Review: Man of Steel (2013)

Man of Steel has been getting quite a bit of grief from both critics and fanboys alike.  While a select few actually manage to critique the film based on its merits (or perceived lack thereof), most of these reviews tend toward the “I didn’t like it cause it made be feel bad” or “I didn’t like it cause I wanted Superman to be someone else” point of view.  Naturally, this doesn’t really help people when they’re deciding whether they want to go see the film or not.  So here is my totally pro-Man of Steel review, complete with reasons why I thought it soared high above almost every other super hero film put out thus far.

The story of Man of Steel is basic and one could expect pretty much the same general plot from any Superman flick.  A baby is launched away from a planet called Krypton before it explodes.  That baby lands on Earth and grows up in Kansas.  That baby also happens to have massive super powers, making him effectively invincible.  He grows up, discovers his calling and sets out to defend the planet from other powerful beings with less pure intentions.  In the case of Man of Steel, that means some other Kryptonians, almost as powerful as he is and led by the imperialistic General Zod.

Along the way, Clark Kent/Kal-el/Superman meets up with some allies, has to explain himself to the people of Earth and is forced to make some tough decisions on what is the best way to deal with a half-dozen, super-powered psychopaths with a giant spaceship.  In the end, a giant battle ensues in which Superman, of course, comes out the victor.  The Earth is saved!

This is the plot of every Superman movie ever made, although not always with the origin story intact.  That origin story is one of things that Zack Snyder was forced to deal with (and probably one of the worst jobs in Hollywood) and I think he did excellent in that regard.  Instead of the linear approach, a cliché and boring way of devouring the first half of a super hero film, Snyder instead breaks the origin up so that each scene from his past has some relevant connection to him in the present.  We don’t have to sit around yawning while the flick goes through what most of us have already known about Superman for decades.  Some have issue with the way it was edited, but I say far better to get creative with it than to put audiences to sleep in their seats.

Most of the rest of the story has to do with Clark slowly accepting his super-powered status and deciding what the best way to use his powers is.  Sure, he can knock buildings over just by belching loudly, but how can he take down others like him?  Should he surrender to them or risk knocking a good-sized hole in the Earth to drive them off by way of the sword?  Clark realizes that he knows nothing about his enemy and that there may be a peaceful solution, so he elects to go into Zod’s custody. 

Of course, Zod is not a nice guy.  He’s actually there to turn Earth into a new Krypton home world.  This, naturally, means the death of every human being.  So Superman, with the help of a very aggressively active Lois Lane (another highlight of this film), has to escape Zod and then figure out an alternative plan.  That other plan is, of course, to beat the crap out of each other until only one Kryptonian refugee is left standing.

Some complain that the action in Man of Steel was over-the-top, but I have to disagree.  I can see where people are coming from, but as a person who falls asleep 90% of the time during long action sequences, I can say that I was actively engaged.  The things that Snyder bombards the audience with are senses-numbing.  Every time one super-being punches another, the city gets broken.  What audiences have a chance to see with Man of Steel is a reality-based look at what two demi-gods fighting would look like.  The only time it ever felt dragged-out for me was when Superman was beating up the giant metal snake thing.  Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure why that fight was included, other than perhaps for the novelty of fighting something other than another Kryptonian.

And while the amazing action and expertise of Snyder’s directing may be up for debate, one thing that Man of Steel brings in full force is the sheer talent of its cast.  In 10 years, when people think of Superman they will think of Henry Cavill.  Never has casting been so spot-on since RDJ as Tony Stark or Heath Ledger as The Joker.  The other actors do equally great jobs, with Amy Adams as Lois Lane topping the list (at least for me).  With every performance, we see a complex character lurking.  This is not a performance that comes across due to great dialogue (most of it is typical for a super hero flick), but due to the subtleties that the actors are able to convey in their eyes and body language, from small details to large revelations.  It was a pleasure to finally see such a talented cast involved in a super hero film.

Honestly, I could probably go on-and-on about this film, so I’ll leave off here.  If I have one bit of advice for those that haven’t seen Man of Steel, it’s to ignore the critics.  Most complaints have been ego-centric and overly biased and have little to do with the actual quality of this film.  Go see it in the theater and judge for yourself.  To me, Man of Steel sits firmly in my top-3 super hero flicks of all time and is unlikely to be dislodged any time soon.

Man of Steel poster courtesy of patheos.com