The new Superman movie, “Man of Steel” (**** OUT OF ****), ranks
as the best about the Last Son of Krypton.
After the lackluster box office response to the flawed but entertaining “Superman
Returns” back in 2006, Warner Brothers and D.C. Comics must have retreated into
their own collective Fortress of Solitude to contemplate the future of the Man
of Tomorrow. Clearly, since he received
story credit, writer & producer Christopher Nolan played a part in shaping
this Superman reboot. As the genius
behind the hugely profitable Christian Bale “Dark Knight” trilogy, Nolan
qualified as the ideal choice to guide the thinking behind the reboot. If you’ve seen Nolan’s “Batman” movies, you’ll
spot his influence on “Man of Steel.” First, like Nolan’s “Batman” epics, “Man of
Steel” deplores comic relief and holds humor to a minimum. Comparatively, “Man of Steel” is nothing like
glib “Iron Man 3.” Second, Clark Kent
ventures out into the world incognito like Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne did in
the early scenes of “Batman Begins.”
Clark holds down several jobs before he dons his distinctive apparel and
then plays everything straight. “Smallville”
fans will appreciate this rite of passage, especially where the trucker is
concerned at the truck stop. “Watchman” director Zack Snyder and “Blade”
scenarist David S. Goyer rely on Nolan-like flashbacks to break up the monotony
of conventional chronology. Clocking in
at 143 minutes, “Man of Steel” maintains a sense of spontaneity that tweaks its
formulaic plot. Third, this Superman
movie boasts no more connection with the previous Superman outings than Nolan’s
“Batman” movies had with the Batman adventures that toplined Michael Keaton,
Val Kilmer, and George Clooney. Fourth,
just as Nolan changed the way that the Caped Crusader appeared, Superman doesn’t
dress up in his traditional attire. The
biggest change in Superman’s costume is that he doesn’t wear drawers outside
his outfit, and he flies around in the equivalent of dyed blue thermal
underwear. Nevertheless, Superman hangs
onto his cape. All these alterations
make “Man of Steel” a better movie than if would have turned out had Warner
Brothers stuck with the “Superman Returns” storyline.
Genre movies, such as westerns, crime thrillers, and horror
chillers, rely on surefire narrative formulas, and “Superman” movies are no
different. Not only do good genre movies
strive to top each other, but they also redefine themselves so they can appeal
to different generations. Superman
appeared first in 1938 in Action Comics.
Since his debut, the Man of Tomorrow has evolved. Other media outlets adapted him and came up
with new ideas for the character. The
radio show introduced kryptonite as the substance that endangered
Superman. “Man of Steel” takes a
traditional but at the same time a revisionist approach to its subject
matter. Like “Superman” (1978), “Man of
Steel” opens with Superman’s origins as the son of Jor-El on the dying planet
of Krypton. Unlike “Superman” (1978), “Man
of Steel” expands the action on Krypton.
At the same time, the Jor-El character does get slighted as he has in
virtually all Superman movies. Russell
Crowe portrays Superman father Jor-El in a performance of commendable
restraint. Cleverly, the filmmakers have
devised an imaginative way to extend Jor-El’s presence beyond the opening
battle on Krypton with the treacherous Krypton military commander General Zod
(Michael Shannon of “Mud”) who hates him with a passion. The Krypton battle scenes amount to a
mini-epic with homages to both “Star Wars” and “John Carter.” “Man of Steel” provides three times more
spectacle here before it plunges into the “Smallville” years.
Teenage Clark struggles
to conceal his identity with his father Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner of “Wyatt
Earp”) and his mother Martha Kent (Diane Lane of “Hollywoodland”) backing him
up. The scene where he prevents the
school bus from sinking into a river after it topples from a bridge is
invigorating stuff. The death of
Jonathan Kent—he doesn’t croak from a heart attack like he did in “Superman”
(1948), the “Superman on Earth” episode of the 1952 “Superman” television
series, or “Superman” (1978)—differs, and Snyder and Goyer tie it into Clark’s ability
to discipline himself. Daily Planet
reporter Lois Lane becomes interested in the sensational exploits of a nomadic troubleshooter
after he saves her life while she is in the Arctic writing about a mysterious
spaceship trapped in the ice. Eventually,
she tracks him down to Smallville and entreats him to let her let his story,
but he refuses. He wants nobody to know
about him. Lois’ editor Perry White
(Laurence Fishburne of “The Matrix”) refuses to publish her story about a
stranger from another world. Ironically,
while no human can convince Clark Kent to divulge his identify as Superman,
General Zod forces him to take credit for his heroic deeds and surrender
himself to the authorities of Earth. “Man
of Steel” synthesizes the first two Christopher Reeve movies by imprisoning
General Zod in a Phantom Zone and then releasing him to serve as the primary
villain. Basically, “Man of Steel” boils
down to “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” versus his own elders. Zod and his minions show up out of the blue
and insist that Earth give up Kal-El. At
this point, we Earthlings don’t know who to trust. When it comes down to clash, both Zod and Kal-L
constitute targets that we fire on without a qualm.
British actor Henry Cavill is the sixth actor cast as an
adult Superman. You’ve probably seen
Cavill in “Immortals,” “Tristan + Isolde,” and “Cold Light of Day.” Ironically, he auditioned for the Clark Kent
role in “Superman Returns.” Cavill looks
every inch like Superman, with his muscular physique ripped and chiseled like a
Michelangelo statue. Happily, he doesn’t
impersonate Christopher Reeve. If he
comes closest to imitating any Superman actor, he delivers a performance reminiscent
of George Reeves. Cavill has his head in
the right place, and his Superman takes himself seriously. Of course, if you’re yearning for something
more like “Superman” (1978) or “Superman Returns” (2006), you’re going to be disenchanted.
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