Allan Watched "Man of Steel"
There is a line Lois Lane says at the climactic moment after Superman saves the city (sort of), and the two look into each other’s eyes after their long awaited kiss that is a metaphor not only for Man of Steel, but the entire DC Expanded Universe: “You know they say it’s all downhill after the first kiss.”
Not only is this a painfully cliche piece of dialog, one of dozens that are plotted across Zach Snyder’s take at Superman’s origin story, but it signifies the moment you know for sure this film will not stick the landing after a promising build up. In all, Man of Steel is a passable action hero movie that lacks any real depth, and lays as the fittingly uneven foundation for the flawed DCEU.
Gut Feeling
Man of Steel is one of the more frustrating movies I’ve ever watched. I want to like it, the settings and feel are a nice change of pace from the previous Superman movies, and the cast is stacked with real talent, but the script is so weak with little time to settle into any true development of the main characters, that it leaves you annoyed. What compounds the frustration is how weak the cliches are throughout, especially when Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) is having the first conversation we see with his adopted father (Kevin Costner). That interaction is every flimsy discussion in a hero’s journey where his role model is telling him he has to make the difficult choice to accept his burden blahblahblahblah barf, and it alerts you to the fact that there won’t be anything too inventive in this film.
Despite my overall complaints, there are actually some really great parts of this version of how Superman became Superman/Clark Kent of the Daily Planet. For one, the opening sequence stands out as perhaps the best beginning to a superhero origin story we’ve seen from the DCEU or Marvel Cinematic Universe. In it we are launched into the chaos laid in front of Jor El (Russell Crowe) and Lara Lor-Van (Ayelet Zurer) as they try to save their naturally born son from the dying planet of of Krypton. Jor-El’s dangerous struggle to launch his son Kal-El safely to Earth while his friend-turned-overthrowing-villain General Zod (Michael Shannon) tries to stop him is gripping, non-stop action. It also perfectly sets up the conflict and and the story’s ultimate destination, but everything from the moment Kal-El lands in Kansas to that awful line uttered by Lane (Amy Adams) is a rushed mess.
No Room To Breathe
Usually in two and a half hour action movies there are moments of real lull that focus too much on the main character’s pain, stopping us from getting to the conclusion we are waiting for in a timely fashion. This is certainly not the case in Man of Steel, but not in a good way. So much is packed into the numerous cut scenes, flashbacks, and forced plot points that you never feel like you really settle into the drama being built or the characters’ distress. Over the years Cavill has been criticized for his portrayal being flat and boring, but he never really gets a chance to have emotional or intense moments with the people around him, which make the personal stakes feel unimportant.
Nowhere is the pacing weirder than the final scenes when we go from a destroyed Metropolis and an exhausted Superman who just killed the main villain, right to what appears to be some amount of months later with Superman destroying an army surveillance plane. There was no basking in a mission being accomplished and our hero saving the day (if you can say he saved the day, thousands of people had to have died and half the city is destroyed!). The plot just jumps to the next point that’s needed to check off the “Superhero Origin Story for Dummies” list, and there is no reckoning with what we just saw.
Dark Knight’s Shadow
There was so much anticipation for the Superman led movie when it was released, that is was understandable that there would be an air of disappointment. The Dark Knight Trilogy, which I believe is still the gold standard for superhero films, had finished just a year before, and with Marvel taking off post the original Avengers movie, there was a lot of hope that DC would bring a successful universe as well. The problem with DC is that they are innately darker stories led by human characters that ground the stories in reality, and Man of Steel, nor the rest of the DCEU films, have been able to find the magic the Christopher Nolan masterpieces captured.
In all, Man of Steel is just, meh.
Random Thoughts
The cast is really loaded but wastes the immense amount of talent packed into the bill. Christopher Meloni, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner, Lawrence Fishburne, Harry Lennix, and Richard Schiff fill the smaller roles, but none really get a chance to shine.
Amy Adams gets the most development of all the characters, but even her ability to excel at playing keen, smart, fiery characters is muted by the flat writing.
Michael Shannon always feels like the perfect fit for every role he plays, and he was once again a joy to watch as Zod. His lack of presence is felt during the flashback stuffed ending of the first act, and you crave him to appear over and over.
Like I said, the cliches are heavy handed, but the line that really bugs me is when the Army general stares at Superman at the end too long and gets scolded, leading to her saying “I just think he’s kind of hot.” It is so lame and acts as if a woman would be unable to maintain her professionalism as a member of the military because a good looking person is there.
With the above said, Henry Cavill may be in too good of shape, even for Superman.
HOW DO THEY NOT ADRESS THAT HALF OF METROPOLIS HAS BEEEN COMPLETELY RUINED AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE HAVE DIED AND THEN INSTEAD IT’S A CUT TO MONTHS LATER AND OH BY THE WAY THE DAILY PLANET OFFICE IS BACK AND LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME NO BIG DEAL. This movie is so annoying.
Why are bullies always red headed and named Pete? And why does he end up the manager at the most unlucky IHOP location ever?
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
This is the third time I’ve seen it. I actually saw it twice in theaters, and half way through this rewatch I remembered how much the ending bothered me and then I began to get mad at moments before they happened.
Where was I watching it?
In my office, eating pizza on the last day of my vacation, with golf on mute on the computer.
Favorite trivia about the movie
One of the original pitches for this movie was to make it a three part epic like the Godfather trilogy. Maybe it would have saved us from Batman vs. Superman…
Favorite part
The opening scene really is great. Russell Crowe steals the show.
Least favorite part
I’ve stated a few but METROPOLIS IS GONE THIS IS THE BIGGEST DISASTER IN AMERICA’S HISTORY CAN WE AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE IT???
Would I recommend this movie?
As far as Superman movies go, it isn’t the worst, so if you need a non-Marvel action hero movie, maybe go for it.
So What Does Allan Give It?
One thumbs up, barely. Overall, a score of 55. Michael Shannon, the packed cast, and the action sequences make this movie passable, but man does this movie annoy me.
