Man Of Steel is an origins story, chronicling the early years of Superman and how the world reacts when they find out that they are not alone in the Universe, and that humanity isn't as strong as they thought. After a stunning opening 10 minutes on the planet Krypton, Superman's home planet, we see a young adult, Clark Kent, journeying and ghosting through various jobs, trying to remain anonymous and suppress his god-like powers. Through some well-triggered flashbacks, we see Clark first as a young child in elementary school, struggling to control his abilities, as well as fit in with the rest of his class. We also see a teenage Clark, still struggling to fit in, showcase his abilities to save a schoolbus full of his classmates. It is probably this scene that best sums up Man Of Steel in my opinion. The film is packed with brilliant performances, especially by Supes' dads. Real Dad, Jor-El, played by Russell Crowe, is powerful and wise, with ambitions for his son on Earth. He is a sage, of sorts, teaching Clark about his heritage as well as just what he should do on Earth. However, Kevin Costner's role as Johnathan Kent is exemplary. He gives the classic paternal advice you'd expect any dad to give his teenage son, but he knows that his son isn't a normal person, as he isn't even human. Costner bares the responsibility of bringing up the future of Planet Earth incredibly well, delivering what could easily have been cheesy lines with gravitas and true emotion. For me, the dual-father scenario is one of the highlights of the film, giving it the emotion that was perhaps lacking from the previous Superman films at times.
I honestly thought I could never get excited for a Superman film, even if Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder were involved. One of the many problems that I've had with Superman as a character is that he lacks any really good villains, people who most of the general public would be able to name at the drop of a hat. Batman has The Joker, Poison Ivy, The Penguin, Bane, Catwoman, Mr Freeze etc etc. Spider-man has The Lizard, Dr Octopus, Green Goblin, Sandman, Venom etc etc. Superman has Lex Luthor, General Zod...erm, that's all I can name off the top of my head. He has a limited rogues gallery, and a hero is defined by his villains. Also, I've always hated how boy-scout, goody two-shoes, boring Superman is. His one weakness is Kryptonite, other than that he's invincible. Now, Man Of Steel finds the perfect remedy for this problem. It ditches Kryptonite, never even hinting at it, in favour of a threat that actually makes you worry for Superman. A real peril that isn't something soooooo predictable. I loved this, the fact that the Man Of Steel was in trouble and it wasn't an easy fix. Also, no red underwear! YES! But the best fix that screenwriter David S. Goyer (co-writer of the Batman films with Chris Nolan) and director Snyder have done is create a truly scary villain out of General Zod. Gone is the campness of Terence Stamp's Zod, demanding that everyone kneel, hello to Michael Shannon and his take on Zod. Zod is truly scary, plotting to turn Earth into a new Krypton, striving to save the people he swore to protect, and out for vengeance on Jor-El through his hunt of Kal-El (that's Supes' Kryptonian name, just so you know). Shannon is amazing as the angry General, making him a force to truly be reckoned with, and somehow making the potentially wacky outfit looks awesome and menacing and foolishly possible to emulate as fancy dress next Halloween. Zod's second-in-command, Antje Traue's Faora-Ul, is arguably more evil and malicious than he is. Zod has a clear goal, and, though very morally questionable as humans, is just trying to save a pretty much extinct race. Faora... not so much. She enjoys kicking arse and causing pain to others, and somehow still seems really fit. Traue steals every scene she's in, and has some of the best lines too: "for every human you save, we will kill a million more". Ouch! Someone needs a hug.
Man of Steel is very much Snyder's baby. It's cgi-heavy, very unlike Nolan's Batman films, but doesn't seem ridiculous. Snyder's camera, though a bit shaky at times, likes to linger on certain seemingly random images: a butterfly caught in a chain, a polar bear jumping from one iceberg to another. All may seem weird and out of place, but, in my opinion, this is Snyder subtly hinting that, if Zod succeeds, it's more than humanity that'll be wiped out. The film's goal is to show how Superman is human at heart, being brought up on a farm in middle America, and how he truly cares for the world. Through this, we as an audience care as well, and feel the threat as something truly terrifying in the outstanding third act. Top notch special effects don't remove the heart from this film like they do from some of Snyder's other films, as they are cleverly balanced out by some beautiful shots of the very human side to Supes.
If you read a lot of my reviews, you might have noticed I do love a film soundtrack. Hans Zimmer, who scored Nolan's Batman films, as well as Inception, among other things, does the duty here too, and boy, is it something. Right from the first second of the film, his score creeps in and delivers a unique, iconic theme to rival the traditional Superman soundtrack. During the battle in the middle of the film, he uses an indescribable sound effect, I suppose it's a bwhurwuwuwuwuw. I'll put the trailer at the bottom, it's in that. But I digress. Zimmer's score is outstanding, going from calm and really emotional, to booming and bwhurwuwuwuw-ing when it needs to.
If I had to pick out any flaws with the film, it'd be maybe it needed just a little bit more of Amy Adams' Lois Lane. She's a great actress and hopefully, if the ending is anything to go by, will be seen a lot more in the inevitable sequel. Also Diane Lane's Martha Kent will hopefully get more to do as well, as she shares a great scene with youngest Clark Kent early in the film. It may seem like a necessary cut-back as the film's goal is to highlight Supes' upbringing by two fathers, but I would've liked just a bit more of them in the film.
Man Of Steel is as much a family drama as it is a Superman film. Some of the people I saw this with said that it wasn't a Superman film. It's possible that this is true. It is a Clark Kent film. It's a a film about first contact. It's a film about discovery and hope. It's a bloody brilliant film. Bring on the sequel!
Score: 8.5/10
