Movie Review: "Man of Steel"

- by Steve Garcia, 15 June 2013

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s my review of Man of Steel! The pressure’s on as this is the first time since 1978 that Superman’s had his origin told on the big screen. The future of WB’s superhero films are all banking on the success of this film. Directed by Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen), produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy) and written by David Goyer (The Dark Knight Trilogy), does it live up to the hype? Will this be the beginning of the fabled Justice League film? Let’s get to it! Spoiler-free, of course!


The film opens up with an in-depth look at Krypton, Superman’s home planet. This time around, it’s much different and richer because the audience is exposed to elements such as its wildlife, politics, and history, which is something that audiences haven’t been exposed to before. This particular scene was an excellent set-up for what was to come later on, and it’s a brilliant showcase of the film’s two strongest acting performances: Russell Crowe and Michael Shannon as Jor-El (Superman’s birth father) and General Zod, respectively. The dialogue exchange between these two throughout the film was arguably the most enjoyable. What makes Zod such a compelling villain in this particular instance is that he’s given such a clear mission and drive to the point where the audience knows exactly where he’s coming from. While the acting all-around was fantastic, it was those two that stuck out the most.

Crowe, Cavill and Shannon.

Once we leave Krypton and head towards earth, things become a tad fuzzy as we’re introduced to Clark Kent (played by Henry Cavill), the star of the show. While Cavill’s performance was great with the material he was given, the emotional connection to the character that the trailers heavily suggested was almost nonexistent. Of course that is not the fault of Cavill’s or Snyder’s, but the blame there lies with writer David Goyer. He delivered huge scene after huge scene, but did not give us that “cool down” period that lets us relax with the character and figure out what’s going on in his head when it mattered most. That, mixed in with the shoe-horned romance between Clark and Lois Lane (played by the very talented Amy Adams), really hurt the expectations given by the trailers. We also did not have as much interaction between Clark and Pa Kent (played brilliantly by Kevin Costner), as I personally would have hoped, which was a slight letdown. The acting was all there, but the wishy-washy pacing and lack of quieter exchanges between characters knocked it down from “great” to just “pretty good.”

It’s absolutely clear that Snyder was sitting the director’s seat, despite Chris Nolan’s involvement. Audiences haven’t seen Superman fight anyone on the big screen since forever, and the action in this film certainly doesn’t disappoint. The flight sequences were beautifully realistic, his feats of strength and speed were impeccable, and that heat vision was just… it was excellent. While less could have been more in this particular case, however, the action was something that you don’t over think in this instance because “Hey, it’s Superman, and we wanna see him kick some ass!” It’s also during the action scenes where all the Easter eggs are, but they’re very “blink and you’ll miss it,” for those interested. It’s quite clear that this could be part of a bigger universe, and the potential for other superheroes inhabiting this world certainly is not that farfetched.

Overall, Man of Steel was a great time at the movies, despite its flaws. You’re guaranteed amazing acting and superb action scenes, despite having to sit through a few obviously rushed and generic character scenes when punches aren’t being thrown. While we did not exactly get the emotional roller coaster that the trailers heavily suggested, we did get an intense action movie that is just satisfying enough to kick-off this potential franchise. Man of Steel took the origin we've all heard of a billion times, and made it their own in an unexpected, unique way. Not necessarily perfect, it's a solid reintroduction to the world's first superhero, and I personally look forward to the already green-lit sequel. Give it a watch if you can, because it’s definitely worth your time.

Oh! And there’s no after-credits scene! I know, I stayed!


Have you seen "Man of Steel"? What did you think? Do you agree with the review? Let us know!

Tagged: movies & TV, Reviews.

blog comments powered by Disqus

---

Follow @TrashMutant