Review - Man Of Steel

At The Theater - "Man Of Steel" -

Overkill - (Definition) - 

o·ver·kill
/ˈōvərˌkil/ 

Noun

1. : a destructive capacity greatly exceeding that required for a given target

2. : an excess of something (as a quantity or an action) beyond what is required or suitable for a particular purpose <publicity overkill> <an overkill in weaponry>

3. : killing in excess of what is intended or required

Director Zack Snyder's (300) "Man of Steel" needs about 15 minutes of action/mayhem trimmed and about 20 more minutes of exposition and character building- the film is cold to the touch, overly complicated and often wallows in blatant excess. There's a host of contradictions, plot holes and moments of mind-boggling contrivance that literally had me wincing with disappointment (I'm a longtime fan of the character and had high hopes for this film).  The visuals and action scenes in this admittedly darker and edgier take on the Superman film franchise range from outstanding to generic; Snyder is given free reign to tear shit up (complete with his signature desaturated look), with little or no thought given to the consequences.  There are flashes of kick ass cool here and there but most of the big action scenes go on way too long with precious few "humanistic" moments to balance out matters and supply the necessary weight and/or tension- I couldn't help but think; this is Transformers: Revenge of The Fallen mixed with The Star Wars Prequels.  Michael Bay and the current version of George Lucas would be proud.

Henry Cavill (Immortals) brings a completely ripped titular hero to the big screen- he's by far the most physically impressive live-action incarnation of Superman / Kal-El, though there's not nearly enough of those little moments of character detail to endear an audience to him.  A spattering of humor throughout might have worked wonders- I can't remember laughing, or even smiling, one time.  I was never much of a fan of Christopher Reeve's goofy, bumbling Clark Kent (his Superman was perfect) and there's thankfully none of that here- this particular Clark is haunted and brooding, anxious to find his place and meaning in an alien world.  A handful of flashbacks covering various incidents in Clark's childhood/youth work to varying degrees, though I wish the filmmakers had taken a more linear approach to the storytelling- the off-kilter placement of the poignant memories often work to derail any momentum.  I'm positive Director Zack Snyder has an extended Director's Cut of this movie in the works, but I can only comment on what I paid to see in a theater.

Superman's parents, both biological and adoptive, come across as more obligatory than necessary- I wish there had been far more of Kevin Costner (Open Range) and Diane Lane (The Perfect Storm) as the Kents.  Russell Crowe (Gladiator) supplies a durable Jor-El, Superman's biological father -after the opening sequence on Krypton, he pops up here and there throughout the film as some kind of ghostly "program" aiding his son in various ways.  Israeli Actress Ayelet Zurer (Munich) portrays Kal-El's mother- she's barely in the film but is solid in her limited screen-time.

Michael Shannon (Premium Rush) is serviceable as the villainous General Zod, though he desperately needed some kind of vocal adjustment in post production- something done digitally to deepen his voice as he just doesn't have a commanding delivery (you know, kinda like the one Terence Stamp did possess as Zod in 1980's Superman II).  I had no problem with how Superman ultimately deals with Zod- some will call sacrilege, but I found it refreshing.  It's a case of too little, too late, though.

A very sexy Antje Traue (Pandorum) is Zod's "right hand girl", Faora-Ul- the German actress (who possesses beautiful eyes, I might add) is quite impressive and should have had a more bulked up role to take advantage of that.  Sadly, her "comeuppance" is rather lame.

Amy Adams (Enchanted) does a solid job portraying Lois Lane- I'm indifferent concerning the actress and always have been (it should have been Jessica Biel or Rachel McAdams in the part). 

Laurence Fishburne (The Matrix) makes a few, brief appearances as Perry White while Christopher Meloni (Law And Order: Special Victims Unit) portrays a U.S. Colonel heading up forces to stop Zod's onslaught.  Harry Lennix (Ray) and Richard Schiff (NBC's The West Wing) round out the notable faces as the obligatory General and Scientist, respectively.

The cast of undeniably gifted actors all have their inherent talent to rest upon, as Snyder is clearly not an Actor's Director- he shows little understanding and very little interest in the subtleties involved with nurturing a great performance. Ultimately, I believe a pre-Avatar James Cameron would have been THE ideal choice to tackle a Superman reboot in a high quality manner- he's an obsessive sort that has proven time and time again (Aliens, True Lies, The Terminator, T2, The Abyss, Titanic) that he can balance out rousing, large-scale action with the finer details of consequential drama.  Alas, it was obviously not to be.  

The Good-

I like the new costume design and the textured, chain-mail look- I'm glad the red Fruit Of The Looms are gone.  The armor worn by General Zod and his warriors is also pretty cool- some may feel that their duds too closely resemble the battle dress of Sauron from Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring, though.

It's always neat to see A-10 Warthogs involved in an action film- the damned things are just old-school cool.

An initial confrontation between our hero and the bad guys takes place smack dab in the middle of Smallville- it's the best of the action sequences, thought it too could have benefited from a small trim.

General Zod's account of how his people escaped "The Phantom Zone" and his subsequent plans for Earth are conveyed telepathically to the Man of Steel while he's unconscious- the dream-like visuals involved with this chronicle, including a segment where Superman is engulfed by sea of skulls, are undeniably nifty.

