5. Man Of Steel Puts Us Face-To-Face With The Destruction We Love To Cheer
We love explosions and the destruction that follows them. There are books about that. However, as with any kind of recreation, movies can only go so far, and superhero movies are no exception. There are books about that too. We like to think that destruction between two super-powered beings would only go so far before one of them relents, but in Man of Steel, we are not given such relief, and this hit many people very hard. It has remained one of the most common complaints about the movie. Many viewers felt Man of Steel's third act took superhero cinema to its breaking point. Why can't a superhero movie make us uncomfortable every now and then? After all, superhero movies are best when they get us thinking, and Man of Steel certainly does that, both through the film and our expectations of it. The destruction was not gratuitous. It has meaning.
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.
