Man of Steel.

Man this was a good movie...
Anyone remember Superman Returns? Didn't think so, I dunno how you make a guy with every superpower under the sun (geddit?) boring but man that film managed it. What a fucking disaster. I'm just glad it was such a disaster, because if it wasn't, we'd probably never have Man of Steel. And I'm damn glad we have this movie. 

Although Nolan's name is slapped all over this film, in many ways more than Snyder's is (which is a travesty considering Snyder made one of the best superhero films ever out of a comic that apparently couldn't be adapted) this isn't a Nolan superhero flick and thank Christ for that. Sure there is a bit of gritty realism here, a little bit of a shame towards the source material there but once Superman throws the first punch and the carnage ensues not only does the film erupt with a childlike glee that Nolan wouldn't touch but it's one of the first superhero films that literally feels like it's leaping right out of the pages.

Sadly though, if you came for story, then I'm sorry but there isn't much. The film casts a wide net over Superman mythos, doing its best to mash it all together, but it serves little purpose. The ever central romance between Lois and Clark is close to non-existent in the actual film and although the film does tell Superman's revised origin story and set the scene it's all told extremely clumsily as the film is practically stumbling over it to get to the action.

So really, Man of Steel embodies pretty much every claim from the haters that Synder makes artificial and soulless films because as much as I loved this film, both words do a great job of summing it up. The film is a pretentious, CGI mess acting like it's about so much more than hitting things when all it is about is hitting things. This isn't exactly Snyder's fault either, Snyder and Nolan make a bad mix, the guy who penned this was the same guy who penned Batman Begins (a film I feel woefully overrated) and it's clear Goyer's heart is in writing some deep character study about Superman and it's clear Snyder's heart is in how hard Superman punches and since this is Snyder's movie, he rushes past Goyer's pretentious moments at such speed they lose all sense of meaning and would have been best cut out entirely. Now if only we could get a sci-fi superhero blend like Thor with action like Man of Steel...

And if you couldn't tell, I'm a huge fan of Snyder's vision of this film, not Nolan or Goyer's. Although the CGI still isn't quite there and the high-def cameras show what I'm assuming is a lot more than they wanted, they finally caught what it felt like in the comics to have superhuman's clash on the big screen. Sure The Avengers blew the scale up but the final battle in Avengers was a glorified putty battle, the introduction to something bigger that never comes. Man of Steel retains that epic sense of scale in terms of the battlefield and the amount of stuff exploding but this time it's a localised brawl between super aliens with the epic condensed and concentrated to maximum strength. Even one guy, who we never see out of his alien armour, charms me as he gleefully throws trains around and other such mindless awesome. Seriously this film is just insane, it has the kind of thrills that leave your jaw open and you fighting the urge to unleash your inner child in a series of fist pumps and joy filled giggles.

If I was to have any complaints with action at all, is that it does slightly undermine Superman as a character. The point was that Superman restrained himself, that with all his power he could have whatever he wanted, but instead he chooses not too because he is so morally good. However between the millions killed by Superman punching Zod through buildings, one crucial neck snap and the suggestion he committed genocide Superman as a character is slightly lost in the wooshing and CGI. And so as much as I adored the action, I do kind of wish they didn't undermine Supes so much to achieve the great action.

It also doesn't help that it features some of the worst cinematography I've ever seen. Shaky cam in action sequences in one thing, but even when the characters are still the camera isn't. There are some brief steady moments thanks to some crane shots but the majority of the filming looks a lot like a family video, with the camera bobbing up and down because someone is just running around the action with the camera and rather than editing the sequences or using panning, the camera man literally just moves the camera around the space amateurishly swinging it around or zooming in and out. It looks horrendous.

Henry Cavill with one amusing meta ironic line "I couldn't be any more American" is perfectly cast as Superman. He is the best, and one of the few good actors in the film, and not only does he look the part but he perfectly captures the space that Clark is in this time of the story. Not quite the stoic world weary hero but moved past the cocky hot head in Smallville. It's just a shame that in the last hour or so the screenplay takes the Superman identity away from him and replaces that with carnage.

Sadly everyone else pretty much sucks. Amy Adam's was miscast as Lois Lane even if that isn't PC to say and although Michael Shannon and Russell Crowe were both great, even the good actors couldn't do much with such terrible dialogue. There is no subtly, no nuance, just ham-fisted corny and unnatural sounding dialogue as characters basically spend the movie shouting stilted exposition at the audience, in comparison Goyer's Batman Begins script almost feels good.

So do I recommend it? Look, not a lot of critics will say this, but stuff the fucking story if the action is that good. Once upon a time I acted like I was too good for Michael Bay cinema but as I've grown older (ironically I suppose) I just appreciate how fun it all is. No Man of Steel wont change your life but if you wanted to go to the cinema to be entertained then prepare to watch what is perhaps the most entertaining superhero flick yet. Highly recommended!

Think About It!

-Locke

What would you rate, 'Man Of Steel'?