Problems in Presentation

Rating: 8/10 (16 January 2019)

14 June 2013. What really stands out during the first half of this movie was how unnecessarily disjointed the editing became with the non-chronological scenes using flashbacks and forward jumps in order to tell superman's origins. Man of Steel initially incorporates visual similarities to the alien ambiance of Avatar (2009) and later visual elements of the more raw and gritty District 9 (2009), The Matrix (1999) and Inception (2010). As with these special effects extravaganzas, there will always be more and better movies to come and like Avatar and Inception, Man of Steel has lifted the bar moderately for now to present an enhanced 3-D experience. Such advances in appearance, however, can't overcome the disjointed quality of how this story unfolded until later in the movie when the action takes over to the end of the movie.
Unlike the horror movie Constantine (2005) that uses primarily a linear chronological unfolding, where its director included judicious use of flashbacks, but only to enhance the story, not to dominate it. Man of Steel's unfolding story seems to have been based on avoiding extended scenes lengths to reduce cost or compress the time to supposedly pick up the pace. Even From Up on Poppy Hill, a Japanese animated movie that came out this year understood the selective and deliberate use of flashbacks that didn't necessarily confuse and jolt the audience suddenly ahead in time or back in time like some audience member to be manipulated for the sake of the director's interest. What made Ryan Lantern's character in Green Lantern (2011) so enjoyable was its depiction of the character development and human connections and discovery. Omitted in this version of Superman is the even the initial fascinating discovery of Superman by his adopted parents or even an extended evolving childhood development in which psychological attachment is so important a period in any character's life. Kill Bill No. 1 (2002) and No. 2 (2003) were a few of the action movies in which the use of non-linear flashbacks was well executed and didn't confuse or break the rhythm of the movie, even Elektra (2005) was able to accomplish this same feat.
Unlike The Matrix (1999) where the antagonist is primarily an unemotional machine, where there is logically a black and white element to the antagonist's character, the human resemblance and actually the literal adoption of the human form as Superman's biological parents makes for the use of the black and white stereotypical antagonist as two-dimensional qualities quite inconsistent with a three-dimensional visual movie format. Spiderman (2002) perhaps reflects the best of allowing a movie to unfold in its storytelling narrative, that includes the same life experiences as occurred in Man of Steel albeit which was more condensed that included a moment of discovery (unlike that omitted in Man of Steel), the attachment to one's parents and the parent-son conflicts. But in Spiderman series, even a more multi-dimensional antagonists that made for a more compelling, balanced emotional tension as in Spiderman (2002) and more recently Spiderman 3 (2007) where the Sandman character is a compelling example of a more complex character that allows for a more reflective and substantive satisfying emotional experience.
Even as Christopher Nolan who helped with the movie's story, whose Dark Knight (2008) visual design and lighting were the problem but not in Man of Steel, nevertheless unlike Dark Knight the attempt to compress many individual scenes and history into this movie didn't come off well. The Dark Knight succeeded in its depiction of extended deliciously wicked moral dilemma's while Man of Steel that seemed more by the numbers. While it is commendable that Russell Crowe as Jor-El in place of the Marlon Brando of Superman (1978) has an even more compassionate and emotive portrayal, the script still didn't allow Russell Crowe the breadth of character development, interaction that could cement the beginning scenes. Then at some point more wasn't sufficiently better and as the awesome Inception (2010) like visual effects and other superhero banging and crashing into buildings continue they becomes very overdone by the ending of the movie.
Overall, Man of Steel is an impressive presentation of this superhero, yet it just seemed overly chaotic, a bit over done in places, a bit by the numbers, and overly ambitious in its use of special effects.