Harry Situation Reviews: Man of Steel

Before Justice League hits theaters this Friday, I feel it would be very incomplete if I didn't talk about Man of Steel. I mean I've already talked about Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Wonder Woman, so it's only fair to review the one that kickstarted the DC Extended Universe.

Released in 2013, Man of Steel was the newest superhero film featuring one of the greats, Superman (played by Henry Cavill this time around). In a way the film plays as a retelling of the classic origin and a soft reboot of the Superman films that starred Christopher Reeve. What makes it unique was the people behind the camera. Zack Snyder, the director of 300 and Watchmen, takes the director's chair with Christopher Nolan, who wrapped up his Dark Knight Trilogy, seated as producer.

The story is of course timeless. As the planet Krypton dies, Superman's parents ship baby him in a rocket and blast him towards earth. He grows up and realizes he has unlimited power, such as super strength, super speed, heat vision, x-ray vision, super breath, and flight. Deciding that his powers should be used for good he dawns his costume as Superman, just in time when the warmongering General Zod (played by Michael Shannon) comes to warp earth into the new Krypton. Can Superman save the world without causing too much destruction and property damage, or will he kneel before Zod?

I remember on its release day people were very split about this movie. Critics and audiences say that it's either good or bad. Me personally, I think Man of Steel is a good movie. It's not perfect but it doesn't have to be.

Just a heads up there are spoilers in this review if you haven't seen it. You've been warned.

Alright let's talk about the good stuff first. First of all I think Henry Cavill made for a good Superman. He's not on par with Christopher Reeve's portrayal of the iconic character, but he doesn't have to be. This is own thing and he does a good enough job. I only wished he smiled more through the film.

The supporting casts is good too. Laurence Fishburne was good as Daily Planet's editor-in-chief Perry White and Amy Adams was okay as Lois Lane. Russell Crowe and Kevin Costner were both okay as playing both of Kal-El's father figures, Jor-El and Jon Kent. I just wished they both emoted more.

Let's also talk about Michael Shannon as Zod. He's fine too. His acting can get a little hokey in some bits but he did make for an intimidating villain. My only gripe with the character, as well as the villains in the previous Superman movies. The villain is always rehashed and reused. The only Superman villains you ever see on the big screen, not counting Doomsday from BvS, is Lex Luthor and General Zod. For a new Superman film we should being seeing villains like Metallo or Brainiac.

Yet the problem is that there is very little chemistry between any of the characters, specifically between Superman and Lois. They both sound awkward together. It just didn't seem believable. And they the end up together towards the end, I couldn't but roll my eyes because it seemed way to forced. Yeah they're together because they're Lois and Clark. But there wasn't enough chemistry between them that justifies it. I felt more chemistry between Batman and Wonder Woman when I first saw BvS that was more convincing than this.

The special effects look really good in this one. Even better than what was used in Superman Returns. Anyone remember that movie? The shots where Superman is flying looked amazing. And when he used heat vision, it looked powerful and destructive, as it should be.

Something that doesn't get enough praise is the musical score conducted by one of the greats Hans Zimmer. The score gives you that feeling of something out of this world, which is fitting since Superman is an alien. The melody kinda feels like a combination of The Dark Knight and Interstellar (which Zimmer has also written scores for).

The fights are excellent. Say what you will about the older Superman films but you can't dare say that those fights or action sequences looked all that good. Have you seen Superman 4: The Quest for Peace? In this film they're punching hard and tossing trucks and smashing into buildings. It's freaking awesome! But as cool as it looks there really was way too much destruction. The best defense for this is that when two godlike beings are battling there's gonna be fallout. But did it have to be overblown like this?

But here's the real problem with the film as a whole: it is too dark and feels too depressing. Most of the movie Superman mopes around, wondering what to do this is abilities. That's not what the audience wants to see in a Superman movie.

Not only that the lighting and the colors were a mix of dark, bland, and colorless. Like there was meant to be no emotions in this film. I get in the sense that's how it was with the Dark Knight Trilogy, especially since Nolan directed those films. But that type of dark undertones is best fitted for Batman not for Superman.

I should also give my thoughts on the most controversial scene of the whole film. Alright so in the climax Superman has Zod in a choke hold. Zod tries to use his heat vision to zap some civilians. To save them Superman broke Zod's neck, killing his nemesis. I remember when I first saw that scene the whole theater gasped, and what a moment to experience that. Honestly I think that scene was really good.

My defense for it was that it was something different that we've never seen before. The argument people have against that scene is that Superman doesn't kill people. Technically that's not true. He killed Doomsday a couple times in the comics, and he even killed Joker in Injustice. My other defense for this scene is that this is a moment where Superman comes to terms that he must never take another life. This moment is devastating to him as now he is officially the last of his kind.

Overall Man of Steel, in my opinion, is a good enough film. It's not as good as the Chris Reeve classic everyone loves, but it doesn't have to. This is meant to take a step towards another cinematic universe, but it's unfortunate that it had to be rushed to compete with Marvel, resulting in some missteps. But as it's own Man of Steel soars.

Positives:

-Cavill as Superman

-Supporting cast

-Great visual effects

-Hans Zimmer score

-Super battles

-That one scene

Negatives:

-Lois/Clark chemistry

-Overuse of destruction

-Too dark/depressing

Final Grade: B

So there's my thoughts of the one film that paved the way for the DCEU. Have you seen it? What were your thoughts on it? Please join me next time as I finally cover Justice League this weekend!

Best Quote:

Jor-El: "You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."

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