[Films] Man of Steel

The summer blockbuster season is in full swing, and it's looking like another good year for geek films. We've already had a swathe of sci-fi and superhero films (not all of which I managed to see unfortunately), and the next few weeks see several more hitting the big screens. So lets take a look at the latest one, and review "Man of Steel"

As I think I've mentioned before on this blog, my childhood superheroes of choice were Spiderman and the X-Men. Both are Marvel properties, and as I've grown older I've tended to prefer Batman to Superman as far as the DC stable goes. That's not down to the Dark Knight trilogy either, but to the excellent cartoon series that Batman has had over the years, mainly the original Animated Series and Batman of the Future. However, I do remember watching "The New Adventures of Superman" with my Mum.

"It's not an S. On my planet it means hope." The new logo looks very cool indeed, and has a significant role. (Credit: Forbes.com)

The 1978 film and its sequels are very well regarded by Superman aficionados, but the 2006 'sequel' "Superman Returns" was widely panned. So how does this reboot fare?

To be honest, it's a mixed bag. It all gets a little ridiculous in the final act, but up to that point it's very good, and often brilliant. This is a film about first contact. How would the world react when it found out that aliens were really out there, particularly when they proved to be superhuman and have mind-boggling technology.

Henry Cavill plays an excellent Clark Kent/Superman. He looks the part, and his demeanour is also perfect for a Superman who's just getting used to the idea of being humanity's guardian. Confident, calm, and slightly arrogant at points, he does a good job of showing us a Superman at the start of his career. The actors playing the young Clark Kent also do great work portraying the character coming to terms with the development of his powers as a child, and of the big discovery of his background.

Thankfully they got rid of the red underwear over the top. The new costume looks good, and Henry Cavill

wears it well, giving an excellent portrayal of the Man of Steel. (Credit: collider.com)

Amy Adams as Lois Lane is also rather good, but then I do have a soft spot for her as an actress, and think she's underrated. Again, she hits the right character notes; stubbornly chasing stories until it proves to be a bad idea, and trying to defend her sources almost literally to the end. I do question how quickly she tracks down the Kent home and discover Superman's identity, but I suppose it fits with the rest of the narrative being built regarding the emergence of Superman, and Earth's (or should I say America's) struggle to absorb this revelation

The supporting cast are also very good. The Kents have just the right note of sympathy and humanity whilst trying to protect both their adopted son and the Earth from each other, Russell Crowe plays an exceedingly calm, efficient Jor-El with aplomb, and General Zod is the epitome of the megalomaniacal villain. Like all good villains, he's convinced that he's doing the right thing. His single-minded quest to restore Krypton is justified by the genetic engineering back story that is created and developed in this film; protecting Krypton and its people is literally what he was born for.

Ah, Zod. Your purpose was taken away, so now you want to commit genocide to try to carry it out.

Michael Shannon shows the juxtaposition of clam rationality and single-minded madness very well. (Credit: needcoffee.com)

The arrival of Zod's spaceship, his demand for Superman to be handed over, and the events that transpire are all done very well. Superman hands himself in, shows that he could basically do what he wants but chooses to help humanity, and then gets taken away in Zod's ship where he becomes weak and feeble once more. His attack on the Kryptonians to save his 'Mum' is also perfectly in character However, it all then falls apart a little bit.

The last third or so of the film is basically one long fight. It's spectacular to begin with, but quickly becomes overwhelming and repetitive. The initial fight in the town of Smallville is probably the highlight, although it did amuse me when Superman told everyone to stay indoors where it was safe, and then promptly demolished half of the town in the fight. In fact, that's one of the big problems here. During the final fight between Zod and Superman, a huge swathe of Metropolis is destroyed. It looks as though a bomb has gone off in the middle of a load of skyscrapers, and there is literally a flat plain in the middle. Every punch seems to throw one or both of them through a new building. Yet in the final scene, the Daily Planet office (which appeared to be close to the epicentre previously) is as good as new. The CGI during the fight also struggles at times, and on a couple of occasions was incredibly obvious; I thought I was watching a video of "Injustice: Gods Among Us" at one point. I will say though that I thought the climax of the 'boss fight' was very good. Given the hard choice between saving a family of humans, or saving the only other living Kryptonian, Superman chooses to kill Zod to save his adopted race. There have been complaints that Superman never kills anyone (building demolition aside), but I see this as a Superman still developing and coming to terms with his power. Perhaps this is the reason he adopts that policy?

This is pretty accurate for this film. Somehow the Avengers did less damage. (Credit: comicvine.com)

It's a shame really, as the fight scene goes on far too long, and slightly ruins what was a very good, slightly different take on Kal-El's origin story. If you're a fan of Superman then I would recommend Man of Steel, but if you're not too bothered by the character, then I would suggest staying away unless you loved the climactic fight in the Matrix: Revolutions.