Man Of Steel Review: Snyder Delivers Best Superman Since The Original

rating: 4

The latest retooling of cinema's premiere superhero franchise makes clear in its wake two things; thematic darkness is very much in vogue, following the successful mold set by Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy; as are reboots, regardless of how little time has transpired since the last attempt to kindle cinematic fireworks failed. Man of Steel, a fully-fledged, gritty retelling of the Superman mythos, avoids the charges leveled at last year's The Amazing Spider-Man reboot - that it wrapped a familiar villain arc around an even more familiar, even crassly xeroxed origin story - soaring under the tutelage of producer and creative consultant Nolan and his frequent story collaborator David S. Goyer, no doubt helping to harness Snyder's divisive directorial shtick into a focused, controlled burst of intense, riveting blockbuster cinema. Smartly refusing to simply feed us a facsimile of the 1978 beginnings arc, Man of Steel makes the most of its beefy - yet never excessive - 143-minute run-time to re-fashion Superman as a less squeaky-clean albeit no-less idealistic superhero, as he finds himself laid bare to the world for the first time, while trying to contend with a vicious alien threat from remnants of his home-world Krypton, led by the vicious General Zod (Michael Shannon). Snyder takes his time immersing us in a very other world, as we witness in considerable detail the annihilation of Supes' home planet, and the circumstances that see his father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), sending his only son to Earth moments before the catastrophe takes place. Similarly, the director is in no hurry to get Clark into the iconic suit; it's close to an hour before he dons it for the first time, with the focus instead being trained on his upbringing - namely the strict code taught by his father Jonathan (an excellent Kevin Costner) - and his transition from anonymous drifter to global defender. Only when Zod visits Earth and threatens to cause mayhem does Clark remove himself from hiding, all while intrepid reporter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) clings to him with a sense of fascination both personal and professional. Man of Steel Man of Steel is almost unavoidably going to divide fans, given what they will be expecting from the hero's prior cinematic outings; this is a very different beast indeed. The sunny optimism that has almost ubiquitously set the tone for these films is considerably more muted here; we get a more existential handle on the character, as a series of dialogues between young Clark and his father underline an unexpected level of moral ambiguity throughout. Pa Kent at one point questions whether Clark should have saved a school bus that careened off a bridge into a lake, so desperate to ensure that his son does not reveal his identity before he is ready. Similarly, though General Zod is unquestionably a zealot and a tyrant, his methods are at least more relatable than they were in the more morally black-and-white 1978 film, and while not strictly sympathetic, he's a villain whose methods make sense within his own framework. Further still, this is easily the most violent outing Superman has ever had; wanton destruction rocks the screen frequently throughout, causing a sizable death toll that one would scarcely be able to tally. If the prior films were by nature of their tone restrained with the brutality, Snyder's film is absolutely not; entire city-scapes are reduced to smoldering rubble, and more than a few characters have their necks viciously snapped, with an accompanying crunch sound, of course. Many are bound to take umbrage with the pic so brazenly flying in the face of what the character (to many) represents - and one would be curious to know what Richard Donner and the late Christopher Reeve would have made of this - yet this very much feels like a fresh, urgent take on the material tailor-made for 2013 audiences, in which the Man of Steel spends much of his screen-time trying to convince the US Army that he is not a proponent of a new-age terrorist crusade, but instead the very force who, in tandem with them, is able to stop it. The notable absences of Kryptonite, Jimmy Olsen and a bespectacled Clark Kent are all explained in novel ways throughout the film, helping to give this take a very distinct identity that is quite unlike anything we've ever seen the tights-clad hero in before. Geared far more towards science-fiction and big-scale, epic action - and boy, is there a lot of action alright... - Snyder splits up the breakneck fistcuffs with potent flashbacks that help craft an emotional landscape that so many feared was going to be completely barren. Early reviews have lambasted the film for its lack of humour compared to prior installments - and to be fair, a few light gags might have helped massage the silliness of Zod's scheme into the story a little easier - yet after years of earnestness that occasionally bordered on glibness, it's refreshing to see a serious, grown-up movie made about the superhero for once. Man of Steel Grown up is the best way to define a film that is still fundamentally about a man in tights flying around the world punching people. Snyder does a bang-up job making us feel the weight of both the numerous flight scenes and the frantic action; the super-brawls between Superman and various Kryptonians recall the mayhem of last year's The Avengers, if surely not quite as stuffed with memorable money shots. If there's any real complaint to level against the film, though, it's the occasionally shonky quality of the visual effects, too often veering into blurriness during energetic fight scenes between fast-moving combatants on both sides. It may not be fair to say that Man of Steel is all about the characters, but it juggles its visceral appeal and character drives exceedingly well, largely because of the strong performances across the board. Worth singling out are Costner as Clark's adoptive father, Diane Lane as foster mother Martha, Amy Adams as Lois, and of course, Michael Shannon as Zod, and Antje Traue as his right-hand lady, Faora-Ul, who is almost as fun to watch as Zod himself. If the film has a weak link at all, it is probably Cavill in the lead role; though acquitting himself well enough, he just doesn't quite have the confidence - as is perhaps the point of the film - as Reeve and Brandon Routh who preceded him. For a more introspective Superman, the downplayed approach arguably suits the film well, though the inevitable pitfalls of casting a Brit in the role do result in a few cold line readings here and there. Man of Steel is a film that nevertheless knows which battles to pick; with Snyder at the helm, it is every bit the action extravaganza one expects, while it sensibly doesn't feel the need to shoehorn in a fast romantic connection between Clark and Lois (something teased here, though no doubt ripe for a sequel) for quick fanboy gratification. Everything from Cavill's performance to Hans Zimmer's evocative score will likely take home the silver medal when it's all said and done, though this is hardly something to complain about when you're up against the trio of Richard Donner, John Williams and Christopher Reeve. However, in Snyder, Nolan and Goyer, the Man of Steel has found an unlikely dream team able to make him soar once again. Man of SteelMan of Steel is in cinemas Friday.
Contributor
Contributor

Frequently sleep-deprived film addict and video game obsessive who spends more time than is healthy in darkened London screening rooms. Follow his twitter on @ShaunMunroFilm or e-mail him at shaneo632 [at] gmail.com.