Man of Steel review

It's been two weeks since the return of the king. No, I don't mean Lord of the Rings. I mean Superman, the world's first superhero, who was recently rebooted in Zach Snyder's Man of Steel. I've seen it twice, and this is a movie not to be taken lightly. Beside the fact that it's overly serious, in stark contrast to the tongue-in-cheek Chris Reeve films, this film has had a largely mixed reaction from fans and critics. Debates raged whether it succeeded in modernizing Supes, or even if it was an accurate representation of the Superman they grew up with.

So with all the different opinions out there, I spent a lot of time just thinking about this film.  On the one hand, I heavily enjoyed the film's attempt to update Superman's iconic mythos. On the other hand, I have to admit, especially on second viewing, that the film is not perfect. But does it deserve the absolute hatred that some people are giving it? Personally, not in the slightest.

Solely based on the plot and its execution, I enjoyed this film heavily. It's probably the hard-core sci-fi buff in me talking, but I was in love with the opening scenes on Krypton. One thing I felt writers never really utilized that well was the fact that Superman was an alien. They knew it, but never really took advantage of it. This film, to my delight, did. Not only did we get to see a fully realized Kryptonian society, but the flaws that led to its destruction. By introducing all the sci-fi aspects first, our suspension of disbelief is established and the film's epic scale is shown. However, this prologue is also very character driven, as evidenced by the relationship between Jor-El and Zod and how their conflict sparks Jor-El's decision to send his son to Earth.

The emphasis on the alien side of Superman's character drives the rest of the film. This Clark Kent is more of a nomad, wandering the Earth deciding what he should do with his life and his powers, constantly plagued from being a child of two worlds. Frequent flashbacks help sell this conflict, especially ones showing his powers manifesting as a child and a talk with his dad as a teen. They provided an emotional core to the film that, amid all the sci-fi, also grounded Clark's character and sold his human side amid his alien nature.

When Zod re-enters the picture after Clark discovers his destiny, it ties the whole story back to the Krypton prologue. Clark is now forced to not only reveal his alien nature to humanity, but also to choose which people he should side with, allowing the internal conflict that's been eating at him to come to a head. The threat of Zod and his plan to terraform Earth into a new Krypton is as much an internal struggle as it is a physical one. As such, the action sequences have an added weight to them beyond just showcasing the raw power of Superman and his Kryptonian brethren.

And speaking of the action: it's simply breathtaking, as befitting Zach Snyder. Not just the opening coup on Krypton, but three separate battles between Superman and his fellow survivors. A fight with Zod's lieutenants Faora and Nam-Ek in Smallville, dismantling Zod's World Engine in the Indian Ocean, and the final Metropolis battle with a spiritually broken Zod are all standouts. Not only do they succeed due to being external manifestations of Clark's struggle, but they're also a treat to watch. At long last, we get to see Superman punch something, and show off the immense power that has made him worthy of being the world's greatest superhero.

Unfortunately, for as much praise as I give the action, it's also one of the film's biggest weaknesses. I began to notice on my second viewing that these sequences do tend to go on a bit too long. After a while they turn into giant explosion fests, and lose any emotional connection in favor of causing as much destruction as possible. In addition, the pacing is often erratic and leads to not only overlong action sequences, but flashbacks and character beats that feel rushed. Snyder seems mostly occupied with getting Clark into the suit as fast as possible, so his entire story arc in the first half is sped through to get back to the Zod storyline.

I feel that if the smaller moments were longer and the action beats shorter and more compact, the film would probably work better. Thankfully, the sheer enjoyment of the action beats and the emotion conveyed by the actors during the character moments prevent the film from being lackluster. It's flawed, for sure, but not to the point where it affected my enjoyment of the film.

What really sells the film, above all the issues with action, pacing and characterization, are the actors. No actor here gives a bad performance. Henry Cavill makes a great new Superman for the modern era. He may not yet embody the wholesome, entirely good archetype that Christopher Reeve did, but he is tough enough for a modern action super hero while still projecting that same friendly demeanor inherent in Superman's character.

The supporting roles are all fantastic, with Russel Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon and Amy Adams all standouts. Crowe plays Jor-El as a hard core father willing to sacrifice everything for his son's safety, even as a hologram in death. Costner's Kent is the loving foster father who humbly bears the responsibility of raising a son with extraordinary powers.

Shannon kills it as Zod, bringing a surprising amount of depth to the character by making him genetically conditioned to protect Krypton. In his mind, he's as much a hero as Kal-El, making his battle with Supes a personal conflict about what it means to be a savior. Adams plays Lois as one of the strongest female roles in a superhero movie. She changes the classic dynamic with Clark by making her intelligent and resourceful enough to discover Clark's identity from the get-go. As she learns more about Clark and becomes the first human he opens up to, it's no wonder the two develop a romance.

The aforementioned pacing and character issues, however, prevent this romance from every truly being developed. But since this is an origin story, it's better that the actors at least show there's a strong, realistic attraction. The famous Lois-Clark relationship is only beginning, and the film does build a solid foundation for the two (literally) star-crossed lovers.

But even after all this analysis, there's still the lingering controversy about Superman killing Zod and the destruction from their battle. Many say it's too un-Supermanlike, making the character irresponsible, dark and brooding. Personally, I don't see what the big deal is. While I do agree that the action does go on too long, it's perfectly realistic in a world where super beings clash. Superman here is still the Superman we know, wanting to preserve human life at all costs. He's just a little rough around the edges.

In this film, Supes is a rookie who is still getting used to using his gifts in public for the first time. Not to mention he's using them against beings just as powerful as him. When it came to Zod, he had no choice but to kill him. Not only was Zod threatening a family, but he would have destroyed the whole world if Supes didn't stop him then and there. Killing Zod will make Supes realize he needs to use his powers more wisely in civilian populations, leaving a lot of potential for sequels.

And speaking of sequels, I loved how the film was open ended enough to open the floodgates for a DC film universe. Unlike the horrible Green Lantern film and the standalone Batman trilogy, this film went all out on the fantasy aspects. Easter eggs like LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises showed that familiar characters exist in this world. There is so much potential going forward with this franchise it's unbelievable. But just looking at this film by itself, Man of Steel is an exciting, energetic update of the Superman mythos.

It's not perfect, since like I said it suffers from some pacing and character issues that tamper with the effectiveness of both the action and character beats. Still, what's presented to us is great stuff. It's entertaining without being completely mindless, but the action and scale are large enough to satisfy mainstream moviegoers. This is definitely a new Superman for a new generation. It's a better effort than Superman Returns, finally makes the character relevant again, and is the strongest film from DC since the Batman trilogy. As someone who didn't think much of Superman, I can proudly say that not only has this film made me believe a man can fly, but it's made me care for him too.