"Man of Steel" takes the Superman character in a different and exciting direction for the 21st Century

Rating: Null/10 (15 June 2013)

Let's be completely honest going into this review. Both "Superman Returns" and "Smallville" rested on the concepts made popular in Richard Donner's 1978 movie. For all intents and purposes, "Superman Returns" was a direct sequel to "Superman II." Brandon Routh completely channeled Christopher Reeve and while Kevin Spacey added his own flare to the role of Lex Luthor, he still fit into the same character mold Gene Hackman created. "Smallville" had numerous cameos by the stars of the original films and set designs and music were even used for the hit TV series.
"Man of Steel" does its very best to stand completely separate from anything done before. There are no glowing crystals, no familiar score, or anything visually reminiscent of the past five films we've seen. The Clark Kent we get here is one drifting around looking for the right opportunity to show himself to the world. He doesn't act clumsy, inept, or naïve. Instead, he's a working man who uses his powers when it's absolutely necessary and then disappears afterward. That's really the biggest difference in character portrayal you'll see between the Clark Kent / Superman of Richard Donner's and Zack Snyder's films.
I have to give Director Zack Snyder and writers David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan credit for taking on the responsibility of rebooting the Superman legend. It's a task that could quite frankly destroy a filmmaker's credibility in the world of comic book movies and geekdom. Thankfully, all their hard work paid off with "Man of Steel."
Instead of "Man of Steel" just being another retread of the character's origin story, it revisits his past and childhood through flashbacks much like Bruce Wayne did in "Batman Begins." It isn't mapped out from start to finish like "Superman The Movie." This works perfectly for the fast pace Snyder and company chose to take. We're thrown directly into the action in the film and get the backstory as we move along.
Although there are absolutely no direct ties to the 1970s and 1980s "Superman" films in terms of the visuals, one could argue that "Man of Steel" is an upgraded version of "Superman II." There are a couple of definite parallels between the two. General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his army first destroy Smallville, much the way they destroyed the little town in Richard Lester's 1980s classic. They then move on to Metropolis, where Superman dukes it out with Zod's cohorts.
I also found it interesting that Superman mainly battles two individuals in Smallville. One is the female Faora-Ul (Antje Traue) and the other is an unnamed giant of a being that pummels our hero and tosses him back and forth through the town's streets. Comparisons could be made to Zod's partners-in-crime, Ursa and Non, in "Superman II."
One thing that bothered me throughout the film was a seemingly lack of concern over what sort of havoc and destruction the battles between Superman and the Kryptonians were wreaking on both Smallville and Metropolis. It didn't seem like our super hero was giving much thought to who he might be injuring as he pummeled and pounded through buildings and other objects and they fell to the ground on innocent bystanders. I tried to explain it away in my mind that it was out of his hands and he was just trying to do his best to end the battles quickly with as little collateral damage as possible. All I can think about is a scene in "Superman II" where Christopher Reeve is concerned with moving the action away from populated areas so no one is harmed.
Hans Zimmer's score for "Man of Steel" fits the movie's somber and explosive tones. However, it never grabs you the way John Williams' iconic theme for "Superman The Movie" does. Instead of having a life of its own, it's really used primarily as an accent to what we're seeing on screen.
The CGI and special effects in "Man of Steel" are incredible. There were a few scenes on Krypton that still had that animated feel, but this is more than made up for in the incredible action sequences and battles in Smallville and Metropolis. I would almost go as far as to say that the boundaries of human interaction using CGI excelled with this movie. The fight sequences between Superman and Zod literally had me stunned with mouth ajar.
I appreciated all the ties to Christianity screenwriters Goyer and Nolan brought to the film. I think Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster would have been pleased. We're talking about two guys who originally named the super hero's parents Mary and Joseph before they were changed to Jonathan and Martha.
There are a few examples of this. Clark goes to a church to get advice from a priest while an image of Jesus Christ adorns the background. He basically states in one scene he found his calling after 33 years of searching, which was the age of Christ when he began his ministry. In another scene, he asks his earthly father, "Did God do this to me?" He didn't question whether God was real, but insinuated that he knew He was there and wanted to know if He gave him his super powers. Of course, we also get the legendary arms outstretched as if he's on the cross as he dives back to the Earth to save mankind.
"Man of Steel" successfully brings the iconic super hero into the 21st Century. With the relaunch of the entire DC Universe on the printed page, it was the perfect time to take Superman in another direction. It's a great foundation to build on and has a likable and believable actor in Henry Cavill to help carry it along for as many films as he and filmmakers want to make.