In Man of Steel, Superman is all-out emotional and has flaws. He may downplay many of these with that quiet nobility initially, but he proves in this movie time and time again that he's rough around the edges, and lets out a wide range of character traits. For starters, he ironically doesn't always look far enough ahead. He gets angry and isn't perfect in his reactions. His heat vision doesn't feel pleasant. He sweats, even without Kryptonite around. And by throwing in the Zod stuff (does anyone care that Superman also approved that Phantom Zone plan dooming the other Kryptonians to a vacuum?), the filmmakers force Superman to not just overcome the conflict he faces in the movie, but to one day have to come to grips with itnot just within himself, but with the U.S. military following his every move. This goes for the other characters in the movie as well, right down to Richard Schiff's Dr. Emil Hamilton. A great amount of Man of Steel is dedicated to the feelings of its characters, across a variety of points of view. The film gives all that they do weightnot the bad kindand makes the movie more intense emotionally than we're used to seeing in a superhero film, even more than (dare I say it?) the Iron Man and Dark Knight films. The atmosphere is dense with emotion. In its own way, this gives all of the characters exciting room to grow. But unfortunately, it also falls outside of the conventions of our general moviegoing routines. Do we want Superman to explore emotional territory not seen as much in his previous films (but frequently in the comics)without coming off as emo no less? More than that, can we ever take in our characters this way? What's wrong with an effort like this every once in a while?
Ian Boucher is many things when he is not writing for WhatCulture.com -- explorer, friend of nature, and librarian. He enjoys stories of many kinds and is fascinated with what different mediums can bring to them. He has developed particular affections for movies and comic books, especially the ones that need more attention, taking them absolutely seriously with a sense of humor. He constantly strives to build his understanding of the relationships between world cultures, messages, and audiences.
