“Man of Steel” is solid reboot
“Man of Steel” proves to be a solid reboot if not exactly a “Super” one.
This new Superman benefits from the teaming of director Zack Snyder (“300”) and producer Christopher Nolan (the “Dark Knight” franchise), as well as the perfect casting of 30-year-old British actor Henry Cavill for the title character. The creative team mixes in elements from past efforts to make it feel like cinematic comfort food and adds modern touches that give the PG-13 picture a more up-to-the-minute feel.
Certainly “Man of Steel” has many more things going for it (particularly in the casting of Russell Crowe, who does a terrific job as Superman’s father, Jor-El, and keeping the character front and center throughout the narrative), but it’s heavily damaged by the last 30 minutes. For some reason, Snyder and Nolan felt it was necessary to have the final confrontation between Superman and forces of evil from his home planet feature so many debris-filled explosions that one feels trapped in dust storm.
It’s wonderful that Snyder and Nolan received a staggering $225 million budget to create movie magic of the highest order, but “Man of Steel” could have used fewer sequences of destruction and more scenes of character development, such as having Laurence Fishburne receive a few minutes more screen time as Perry White.
Many viewers have great affection for the Superman mythology, and the script by David S. Goyer certainly plays with that. The screenwriter has sequences arrive in unexpected orders that keep viewers interested and excited because there’s a sense that anything can happen.
As the story begins, 33-year-old Clark Kent/Superman is roaming across the planet trying to keep a low profile as a dishwasher so no one will find out about his awesome powers. Clark arrived in Kansas as an infant after Jor-El blasted him into space and toward Earth to save him from dying as the result of a madman, Gen. Zod (Michael Shannon), on the decaying planet Krypton.
He’s raised by the loving Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), where his loving salt-of-the-earth father stresses to him that people will be fearful if they learn about his powers and he should forever camouflage them no matter how dire the circumstances.
Amy Adams brings some sparks to her role as reporter Lois Lane, the first journalist to learn about his powers. She quickly develops a soft-spot for the handsome Krypton-native who can leap tall buildings in a single bound, which he does many times.
Of course, Zod and his misfit followers find their way to Earth and cause Superman to summon all of his strength to protect the planet and its inhabitants.
Snyder and Nolan weave numerous themes through “Man of Steel,” including what constitutes manhood, bravery and self sacrifice.
An obvious contrast exists between the more serious DC comics, which prints “Superman” and “Batman,” and Marvel comics, which bankrolled director Joss Whedon’s lighter weight “The Avengers” taken from a Marvel comic.
Fans of both Marvel and DC may be able to agree that one brief touching moment between Clark and his adoptive father brings the importance of self-sacrifice into focus. That poignant moment will have many viewers sobbing as they, like the story’s characters, learn the meaning of being a true super man.