to this to maintain consistency.
Man of Steel Review
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Russell Crow, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne
Blurb/Synopsis: In the pantheon of superheroes, Superman is the most recognized and revered character of all time. Clark Kent/Kal-El (Cavill) is a young man who feels alienated by powers beyond anyone's imagination. Transported to Earth years ago from Krypton, an advanced alien planet, Clark struggles with the ultimate question - Why am I here? Shaped by he values of his adoptive parents Martha (Lane) and Jonathan Kent (Costner) , 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 r 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.
Expectations/Background: I'm not going to pretend I watched this movie when it came out, because I didn't. I saw it come out, but as I was younger and caught up in the Marvel wave, I didn't bother watching. And I knew that I could not watch this movie objectively until the Marvel craze had died down, and all the DC hate had subsided somewhat. And since Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice comes out this weekend, I thought what better time to watch the predecessor, Man of Steel, to fully know what was going on in the universe. And I had heard a lot. Some people really liked this movie; lots of people really hated this movie. There were some that were mixed about it, and I really didn't know what to expect. I knew what the climax was going to amount to, since I had read other reviews during the three years that have passed since its release. But I just didn't know what to expect. I wanted to watch this movie as objectively as possible, and as clear-mindedly as possible. And that's exactly what I did.
The Movie: **note: Since this movie came out three years, I will spoiling major plot elements. You have been warned.** What can I say, this movie is an enigma. After watching it once through, I sat there, thinking, pondering. I really don't know what to make of this film. Let me try to break it down: there are quite a few things that I rather enjoyed, and quite a few things that I hated. Henry Cavill's Superman was excellent, fitting this modern age as well as Christopher Reeve's fit his era. I just felt that he was muted a little too much. I'll discuss the cast in depth in the next section, but my overall opinion was that there were hits and misses. The tone of the movie was very dark, and very unlike the other Superman movies, which strayed too far into campiness. This movie strays a little too far into the dark side. At a point in this movie, I really would have appreciated a joke or two to lighten the mood, but none came. After finishing the movie, something felt incredibly off, and I thought for a long time, and came to the conclusion it was ultimately the pacing. The pacing was incredibly off. Telling the story of Clark Kent in flash backs was very smart, rather than telling a straight origin story. However, the way they were placed, and the way that they enacted felt so different than the rest of the movie that it took me out of it. I would also like to touch on Jonathan Kent's death; it felt way too overdramatized. And I'm not saying it because in the comics he dies of a heart attack, I'm saying that there really was no need for him to stand there in the middle of the tornado, hand outstretched, while Clark just stood there. It lacked real emotional weight. Then, moving from Lois Lane to Clark Kent, to Faora, to Zod, to a flashback, it ruined the whole tone and feel of the movie for me. Going back to some positives, Krypton was amazing; it was truly incredible to see the world where Clark lived and where he grew it. Truly beautiful. I enjoyed most of the sequences between Shannon's Zod and Crowe's Jor-El. However, I thought that when Zod destroyed the ghost Jor-El, it felt way to abrupt, and it was skimmed over very quickly. The scene where Superman snaps Zod's neck is great actually. That's not where I take issue. I take issue in what takes place afterwards. When Superman has Zod in a headlock, and Zod is trying to kill the family, it was really great, and Cavill shines as he shows the conflict he feels afterwards. And the scream of anger, frustration, and mourning that he emits is truly power. But a couple scenes later, he's bantering with military officials, as if nothing happened. I really would have liked to see some emotional depth and struggle in Superman, and as I hear it is addressed in Batman v. Superman, that's great, except a lot of it in this movie would have been appreciated. The whole arc with Lois Lane and the World Engine and Jor-El was fine, I just think that she could've been relegated to a much smaller part, rather than having to run around with Superman all the time. When Faora randomly requests that Lois come with them on the ship, it took me completely off guard. Why in the world do Kryptonians want a human aboard their ship? It made little to no sense. The action was brilliant as well. The way the hero and the villains fought were absolutely amazing and stunning to behold, but there was too much. When Superman tackles Zod and mows him down through a field, punching him over and over, and they blow up a gas station, and they ram into buildings, it felt like too much. The cherry on top was when the world engine grew tentacles and began to fight Kal. Where in the world did that come from? However, we shall close out with some positives; the movie is stunning. It's an absolute masterpiece to behold in terms of visuals, and I am not surprised at all because this movie is directed by Zack Snyder, known for flashy scenes and amazing sights. From Krypton, to when Superman first learns to fly, to when Superman and Zod are flying through Metropolis, it's truly stunning. And I would be amiss if I did not mention the music, because the score by Hans Zimmer was inspiring, yet grounded at the same time. They allowed me to buy into the action set pieces and the emotional moments that much more, and for that, I give major props to Zimmer.
