Film: Man of Steel

Superman has hardly had the smoothest of film adaptions. The 1978 film was quite good while not spectacular, its first sequel upping the ante with the introduction of General Zod which helped create great action scenes. Superman III was quite the disaster but paled in awfulness when compared to the train-wreck of Superman IV. Filmmakers let the character stay dead for some time after, many attempts to get it to film being aborted. Then there was Superman Returns back in 2006 that was just slightly better than the 4th sequel that killed the franchise. So there was a lot at stake with Man of Steel, the new attempt to get the franchise off the ground by adding the darkness of Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. 

So it’s slightly disappointing that Man of Steel is just average, and far too dark for it’s own good. The film’s opening is a dragged out exploration of Superman’s home planet Krypton, his father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and the revolution by Zod (Michael Shannon). For all its action scenes, the opening is very dull and doesn’t really give much information beyond Clark’s birth and that Zod is evil, which will probably cause many viewers to switch off altogether. It doesn’t help any that this information is relayed back to the audience at least two more times in the film, just in case you weren’t bored enough the first time around. From here you are tortured by a saccharin exploration of Clark’s family life with his adopted parents and how he gained and adapted to his powers. 

From here we greet Clark (Henry Cavill) as an adult, see him learn about who he is and don the costume. These scenes conversely feel far too rushed, presenting no opportunity to see Clark’s reaction to the news that his home world is gone. In between this Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is introduced as a real world reporter thrust into this extraordinary world, one of the best characters the film features. Then suddenly Zod comes back and there is not much time to establish Clark anymore amongst the action. 

The action is quite epic but this works to the film’s detriment. By the end of the film the story has been engulfed by endless scenes of Superman punching Zod in the face, neither doing damage to the other. This is a problem that Zack Synder often suffers from, as 300 showed he can create fantastic action scenes but seems to forget that plot is an important part of filmmaking. It feels hollow that Clark saves the world but basically destroys Metropolis in the process. 

It must be at least 30 minutes before you get to see Henry Cavill portray Clark, yet it feels like you don’t really know much about him. Even by the end of the film it’s hard to really say you know much about him. You don’t at any really point see Clark have fun, or show emotion of any kind, making it hard to care about his character. The Superman side of his persona fares far better, given a familiar strength of character and morality. It feels like Cavill really has a great portrayal in him but the movie doesn’t allow him to have much range. 

As previously stated Amy Adams is fantastic as Lois Lane, providing the film’s much needed heart while also keeping the character’s fearlessness intact. Her introduction establishes her as a war correspondent who isn’t afraid of the tough soldiers around her. When she discovers alien life she is determined to get her story published and when the FBI want her to reveal Clark she is unwilling to reveal him, showing her journalistic integrity. The love story between Clark and Lois feels less genuine, with Superman being so cold that it seems unlikely Lois would fall so in love over the course of a few days. When they kiss it doesn’t feel at all earned, simply seeming like a mandatory requirement.

Michael Shannon feels wasted as General Zod, being far too over-the-top and simply yelling violent, threatening statements at the camera hoping that will make him an effective villain. His sub-commander Faora as played by Antje Traue is far more effective, a powerful villain with very few scenes and fewer lines. It feels like she should be the main villain rather than Shannon.

Jor-El outstays his welcome, lingering too much after his death in the opening, existing only to provide exposition. His role definitely didn’t need to be as expansive as it is, his story could have been told in the space of five minutes and done the same job.

The supporting cast are incredibly undeveloped, with Laurence Fishbourne probably getting the most development, which amounts to a few intense lines and some staring. The rest of the Daily Planet aren’t even lucky to get that. The film seems to forget this in the final scenes, throwing them in harm’s way and expecting us to care about their lives more than the millions that have been lost. 

Man of Steel is far from a great Superman adaption but is also not a total disaster. It doesn’t earn any of its emotional moments yet has incredibly powerful action. Hopefully the inevitable sequel will give us more of a chance to see Cavill portray Clark rather than just Superman and make the romance feel genuine, giving us the adaption we deserve.