You Won't Care A Man Can Fly...

Rating: 7/10 (25 November 2013)

Superman...
Superman is a iconic character that connects with people all over the world. He transcends generations, nationalities, race, etc. This is because Superman has always been about more than what he can physically do. Sure we all wish we could do things beyond our normal capabilities. That's why, since the dawn of time, we've been fascinated by characters that were more than mere mortals. But Like most great heroes - real and fictitious - Superman connects with people because of who he represents. He is what we all want to be. Christopher Reeve said it best when he said Superman was a friend you can count on in the time of need.
Unfortunately, this new reinvention seems to lose sight of that.
The film opens on Krypton, where we learn the , now familiar, history of Kal El's (Superman) origin. Krypton is depicted as a modern, yet medieval society. At least the portion of Krypton we see. It is a starch departure from the previous incarnations, and it isn't bad. Kryptonian people are depicted as stubborn, methodical, but all too human. Not too different from our own society, or at least, what our society can become in the near future. Jor El, played by Russel Crowe, and Lara (Avalet Zurer) are among the most human. Their love, compassion, and emotions are brilliantly conveyed. Although I was not a huge fan of the overall look, I have no actual complaints about this chapter in the film.
After Krypton's demise, we reach Earth. Here we meet, an all grown up, Clark Kent. Henry Cavill delivers a great performance as our beloved, Clark Kent/Superman and really has the look to fit the role. The relationship between Clark and his parent, Jonathan (Kevin Costner)& Martha (Diane Lane) Kent is, perhaps, the strongest aspect of this film.
Kevin and Diane give us true-to-life, real, depictions of Ma and Pa Kent. Kevin's portrayal of Pa Kent could be his strongest in recent years. This is because the "family" portions of this film (both on Earth and Krypton) were something the audience could connect with. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough of that.
As we continue the story, Clark is wandering the globe looking for his true self. We see hints that he never quite fit in, and has always been the outsider. He has great abilities, and knows that he's ultimately "not from around here," but doesn't know exactly where he's from. He stumbles upon an old (thousands of years) craft - which really doesn't make sense after you watch the film - and with the aid of an - "newer- yet-still compatible" - alien "USB" drive, he discovers that he was born Kal El, on the planet Krypton.
We hardly get a chance to get to know this new Clark Kent. We understand that he was lonesome and curious to find out his true identity, but upon becoming Superman, we're immediately thrown into battle. "He's just Superman now, so he's gonna fight the bad guy," seems to be the general attitude of the film. What happened to the baby steps. No bank robbers? Nope, straight into the fire.
General Zod (Michael Shannon)comes to Earth to seek revenge for his imprisonment. In the process, he wishes to "renovate" the planet - which would destroy life as we know it - and make this his new home. Shannon's portrayal of Zod is brilliant. Once again, we connect with his humanity. So far, at this point the film still had me. Unfortunately, director Zack Snyder, lost sight of the characters beyond this point and took a page out of Michael Bay's "Guide to Making Things Big."
After a very brief encounter with Zod and his crew, we are bombarded by non-stop action. unlike Marvel's "The Avengers,' this non-stop action was exhausting. Superman seems to have too many problems to face. The scale of destruction and devastation makes 9/11 look like a fender- bender.
Most of us can remember how devastating 9/11 was, not only to the US, but how it impacted, and continues on to impact, the rest of the world. For a director to completely ignore that and depict, all to real, destruction, and then patch it up with a short tie-in, "fix-all", scene (where Clark rides a bike to work while wearing his iconic glasses, and things are back to normal) is a far reach from realism.
Superman in this film departs from everything his family (Krypton and Earth) taught him. He goes around the city in a fit of rage, blinded by stopping Zod, rather than saving the planet. Sure he saves it in the process, but at what cost? What the film gets right is the characters, but then chooses to trade that in for action. You have a chance to make a great movie, but instead you cater to the lowest common denominator, and you get ticket-box fodder.
Over all this film is not bad. With poor directing decisions, over the top action, and a huge sense of entitlement, this film is more of a let down than anything else. It seems like it was written in three isolated acts. Act three, completely disregards the characters as people and focuses on "supermonster beings' trying to destroy each other. Gone are the days of majesty, adventure, hope and child-like wonder that were once associated with Superman.
All in all, not a bad movie, but I wouldn't take my six year-old to see it. Kind of defeats the purpose of a Superman movie, doesn't it?