In Nonsense There Is Strength Redeux

Rating: 5/10 (20 June 2013)

MAN OF STEEL Is there anyone who doesn't know this story? Just to recap, the planet Krypton is about to explode due to short-sighted politicians and bad energy/environmental policy. Just afore the Armageddon, the planets leading scientist Jor-el (Russell Crowe) and his wife (Aylet Zurer) intend to launch a pod containing their new born son into the cosmos and with appropriate directional aides the pod will land on or near Jonathan Kent's farm in Kansas, USA, planet Earth. Nice shot. Kent, played by Kevin Costner has brought his Field of Dreams cornfield with him. You know if you put Costner near a cornfield something other worldly is going to walk out of it.
But that's not all, Jor-el has bundled his little bundle of joy as it were with all the genetic material necessary for the preservation of the Kryptonian race. How the filmmakers intend to handle that little tidbit of information in future episodes, I assure you I will follow with great interest. Fellow Kryptonian, General Zod (Michael Shannon) disagrees with Jor-el's plan, and in the subsequent argument, Zod kills Jor-el, but just his body, Jor-els consciousness lives on. It's a good thing too, because this consciousness will show up in the rest of the movie and usually just in the nick of time.
Also, if you are going to all the trouble and expense of hiring Russell Crowe you are going to want to use him, and I say this without a hint of sarcasm, the man's screen presence is astonishing.
Once in Kansas young Clark/Kal-el/Superman will undergo some natural teenage angst. He's not sure he wants to save the world. Still, he can't help himself when his school bus skids off a bridge and does a header into the river below. The prepubescent Clark saves his classmates by pushing the bus up on to the river bank. Pretty impressive stuff, most would think, but not to Clark's surrogate father. No, Mr. Kent will scold young Clark, telling him it is more important that he, Clark/Kal-el/Superman, keep his secret identity until such indefinite time and place in the future when it's revelation is really needed, and this ostentatious display of super heroism is only going to scare people, so knock it off. No, really, I don't remember the exact words, I'm paraphrasing, but really, he said that. So what if a dozen kids drown on the bottom of some murky Midwestern river, greater opportunities will later arise, Honestly, I don't know what to make of that kind of nonsense. But it is by no means the last of it.
Mr., Kent will go on to tell young Clark that "his father" has sent him to earth "for a purpose" and it's up to Clark to discover what "that purpose is" and I realize that what I'm watching is an exercise in (to coin a word) Christography, that is assigning the experiences, characteristics and attributes of Jesus Christ to a fictional or literary character. It's pervasive. Clark tells Lois that he is 33 years old, generally the age attributed to Christ at the time of his crucifixion. Early in the film, Clark is floating in water and photographed from below, he clearly assumes the position of Christ on the cross. In Superman's first appearance to anyone but Lois, he hovers in the air over a military contingent, evocative of Christ's ascension into heaven. Finally (I shouldn't say finally, I may have missed a few) as Zod demands that Clark, Kal-el, Superman be turned over to him, Clark goes into a church and seeks the counsel of a priest. As Clark sits in the pew, not exactly praying, but contemplating his future challenges, behind him is a stained glass image of Christ in the garden of Gethsemane praying to God for guidance as he faces his last and greatest passion.
OK, this isn't new, academics have been postulating on the Christ like attributes of Superman for years. Christ comparisons have been used in other films (Cool Hand Luke) and literature (The World According to Garp) Zack Snyder did not make it up out of whole cloth for this movie. I understand. I get it. What I don't get is the point of it. Not in this movie anyway.
The Christ like similarities will vanish in the final battle royal between Superman and Zod. No loving your neighbor here, as they crash headlong into the sides of buildings, causing their subsequent collapse thus creating unfortunate images and unpleasant memories of 9/11. So, not only do I question the nonsensical theology of this movie, I question its good taste.
Henry Cavill as Superman is certainly an impressive looking man, and he gives hints that he could bring some of the easy charm and humor that Christopher Reeve brought to the character a generation ago. Amy Adams brings appropriate feminist update to Lois Lane. She doesn't fawn over Superman, she stands as a ready, willing and able ally in his fight against evil. Michael Shannon once again proves he is incapable of giving anything but a powerful performance. When he stands toe to toe with Russell Crowe, it is a battle of equals.
I saw Zach Snyder and his wife on a TV show promoting this movie, and they seem like nice, good natured, well intended people, and I find they are fellow Pasadeneans so I want to cut them as much slack as I can. I don't think they meant any harm with this movie. Perhaps I am being harder on this movie than it deserves. As an entertainment, I would have to say the movie succeeds. But this movie doesn't have much of a sense of humor about itself, so intent is it in solidifying the iconic myth, that it puts aside the humanity, and most grievously forgets that after all, it is a comic book character.