Loud Noises!

Rating: 4/10 (24 June 2013)

As Brick Tamland, clueless weatherman from "Anchorman," yells "Loud noises!" in reaction to an early-in-that-film argument because he has no idea what else to say, I understand him when watching the final hour of "Man of Steel." It is non-stop action and noise, to the point that I myself had to say, out loud, "Whew! Finally" once it finally ended. And, that's the reaction I've gotten from others. Today's action movies, like this and the impossibly-brainless "Star Trek Into Darkness" substitute non-stop action for character interaction or decent dialogue. What would these filmmakers have done if they didn't have tons of money and CGI to throw around?
There are lots of people who love this non-stop action stuff, because they were raised on it. That's what they've been programmed to want and to expect. I was raised on an interesting combination of intelligent movies like "Network" and also blockbusters like "Jaws." So, I came to expect a combination of well-made action, but also good characters and intelligent dialogue. In fact, as wild as "Star Wars" was to us who saw it for the first time in 1977, our first reaction after it was over was "Who was your favorite character?" not "Wow! Those were some great effects!" We wanted good characters, and that's what we wanted and appreciated in movies.
But, today's studios, filmmakers, and younger audiences want non-stop action, and lots of it! So, that's what filmmakers like Zack Snyder deliver in "Man of Steel." In fact, just skip over Kal-El's childhood, and just visit it in flashback. Get to the action ASAP and only give us the bare minimum of character development.
Of course, Snyder is only the messenger in this film, the authors are Chris Nolan and David Goyer, who made the almost-impossibly-bleak "Dark Knight" movies. And so, they want to make "Man of Steel" almost as dark and depressing. There is next to no humor in the film until all the cacophony is over. And, it's very welcome, but very late. And, that little bit of levity is what made me like the film just a bit more. The film, otherwise, is a pretty-much joyless enterprise.
I personally believe that Superman is the greatest superhero, because he can do lots of cool stuff, and has to deal with his secret identity issues. The screenwriters touch on that here, but once again, it's done in a pretty inert way. There are some good supporting characters like Christopher Meloni, who (SPOILER) unfortunately won't be in the next movie! (END SPOILER).
Amy Adams is okay as Lois Lane, but she's just much playing Amy Adams, as she almost always does. Laurence Fishburne doesn't get to have any fun with Perry White, no bluster or anything that is entertaining about the original character. Again, it's Fishburne playing Fishburne. And, is there a Jimmy Olsen? Someone said that there was a Jenny Olsen, but does every non-major character have to have a Politically Correct makeover?
There is way too much Shaky Cam in the movie, which only gets amplified by the 3-D. I wonder if the Camera Operators get comments about their not being able to hold a camera steady? "Jaws" was shot hand-held, on the ocean no less, and was very smooth. Shaky Cam is just a cheap substitute for edginess. This is a super-budget movie, act like it and shoot it with tripods or SteadiCam!
Hans Zimmer's film score is loud and noisy, which fits the film. He comes up with a very good theme, but you don't hear it until the film cuts to the "Man of Steel" end title once the film is over. The theme could certainly have been used during the film, as it would have brought more power and spirit to the film and to Superman.
Overall, the movie is quite disappointing, but even in its mediocrity, is still somehow better than the latest "Star Trek," which was deplorable! The original 1978 "Superman" is FAR superior! Please watch that great film instead.
**** (4 Out of 10 Stars)