Man of Steel

Around the summer of 2013, there were a few films that were generating massive hype, films that I really wanted to see, but sadly didn't get around to. One of them was Zack Snyder's epic Superman reboot; Man of Steel. Of course, come Christmas time the DVD came out and I made sure I got my hands on a copy. In a lot of ways, Man of Steel is an amazing film. Yet in some key areas, I do not feel it was worth all the fuss.

Visually, a great proportion of what we see is fantastic. Zack Snyder has treated us to a well and truly hefty chunk of Krypton, albeit in its dying days, but such a broad and detailed depiction of Superman's home world, and the Kryptonians who dwell on it, hasn't been seen for a long time in any incarnation or interpretation of Superman. Not only that but, on Earth and off it, we get action sequences galore. Each one is breath-takingly fast and furious, presented in exquisite detail. Yet you might be forgiven for thinking that not many of them presented anything too inventive and alternative, which is what you might expect from such a hyped up remake. However, this is a comic book film if ever there was one, and the action certainly reflects that.

Yet that is certainly not enough, and must be backed by good characters and good actors behind them. Superman/Clark Kent/Kal El himself, Henry Cavill is I think, a refreshing and dynamic new man to don the cape. Their is enough of that classic quality to him to satisfy die-hard fans (dare I say a little Christopher Reeve-ish at times) as well as having enough little nuances that I don't think any incarnation has had before. I truly believe that this is a very modern day Superman, and he better be, as he has already signed up for several sequels! Of course where there is Superman, Lois Lane is never far behind. On her own the beautiful, beguiling and brilliant Amy Adams makes a very good Lois Lane; again classic but fresh. However, I feel the somewhat haphazard chemistry and interplay between her and Cavill is a little lacking. At a guess I think, in trying to revamp the whole Clark/Lois/Superman saga (which is interesting in itself) I feel they've tried to slot some romance and closeness between these two characters that shouldn't be there, at least not all at once, as it comes across. On the face of it, all is fine, and we're rooting for these two as per, but look a little deeper and the pair don't look as convincing as they might together.

A lot of people praised Michael Shannon in his portrayal of villainous General Zod no end. Again, whilst it was great in terms of the mythology to see a new version of the dark Kryptonian, this is where I feel most let down character-wise. Yes he pulls of a few evil and manic facial expressions now and then, but when it matters most, I feel Shannon comes off as eerily distant, shallow and wooden even.

Zod is a character whom we see a lot of, nearly as much as Superman himself. This is a shame to me in some ways, as there are other, much more believable performances that we don't see so much of. Clark Kent's parents, John and Martha, are played by Kevin Kostner and Diane Lane respectively. Now I know Kostner's character dies (SPOILER! SORRY!) but we have enough jumps and flashbacks through time in this film, and I just wish we got to see more of his portrayal as Clark's loving and concerned Earth-father. More so slightly than Diane Lane's character (who survives the film) for yes, she is a quaint and warm motherly figure, but her performance wasn't as good I think, it even headed toward the dreaded cliche. Talking of screen time, another great actor/performance/character I wish we got to see more of was Lawrence Fishbourne as Daily Planet boss Perry White. Whether its the voice, the eyes, the power, I don't know, but I think Lawrence Fishbourne brings such gravity and watch-ability to almost everything he does, and Man of Steel was no exception. Luckily though, he has signed up to the sequel.

We did get to see quite a bit of the legendary Russell Crowe as Jor El, Superman's biological father, both before and after his demise. Again, no complaints from me, and I think, within the highs and lows of the mixed bag that is the casting of Man of Steel, Russell Crowe was surely one of the best bets, and one who delivered most definitively. 

I don't normally mention this, but this time the musical score of this film struck me as a tad disappointing. Though, it was created by the truly iconic Hans Zimmer, so this is a surprise and a shame. Hans Zimmer has produced some truly brilliant scores for brilliant films in his massive career (Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Night series, and The Last Samurai to name but a few) so I was really quite gutted when I didn't get a lot out of this one. Rousing at times yes, brisk and fast paced OK, but nothing that ever blew me away or made me prick my ears up a bit more, or anything I would actively listen to again. Again not really living up to the reputation of this blockbusting film here then.

Yet blockbusting it was, and by and large I can see why. This is certainly not just "another Superman movie" and thank God for that. No, I truly feel that, despite some things that need working on (maybe I'm being a tad picky!) those behind Man of Steel have done a good job, and can do so again in the obviously imminent sequels to come. I for one can't wait, especially as the next one apparently features a certain caped crusader...