Superman has always been
my number two comic book hero, and in all honesty will probably always occupy
that spot behind Batman. In terms of films, Superman has largely lagged behind
Batman, only really offering two great additions to the genre (Superman The
Movie and Superman 2), but with Man of Steel, the creative
team behind The Dark Knight trilogy and Zack Snyder aim to help the first ever
superhero to close that gap and take his place at the top table.
In Man of Steel,
we follow Clark Kent from his birth on Krypton amidst a military coup, his
journey through space, his formative years in Smallville and his search across
the globe to find out who his biological parents and he was sent to Earth. Meanwhile,
the events of Krypton, which I won’t spoil, ultimately leads General Zod to
Earth in search of Kal El.
It’s a big role to fill
in the eyes of both the general public and the more hardcore fan, but
Henry Cavill has taken on the role of Superman (although he is only referred to
as this once in the whole film, and apologetically at that) and truly making it
his own, by taking the core elements of the character and updating it for the
current time. One of the most original aspects of the portrayal, as well as the
way the character is written, is his loneliness and growing isolation with the
people of earth. This is something that wasn’t touched upon by any of the
previous films, but is a key part the of best Superman stories (Kingdom Come by
Mark Waid is a key text for the subject). But the journey through the film that
Clark/Kal takes is the one of the most enjoyable and rich origin stories ever
put to film.
Although, not all of
Clarks character arc falls on the very strong shoulders of Cavill. Cooper
Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry are the two young actors (who play a 9 and 13
year old Kal El) who have some major scenes that really shape the viewers
opinions on Clark and are instrumental in gaining their sympathies and support.
Both have a key scene
with one of the Kent’s, Timberline has a scene with Diane Lane, some of which
was seen in the trailers, where she has to talk him down after some of his
powers suddenly manifest themselves and he begins hearing everyone’s voices.
Sprayberry spends more time with Costner’s Jonathan Kent, including a scene
that features the infamous “maybe” line. It’s in these scenes that we see the
difficult upbringing and childhood that Clark had, as he fought against his powers
and his parents tried to keep them a secret to keep him safe.
The structure Man of
Steel follows a similar structure to Batman Begins, with the first
half cutting back and forth between three of four timelines, introducing a
number of plot threads, which then breaks into the single driving events of the
second half. This last half and everything that is at stake all comes as a
result of the various triumphs and tragedies that have led Clark Kent to this
point.
With all comic book
films, a lot of responsibility lies on the shoulders of the villain. No matter
how good your hero is, if he has no one struggle with or test him, then there
is no tension or true stakes. Luckily for Man of Steel, Michael Shannon
is on his best form, not only is he threatening and dangerous, but in a warped
way his reasoning is completely understandable. He is the hero of his own
story. His sole purpose is to protect Krypton and he is willing and capable of
doing anything to make that happen. Shannon goes from calm and methodical, to
crazed and emotional effortlessly, more remarkably, none of these transitions
feel forced, but give us a fully rounded, almost sympathetic villain.
It’s no surprise that the
story starts on Krypton, the original Superman did and so it feels only
natural that the next version of his origin should once again begin there.
That, apart from the destruction and Kal El being sent into space, is where the
similarities end.
This sequence is amazing;
it condenses so much history and social structure into ten or fifteen minutes,
along with several action sequences that will leave you wanting more. This is
down to the interplay between Crowe and Shannon, as well as Ayelet Zurer (Lara
Lor Van, Kal El’s mother), which hints at a long and interesting relationship,
twisted by differing ethics and morals, but united by a common understanding of
Krypton’s fate.
Lois Lane can draw a
similar response as Catwoman from some viewers, you either get the character
and her interpretation, or you actively rebel against it, finding them clichéd
as they try to force a strong woman into a male dominated narrative. With Amy
Adams performance, we don’t get any of the irritating or helpless heroine that
at times has plagued the character.
But instead we get a
strong, independent journalist who you could see travelling the globe,
searching out stories and chasing down this one of a guardian angel. In future
films, this role and relationship with Clark is going to grow and could easily
become one of the strengths of the series.
Man of Steel is huge, in fact that is a bit of an understatement,
it’s an epic that spans not only our planet, but also other planets and another
dimension. One of the criticisms of Superman Returns was that there wasn’t
enough action, which is a fair criticism of that film, Man of Steel
doesn’t make that mistake, it goes big, real big. The battle of Smallville is
probably the highlight as we finally get to see Kal El’s powers in full force
on screen. Buildings are torn apart, trains thrown through the air and fighter
jets brought down left and right. Although, this seems to be a bit much for
some people, who have found the level of action and violence in points to be
too much, skewing the other way in terms of action content. It seems that some
people can’t be satisfied.
This film is as much
about Clark and his life going forward, as it is the story of his parents, all
four of them. Of the three that Clark meets and talks to, they all pull him in
different directions, offering their guidance and viewpoints, but never telling
Clark what to do. They let him decide what he wants to, to aspire to be
whatever he wants to.
Russell Crowes Jor El is
so different from Marlon Brando’s that they almost feel like different characters;
the only thing they share is their love for their son and the willingness to do
anything to keep him safe. This Jor El is as physically capable as he is
mentally, equally adept at arguing his case with Zod and the Kryptonian
council, as he is fighting off anyone who stands between him and his sons
safety. Another great part of this version is that we get to spend a lot of
time with him, I won’t say how, but it’s in a similar way to the crystals from
the previous films. It would be fair to say that Crowe almost steals the show.
Kevin Costner as Jonathan
Kent may seem like one of those obvious bits of casting, and maybe it was, but
it pays off for Snyder, as Jonathan becomes the voice of reason as well as the
heart of film, who above all wants Clark to be safe. I could go on about this
performance, but watch the ‘Tornado’ sequence, a largely dialogue free scene,
that shows Jonathan Kent at his most important and Costner at his best.
The easiest way I can sum
up this film is in two quick comments, firstly I am going to go and see this
film again as soon as I can and secondly, GO AND SEE THIS FILM NOW. This film
will sit along side The Dark Knight Trilogy, and hopefully spawn sequels of a
similar quality, in spite of an apparent craving for a Justice League film.
Believe in Superman, he
is definitely back to his best.