Specific issues/problems/complaints I had with the storyline itself-

***SPOILERS***

As far as saving lives is concerned, this particular Superman is by far the least successful.  The vast majority of Metropolis's skyscrapers are reduced to ashes during a climactic showdown between Superman and General Zod's forces, with little or no thought given to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions of lives lost in the process. As each building collapsed, I couldn't help but wonder how many people were dying therein, all souls the greatest superhero the world has ever known failed to save- hell, there's barely an attempt to convey the notion that he even cares.  Superman punches Zod through a skyscraper, it crumbles to the ground in fantastic fashion, Zod punches Supes through another skyscraper, same result. Wash, rinse, repeat, over and over and over again.  Remember how Christopher Reeves's Superman showed so much concern for people's safety and was constantly trying to lure threats away from the populace?  It was written, directed and acted that way- with care and empathy.  Here, Snyder just wants to stick your face into all the neato special effects and massive budget he's been given, as if he's some impish, emotionless child stomping sand castles and squashing pill bugs. In a post 9/11 world, this particularly ham-fisted execution and outright mishandling of the material comes across as calloused and in poor taste.  Yes, this is obviously only a movie- it's also one with very little thought involved past the topical visuals.  In better, more seasoned/professional hands, this could have been one of the most heartbreaking, thrilling and important pieces of cinema ever produced- as is, it's just a middling "comic-book movie".

It is revealed via the Kryptonian senate that the people of the planet will not be able to escape from it's impending implosion via starships because they simply don't have any- yet that announcement is clearly contradicted when that same senate banishes Zod and his followers into "The Phantom Zone" via a, get this, MASSIVE starship.  C'mon, Man!  

In a subsequent segment featuring a dying, chaotic Krypton, with the planet's skyline bustling with a myriad of interesting flying machines of all shapes and sizes, a time-strapped Jor-El hops atop a bovine/dragonfly creature to reach his destination.  Where the hell did it come from and why the hell didn't he want to hitch a ride on something faster?  It's almost as if Snyder just wanted to throw/work something "Dragon-ish" into the picture for no other reason than because... well, it's cool, dammit!

Our Hero discovers and activates a rather large spaceship of his own (supposedly buried in the Earth's arctic ice for thousands of years) midway through the picture, but apparently forgets that he has the damned thing at his disposal when the climactic confrontation with Zod and his minions rolls around.  It could have worked wonders towards evening up the odds...

I could only shake my head at a late, brain-dead segment in which Lois spies the faraway contrail of Supes and Zod, locked in battle, as they reenter Earth's atmosphere from space and crash somewhere many miles away, only to have Lois comes dashing in to watch the duo resume their grappling mere moments after they've crashed though the establishment's (Grand Central Station) ceiling... what the HELL!?  How did she traverse so quickly over so many miles of a devastated Metropolis landscape and how did she know exactly where their meteoric fall would land them?

Lastly, in a closing, tacked-on segment apparently inserted as an attempt to reach out to traditionalist Superman fans, audiences are treated to Clark Kent (wearing a pair of black-rimmed eyeglasses as his only means of disguise) entering the Daily Planet and reporting for his first day of work.  He introduces himself to a few new co-workers, including a knowing Lois Lane.  I felt this particular sendoff came across as campy in that the ridiculously simplistic charade couldn't possibly work in the day and age of smart phones, security cameras, paparazzi, facial recognition software and the DHS.  The concept of Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter, has never worked for me- how could he possibly juggle saving the world and maintain a full time job, all-the-while keeping his identity a secret while working at the world's most powerful newspaper? 

***END SPOILERS***

Composer Hans Zimmer's score, desperate to infuse a little life into the onscreen proceedings, only manages to be loud and obnoxious- it often drowns out dialogue and garbles the sound mix of a few action scenes. I will admit to liking a rather ominous, techno-riff that briefly comes and goes whenever General Zod or his warships are onscreen.  Ultimately, there's no comparison with this particular effort and John Williams's highly effective and iconic score introduced to the world in 1978's Superman: The Movie. Zimmer's score is the disposable kind and will be forgotten in relatively little time.  John Williams's theme will live forever as one of the absolute greatest, and most recognizable pieces of music of all time.  That's inarguable.

For better or worse, this is a Superman film for the video game age- it's perfect for the teenaged mindset and a guilty pleasure at best.  So many problems, both large and small, glaring and needling, led me to once again wonder if any of the involved writers/filmmakers paid any attention whatsoever to what the hell each other was doing.  I felt similarly about The Dark Knight Rises and have no qualms about admitting that I disliked that movie, as well.  If this is what passes for intelligence in grand style film-making, you can count me out.  When all is said and done, I'll undoubtedly be in the minority on this flick- I'm fine with that.  I missed the nostalgic, homage vibe of Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns" and the inherent likeability that Christopher Reeves so naturally conveyed in Superman: The Movie (1978) and in Superman II (1980).  I missed the elemental sense of honor, integrity, fun and wonderment associated with those films, as well- they were far from perfect, but they were perfect for their time.  Given the considerable resources at it's disposal, this Superman film just isn't what it should have been; the quintessential take on the world's greatest superhero...

6.0 out of 10


FWIW-

Superman: The Movie (1978) - 8.0
Superman II -8.0
Superman III - 4.5
Superman IV: The Quest For Peace - 3.5
Superman Returns - 8.0