WARNING: Spoilers will be all over this. Don’t read if you don’t want to know major spoilage!
To hear me discuss Man of Steel, check out my StoryMen podcast!
I started writing my review for Man of Steel the morning after catching the first midnight showing available. I wrote and rewrote. I edited, revised, and mostly rethought.
Any fan of Superman will think about this film. A lot. Good or bad, it definitely resonates.
I’ll divide my thoughts into two parts. Here are 5 things I really liked about the film:
- Superman’s awesomeness–I don’t care who dons the cape, I geek out like a 5-year-old when Superman starts punching stuff and saving people. And he is very active in this one! I read a number of reviews apparently written by Dana Carvey’s grumpy old man character from Saturday Night Live because why is there so much action? Um, it’s a summer action blockbuster. Yes, the final battle was filled with gobs of destruction as building after skyscraper was pummeled all across Metropolis.
- Krypton–The early scenes on the home planet showing Kal-el’s world in it’s dying moments are gripping and well shot. You could do an entire movie on the prequel to the origin story. I felt the pain of sacrifice of Kal-el’s parents in just the first fifteen minutes and was riveted by the choices they had to make.
- Young Clark Kent–The classroom scene of Clark trying to figure out his powers was great and used later on in a climactic battle with General Zod. Teenager Clark was pretty cool too and they even dropped a quick mention of Lana Lang in on the bus scene.
- Death of Jonathan Kent–In prior renditions Clark had no power to stop the heart attack that took his earthly father. This time he makes a choice in the matter, obeying his dad in order to protect his secret so that their lives will not be upended by an obsessive and unforgiving society. Say what you will about Clark’s decision to stand by, that scene looks incredible.
- Themes–I love the themes the movie plays with of hope and redemption which is nothing new for Superman. It’s a pretty obvious picture of a father sending his son to another world. Clark’s father tells him that he has another father out there in the universe and that and that we all have to discover our reason.
I’ve read gobs of reviews for Man of Steel, and they are wide-ranging to be sure. Here’s a summation from Kofi Outlaw of Screenrant:
Like Nolan and Christian Bale’s first Batman outing, Snyder and Cavill’s first crack at Superman isn’t a homerun (we’ll call it a triple), but having succeeded in re-introducing the franchise to the masses; crafting a satisfying summer blockbuster; melding real-world sensibility with sci-fi fantasy (better than Green Lantern ever did) AND leaving the door open for an entire DC superhero universe to follow behind it, Man of Steel has more than earned its keep, and deserves to be THE iconic Superman movie for a whole new generation. (Sorry, Bryan Singer…)
…And, if the Batman franchise is anything to judge by, imperfections will be corrected and the best is still yet to come with the inevitable Man of Steel 2.
Not everyone agrees that those imperfections can be corrected, but I’m hopeful. Isn’t that what Superman is all about after all? But we need to talk about what’s wrong with Man of Steel, so check out the second half of my review at the following link.
3 Ways Man of Steel Should Have Been Different
Did you see Man of Steel?
What did you think?
