Here’s the thing, I have, since I was a boy, hated Superman
as a superhero. What’s to love in a character that can’t be hurt, flies, has
super strength, x-ray eyes, laser vision, and a hot girlfriend who is so blind
and stupid a pair of glasses can shield her from his true identity. Then he never uses the x-ray vision the way
everybody else would, and let’s face it he never—never ever—does the human
thing. He is just too perfect for my comic book tastes.
I preface this review because my point is, I had an extreme
bias going to see Man of Steel. I love comic book movies, but usually with
characters I followed in the inky pages in my youth. So having admitted my
loathing for the Daily Planet’s Stringer, you get a feel for how good Man of
Steel really was, because it totally won me over. I absolutely loved the
destruction of Krypton, the dramatic and heroic depiction of his father and
mother was much more interesting than other superman offerings. Action packed,
but with the scientific gadgetry that I wanted to see from the planet of
Krypton’s chief scientist. He seemed like a kind of Batman meets James Bond,
but fighting with the kind of desperation only a father about to send his son
into a space alone could have. His death also sets up a wonderful revenge battle
at the end of our film, which is a great detail to include.
Truly the strength in this film is in the details. This
isn’t a film in a hurry to get to the amazing special effects action sequences,
but don’t worry it has many, it’s a film made by filmmakers who are adhering to
the oldest adage in film making, ‘don’t be lazy because every frame counts.’
Much like the comic book which inspired and developed this film, each frame was
delicately chosen. Handheld cameras and go cameras replaced tripod stiffness in
the dramatic scenes, the actors seemed to be living their roles instead of
tongue-and-cheeking them the way some comic book films have errantly interpreted
the genre. To non-comic folk comics are
kid stuff, but trust me the stories in these graphic masterpieces tell amazing,
character driven tales and that is why their fans want to see a film that
captures these elements while bringing the action to a cacophony of sound and
splendid vision.
In my opinion, Superman with an edge is a wonderful divergence
from the Boy Scout image of pervious offerings. This man of steel is a true bit
of internal angst and rage. After having a beer dumped over his head he walks
away, but only to go outside and crucify the villain’s truck with telephone
poles. In another scene we see him being bullied as a boy, and when the older
boys walk away the tight shot of the metal pole he’d indented while fighting
his urge to pummel them was a nice shot. I also liked the fact he really kisses
the heroin, and when she jokes that it’s all downhill after the first kiss,
he’s got enough bad boy in him to say, ‘Maybe that’s with humans.’ This is not,
your 1950’s Superman, despite the obvious Jesus Christ reference in the church
scene when he has been asked to sacrifice himself to save the Earth and we see
him ponder this in a Christian church with an image of Jesus hanging in the
background. Okay, perhaps the director was having a little poke at his subject
matter after all.
This film is the best Superman film ever made. The character
development and backstory is fabulously believable and complete. The action
sequences are the best kind of mayhem and madness because we justly hate the
villain who killed Superman’s father, and we also know that Clark Kent’s Earth
father sacrificed himself for the benefit of both mankind and man’s best friend
(the family dog), so we know that Superman must follow in the footsteps of this
humanitarian. Even if you have no interest in this character, but love amazing
action sequences this movie will not disappoint as they destroy parts of Small
Ville and Metropolis with seamless special effects and a blend of animation and
real action. It’s an achievement on all levels of action.
Okay film students I know, ‘Tell us something we can use,
this is all self-evident.’ Alright, how about this, draw your comparison to
Zod, Krypton’s own Dick Cheney who represents the American war machine bent on
protection the empire so vehemently they are capable of great evil, for
goodness sake. In the end, once his mission is taken from him, only his vitriol
views remain and his warrior spirit. Okay, this is not a film latent with
anything but obvious symbolisms and overt metaphor, but here’s a bit more help
for the ever studious but non-Christians who are looking for a metaphor to
impress their instructor. What other historical, Biblical and mega well known
individual had a father on Earth and a father who lived in the heavens? His
initials are J.C.
So how did the world view the film? Oddly they agree with
me. The global box office, which is still not completely finished is at:
So look, up in the sky
it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the box office smash hit, THE MAN OF STEEL.