The Cast/Characters: As mentioned above, there are lots of hits, and there are lots of misses. Let's talk about the hits: I loved Henry Cavill's Superman. He was brilliant in his portrayal of Clark Kent, when he realized he was Kal-El, and when he embraced his role as Superman. I just think the film and the writers muted him; he didn't get many lines at all to say. The first time when he actually talked to someone was around 30 minutes into the movie, and it confused me because although his line delivery wasn't Oscar-worthy, it wasn't terrible, which made me question why the film-makers wanted to mute him most of the time. Lois Lane, however was completely unnecessary. Amy Adams performance wasn't George Clooney Batman awful, but it was by no means good either. Overtime she came on the scene, she took me out the movie; she certainly is a believable journalist, but I do not feel she is a sufficient love interest to Superman. I felt she was like Mary-Jane Watson in the Spider-man films actually; their performances were quite similar. However, Russell Crowe, Diane Lane, and Kevin Costner as Kal's parents were amazing. Russell Crowe really brought a gravitas that was needed for the father of Superman, and his performance really elevated the film. Diane Lane and Kevin Costner delivered as Kent's parents, making it believable that this couple would adopt someone who had fallen out of the sky. However, Michael Shannon's Zod did not fit into this movie, as I will explain more in the next segment, but his performance took me out of the movie completely.
The Villain(s): Zod was intimidating, and he needed to be, but he was so completely wooden in his line delivery, that it was almost funny. His presence was scary, and you felt the weight of a great villain, but as soon as Shannon opened his mouth, the wooden and monotone lines just poured out. And the next minute Zod would scream something and it would be almost funny to watch the whole thing. However, his fights with Superman were excellent, I just wished that he had a little more heavy presence in the movie, because the line delivery did not help. It also didn't help how starkly his American accent contrasted with Russell Crowe and the rest of the Kryptonians' English accents. Faora was truly amazing to watch as she would tear through the cities try to get Clark Kent, but ultimately, she was a henchman to Zod. She served her purpose, which was to distract the audience for a little bit before the final smackdown began.
The Villain(s): Zod was intimidating, and he needed to be, but he was so completely wooden in his line delivery, that it was almost funny. His presence was scary, and you felt the weight of a great villain, but as soon as Shannon opened his mouth, the wooden and monotone lines just poured out. And the next minute Zod would scream something and it would be almost funny to watch the whole thing. However, his fights with Superman were excellent, I just wished that he had a little more heavy presence in the movie, because the line delivery did not help. It also didn't help how starkly his American accent contrasted with Russell Crowe and the rest of the Kryptonians' English accents. Faora was truly amazing to watch as she would tear through the cities try to get Clark Kent, but ultimately, she was a henchman to Zod. She served her purpose, which was to distract the audience for a little bit before the final smackdown began.
The Verdict: Man of Steel had many great things going for it, and it left me really wanting a Man of Steel 2. I felt that with some help, Snyder could really craft a beautiful sequel which expands on the Superman mythos. But he decided to go with Batman v. Superman, which I felt was way too soon to do, and was a mistake. This movie looked beautiful, felt off, was paced wrong, had very good and very bad performances, and the villains were not nearly as intimidating as they could have been. Would I recommend watching this once? Yes, because I feel that after watching this, I can be a little more invested in Batman v. Superman, but after one viewing, don't watch it again unless you really want to. Letter Grade: C+ Number Score: 6.5 - Out of ten, I really feel that this is not a 7 movie, because 7 movies are films that I think are decent and I could watch a few more times. 6 is the range where I think it's good, but I wouldn't watch it again more than once. However, it is not a D movie by far, and It's just slightly above average when everything is factored in. **please note: the letter grade and the number score may not match 100 percent, although they mostly will, and when they do not, I will give an explanation**
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