Review: Man of Steel

Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/Syncopy

I'll come right out and say that I think Man of Steel is director Zack Snyder's best movie so far. Now, don't get too excited because that really isn't saying much. Snyder has a flawless track record of taking on projects and releasing trailers that look amazing. 300 looked to redefine action sequences (which it did to an extent for some genres). Watchmen looked to be an accurate, loyal adaptation of the beloved graphic novel on a grand scale. I was never excited for Sucker Punch but it did look cool! But in every case, the acting, script, story, etc, all had such obvious flaws that the visuals just weren't enough to save the movie. (Notice that I'm just ignoring The Owls of Ga'Hoole and Dawn of the Dead here because who knew what was going on there). That being said, Man of Steel definitely has its flaws, but they are much easier to overlook compared to Snyder's preview films.

Man of Steel sets out to do something much different. With the help of Christopher Nolan's producing and David S. Goyer's writing, it seems Snyder is finally beginning to figure out the style of movie his expertise are best suited for. Instead of setting out with a conventional plot of rising and falling action with the plot of a bad guy eventually revealed like the last effort to adapt Superman in the miserable Superman Returns, Man of Steel approaches the legendary American icon with little to no concrete plot or storyline.

Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/Syncopy

That isn't to say that there isn't some semblance of structure. The beginning of the film depicts Superman's (Henry Cavill) father, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), attempting to save his home planet of Krypton from collapse and the military coup of General Zod (Michael Shannon). This drawn out prologue sets up Superman's origins and hints at Zod's eventual goal when he re-enters the story, but this is probably the most solid, traditional storytelling we get in the entire film. Afterwards, the audience follows Clark Kent aka Kal-El around the country from a fishing boat to somewhere that looks like a bar in Alaska to somewhere in the Arctic or very northern Alaska and back again to where he grew up in rural Kansas. Interspersed throughout these scenes we get flashbacks to Clark growing up in Kansas and how he learns to control and keep his powers a secret guided by his adopted father, Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner in one of the best roles in the film). All of this leads to Zod eventually showing up again and Clark being forced to save the world, of course.

This explanation may sound like a story, but it is not really. No explanation is given for how Clark gets to any of these locations (of course he's Superman, so he can do whatever and go wherever he wants I guess) or why he is there. In a way, these scenes and events attempting to establish Clark's background serve as no more than a bridge to the mind-blowing action to come. Everything just...happens. It's almost as if there are missing portions to the plot that could have created more of a rhythm or tried to develop any of the characters a bit more. It's almost as if Goyer, Nolan, and Snyder assumed that people were familiar with all of these characters and they didn't need much attention.

Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/Syncopy

As it turns out, I think that they were right. Do we really need a new understanding or take on Superman, Lois Lane, Zod, or anyone else? In the case of superhero movies like The Dark Knight trilogy, Nolan took Batman in a whole new direction that we didn't see in the live-action movies and he did a fantastic job of establishing a new understanding of Batman that began in some of the comics but not the movies. But with Superman, what else is there to do? 

Snyder and his producers tried to accomplish something different with Man of Steel. This movie is more grounded in images than anything else. Where Man of Steel fails and falters is in how it still clings to and becomes confused by a more traditional story-line of cause and effect. The audience is still distracted by the convoluted concept of the codex from Krypton, Zod's goal, and the hurried explanation of Krypton's history and how exactly Superman's powers work so much better on earth. Such things are the remnants of a traditional story that would and should generally get more attention. But the beginning of the film which works as a sort of montage of flashbacks and short clips of Clark's life as an "outcast" feels less traditional and reaching for a style and tone that's grounded in visuals.

This is where Snyder seems to be finally reaching for a style that best suits his natural skill for creating images and sequences that are awesome to behold but quickly crumble when you try to put them in the context of a traditional narrative structure. It's about letting images and simple things like characters' facial expressions tell a story. To shy away from strict notions of cause and effect and focus on how the images connect and smoothly transition. Unfortunately, Man of Steel fails to realize this style, but it does give a glimmer of hope that Snyder may finally be working towards something that won't make me groan and expect another letdown every time his next project is announced.

Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures/Syncopy

But story and style aside, Man of Steel boasts some incredibly impressive action sequences. Even though the ridiculous amount and scale of destruction may get tiresome towards the end, it manages to stay impressive for the majority of the film. The city of Metropolis itself basically gets pulverized at the end due to Superman and Zod's shenanigans. The cinematography during these action scenes is quite good as well. Snyder relies upon a sort of handheld style that seeks to create a feeling of realism in how it desperately tries to follow Superman and his enemies smashing each other through buildings and across cities. It makes for an engaging experience that makes you feel like a shocked bystander and I think it works quite well. So, if you were expecting a reboot to the Superman franchise that would achieve something on the level of Batman Begins, then you'll be disappointed. But if you go into it expecting a rowdy good time, then you won't be disappointed.