The verdict is in: Man of Steel is dark, while never cynical or sarcastic; hopeful, while avoiding the pitfalls of blind idealism; plausible, while never compromising or wasting the potential of the fantastic.
It’s a little ironic that the man who once told the LA Times, “We’re killing the comic-book movie, ending it. This is the last comic-book movie, for good or bad,” is the very same man who has officially and ceremoniously opened the cinematic door to a brand new world of Superman. This man, of course, is director Zack Snyder (who was referring to his 2009 feature-length adaptation of Watchmen).
Also worth noting, for those who might have been living in a cave for the last eight years, is the driving force behind this adaptation: Christopher Nolan (producer and story co-writer). Nolan will forever be remembered as the man who reinvented and revitalized Batman; a franchise declared officially dead immediately following George Clooney’s neon-flavored cornball performance and infamously difficult to forget nipple-suit. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, please don’t look it up. Some things are better left unseen.
And while the Superman franchise clearly never had those kinds of hurdles to overcome, Brian Singer’s attempt at a reboot in 2006 (Superman Returns) fell flat in more ways than one. Moreover, it made steadfast fans of Superman a little hungrier for the real thing.
It’s safe to say it doesn’t get much more real than this.
David S. Goyer, screenwriter of The Dark Knight Trilogy, gives us a fast-paced, stunningly brilliant, re-imagined origin, adaptation, and integration story. Right down to the fabric of the suit itself, with the S that’s “not an S” but a symbol for hope (like Superman himself), everything is grounded; everything is contextualized within the dead and dying Kryptonian culture. By doing this, taking it further than those connections have ever gone before, Superman is pulled out from under the blanket of mysterious, wistful and surreal mythology, and thrown straight into full-blown science fiction — at epic proportions. And shouldn’t he be? He is an alien, after all.
The vision of Man of Steel is clear. This symbolically post-apocalyptic world we live in is a dark place, mired in technology and fear. And Kal-El, alien that he is, infinitely and terrifyingly more powerful than the human race, would have to earn the trust of the people of Earth. A people who are too jaded, and too aware of the consequences of alien invasion, to just simply cheer at the first sight of a flying man who can throw a bus. Especially when more aliens come and site him as the reason for the impending doom of the world.
Staunch fans of the iconic films Superman and Superman II (and Christopher Reeve in them) may feel a little cheated by Man of Steel, as it unapologetically forgoes things like romantic dinner-date flights and light-hearted banter over at the Daily Planet, in favor of a grittier, more profound partnership between Clark and Lois. It makes no excuses for its high-octane pace and dazzling special effects. And it doesn’t shy away from the inner turmoil and trials of a Stranger in a Strange Land, played with depth and grace by British actor Henry Cavill (The Tudors, Immortals).
Joining Cavill is an all-star cast, including Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White, Russell Crowe as the ill-fated yet omipresent Jor-El, and Kevin Costner (who gives one of his most touching performances to date) as Clark’s surrogate father and moral compass, Jonathan Kent. And serial-villain Michael Shannon delivers yet another incredible performance, as the infamous General Zod. “There’s a phrase for what I do,” Shannon told Rolling Stone in a recent interview. “I comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable.”
Finally, Man of Steel treats us to a completely different Lois Lane than we’ve ever seen before, courtesy of Amy Adams. If you’ve been asking yourself how Adams manages to pull off ‘brash and pushy’, which are historically Lois’ requisite characteristics, the answer is she doesn’t. And not because she tried and failed. Adams as Lois is still, at heart, the ruthlessly intrepid reporter we all know so well, chasing Superman here, there and everywhere. But what’s new this time is the level of sensitivity (and awareness) to Clark and his secrets we’ve rarely seen before — if we ever have at all.
We highly recommend this film to Superman fans, past, present and future. And all we suggest is that you go into it with an open mind, and prepare yourself for the definitive alien invasion.
Man of Steel is now playing in theaters everywhere.
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