There’s
a moment during the third act of Marvel’s The Avengers where we see
Hawkeye and Black Widow helping civilians out of a bus as invading
aliens attack New York City. It’s a quick shot, but it did it’s purpose
in showing us that even amongst all this chaos, their main mission was
to save people. In a third act not worlds away from the one in Avengers,
Superman does a whole lot of fighting, but not near enough saving --
unless your name is Lois Lane.
Director
Zack Snyder no doubt salivated at the thought of bringing Superman to
life on the big screen using all the neat tricks he learned making 300
and Watchmen, yet all that over-the-top action proves to be to the
film’s detriment. Superman battles other Kryptonians in Dragon Ball Z
fashion where every punch sends the opponent careening through cars,
storefronts, and skyscrapers -- all of which do not appear to be fully
vacated. It’s chilling to think that Superman’s body flattened a room
full of people, yet he throws himself back into the fight without a
thought of whose remains are on his boots.
But
the movie is not all bad. There are some wonderful elements that come
from Superman’s two dads, Jonathan Kent and Jor-El. They seem to talk in
nothing but Life Lesson Speak, but it’s the eloquent kind that gives you
feel-good goosebumps. You’d get why a guy who grew up hearing that kind
of rhetoric all his life would turn out pretty super.
While
Henry Cavill certainly looks the part with super pecs and super biceps
-- and even at one point a super sexy beard -- he never wins the
audience over with his personality. And seeing how his actions don’t
prove to be entirely super when it comes to saving people, there’s not
much to get behind. This Superman is touted to be an inspirational
leader for the human race, yet he lacks the charm of one.
Michael
Shannon proved he’s capable of turning in a Joker-level performance in
Revolutionary Road, but he’s not given much to work with here as General
Zod. He screams quite a bit and revels in making extreme decisions. We
are told the reason for this is his genetic programming as a warrior
protector, and by the end you’ll understand his motivation one-hundred
percent. It’s just not the most compelling motivation, making him the
greatest one-dimensional villain in superhero movie history.
His
right-hand woman, Faora, steals the show from him with a few
deliciously evil encounters, although, like her General, she doesn’t get
much to say other than explaining why she’s superior to Superman as she
beats the crap out of him. I would have liked to see her and Zod
interact a bit more. A scene while they were at rest in between big
action set pieces would have allowed them to talk freely and given us
the opportunity to get under their skin. Still, moments where Faora lets
loose with full super speed make for the film’s finest action scenes.
The
visuals are generally top notch. Krypton is a beautiful alien world
with weird creatures, making this more of a sci-fi epic than a superhero
movie. The fights are cool to watch, although trimming each one’s
length down by two-thirds would have gone a long way to keep them tight
and special. When the battles go on too long, the characters start to
look like slick, unfeeling cartoons. The strange liquid metal tentacle
defenses of the World Engine were a nice sci-fi surprise, even if they
seemed pointless by the end of that scuffle. This is a movie with a lot
to see, even if it overindulges on a regular basis.
The
score starts out as something truly inspiring, adding weight to the
dialogue and setting the thoughtful tone of the flashback scenes, of
which there are many -- and all are just about perfect. However, once
the third act kicks in, the score competes with the many
crashing/exploding sound effects, making for an experience so
noisy and cluttered that the silence that comes with the resolution feels completely euphoric.
Super SPOILERS beyond this point!
The
most heart-wrenching scene in the film was when Jonathan let himself be
taken by the tornado to save Clark from revealing himself to the crowd.
It showed that Jonathan trusted his adopted son to do what was right,
but only when the world was ready. Now, contrast this to the end when
Clark snaps Zod’s neck. The puzzle pieces just don’t seem to fit, which
unravels all the hard work the filmmakers did to build up the character
we know as Superman.
That
Superman killed Zod is the absolute worst moment of the film. I say
this not as a Superman fan or because I’m a slave to the comics or
because I think I get the guy more than you. I am saying that, within
the bounds of this movie, based on everything we’ve learned from his
fathers about sacrifice and inspiration, he defied the very moral fiber
of the character we saw being built for two and a half hours. I can
point to several moments that would show why he would not kill Zod. I
can find none to show why he’d take his life, even when faced with such a
terrible decision. Is this the inspiration he was supposed to provide?
When things get tough -- unbelievably tough -- just kill the bad guy?
Yikes.
For
as brooding as the Dark Knight Trilogy could be, it had several moments
of genuine humor to balance it out. No such luck here. Secondary
characters such as Perry White and the hyped-but-sidelined Jenny Olsen
seemed the obvious choice to provide that reprieve, but their inclusion
is so superfluous it’s a wonder they were included at all. Lois had some
good investigative journalist moments, but Amy Adams never so much as
remotely engages the audience with even an ounce of wit, snark, or
charisma. Not to mention her chemistry with Cavill wasn’t strong enough
to sell that big kiss at the end. For a movie about an alien trying to
find his place among humans, it was lacking the warm heart and humor
that makes humanity so special.
At
the end of the day, Man of Steel was not as thrilling, inspiring, or
fun as it most certainly should have been. There are several elements
worth enjoying, but they are all ultimately ruined by the film’s
disturbing ending. As a result, kids are now forced to look up to
Superman the Killer. If Batman exists in this universe as the
blink-and-you-missed-it Wayne Industries satellite would suggest, then
he will surely be on Superman’s doorstep tomorrow, ready to teach him
his one rule about being a hero.
