Plays a vital role in developing an otherwise fixed cultural icon

Rating: 7/10 (31 May 2015)

WARNING SPOILERS
The dark, brooding and perhaps spectral gratuitousness of this film was always likely to stir the passions of comic book fandom and public perceptions of the cultural Icon Superman. All previous movie installments based around the comic book character have by contrast appeared lighthearted and optimistic in its treatment of the heroic aspects of this character, portraying him to be a symbol for hope, freedom and altruism. But Snyder's adaptation is not afraid to speculate on the flaws of such a character, exploring both the negative and positive aspects of being a all powerful alien outsider.
In Man of Steel the heroic figure is treated with caution, fear and speculation by the world who doubt his heroic intentions until the last section of the film, which deals with the concept of an alien living among us in a more realistic and harrowing fashion. Perhaps less symbolic, at least less flawless, Cavill's superman possess all the troubles human beings are faced with such as those of isolation, conflict and aimlessness. Forced to choose between two worlds he feels apart from his immersion into the superhero character is one of development and revelation. Rather than just being a hero he has to become one and learn to trust the world he has never fully felt a part of.
The most obvious source of controversy associated with this film are the cataclysmic destructive consequences of Superman's encounters with General Zod and his Krytponian Warriors, who possess immense disregard for human life and harbour deadly conviction for their cause. The scale of collateral damage to Metropolis as a result of the fights between these alien beings question the validity of Superman being remarked as a hero. He is now seen as a symbol for reckless destruction and disregard for the safety of others. It is important to note however that given the intentions of General Zod to terraform and ultimately end all life on earth to allow the rebirth of Krytpon, Superman's actions are for a just cause. Most of the destruction is a result of Zod's violent antics and the activation of the world engine, and a lot of the damage is the result of military aircraft being brought down by Zod's men. So the reasons why such destruction and degradation seems to be seen as a result of Superman's actions are unclear and ultimately unjustified,
And off course his decision to kill Zod has also tainted the characters reputation as a force for hope, who is known for being one who does not kill and values all life. But this also represents realism, it represents the likelihood of being humanities only hope for salvation unlikely to be a responsibility that does not produce difficult choices. He kills Zod as a last resort in an effort to prevent him from murdering a family in front of his very eyes. Zod being his only physical match, nothing on earth would be able to hold him, and with the phantom zone being out of reach, his decision to kill Zod was a difficult choice, but there was in fact little choice. His anguish that follows, realizing he has just ended a life represents the emotional depth of the character, one who feels guilt and remorse as well as humans do. It certainly competes with the death of Zod in Superman 2, where Superman smirks having defeated his then powerless assailant, ultimately showing no remorse or regard for the fact that he had effectively just ended a life. In Man of Steel he is ultimately forced to kill, having very little time to act or consider alternatives, of which there seemingly was none. It brings him into full circle with himself, creating and assembling his values as a heroic character, one that has had to overcome beings more powerful than him in order to save a race he cannot be sure shall accept him. He shows how heroes, if they did exist, to be truly heroic would off course possess flaws. Superman grows throughout this movie, maturing morally and emotionally, and despite the film's detours into darker and more serious territory, aspects that often belong to darker hero's such as Batman, it is a bold effort to the freshen the dated character, and make him real.
It was necessary to explore the darker and more serious routes of Superman to allow the character to have a unique place among modern cinema, where he is no longer constrained by the unassailable image he had possessed beforehand. Perhaps the action is taken a stretch too far, but this Superman installment is certainly the most ambitious and the most visually and emotionally developed effort to import this character into modern consciousness.