Review : Man of Steel

Superman's life on the big screen has been highly inconsistent, having his fair share of excellent take-offs (Christopher Reeve's exciting debut as the man of steel in 1978) and disastrous nosedives (the ridiculously bad 'Quest for Peace' in 1987). So with Snyder and Nolan collaborating on a project as huge as this, in an attempt reinvigorate a character as influential and universally loved as Superman, expectations are bound to be sky high and rightfully so. But these expectations entail their own share of fears and apprehensions with a new lead and a new director carrying the torch forward. So, the big question is - how good is Man of Steel, if at all?

Man of Steel begins on Krypton, showing Jor-El bearing witness to his son's natural birth, the first to occur in over a century in Krypton. But the planet doesn't look so good, with its resources running dry, and Krypton almost verging on complete annihilation. It's at that moment that Krypton's military general, General Zod, attempts a coup to overthrow the leaders and rebuild the failing planet. But his army soon gets overpowered, sentenced to cryogenic imprisonment. In a desperate bid to save his son Kal-El, Jor-El dispatches him to planet Earth in the hope that he'll find a new home and carve his own destiny there.

Being, essentially, an origin movie, Man of Steel gets a lot of things right. It successfully explains, through a series of flashbacks and non-linear storytelling, how Kal-El/Clark Kent braves his way through childhood to being a man who finally accepts his differences, understands the ramifications of exercising his abilities around people who don't possess the same, and embraces the responsibility of having to guide people who fear and simultaneously look up to him. 

A lot of emphasis is placed on the role of his self-appointed human parents who help him through the planetary transition, and this particular relationship between Clark and his parents has been portrayed beautifully. They help him gain control over his senses, shape his morally conscious inner being, making this particular version of Superman a lot more human, tangible and ultimately, likeable.

Henry Cavill makes for a much more grounded,
and immensely likeable Superman. 

Almost all of this success can be attributed to lead actor Henry Cavill, as he brings an element of gravity and vulnerability into an otherwise indestructible superhero. Cavill's Superman is eager to know more, confused initially as to where he belongs, and towards the end, strongly resolute about his duty and responsibility, and Cavill depicts each phase with ease and excellence. He emotes exceptionally well even through most of the CG heavy sequences. 

Rusell Crowe, while maintaining a stern look throughout almost the entire film, does a good job of displaying a concerned father. 

Amy Adams' Lois Lane was probably one of the biggest disappointments in the film. Lois and Clark's relationship fails to come across as convincing. More often than not, she ends up being a damsel-in-distress always in need of saving by the man of steel.

Michael Shannon's General Zod is loud, brash, and hot-tempered. But mostly loud. Zod's motives for trying to capture Kal-El and kill him are half-assed. The writers take the tried-and-tested route of making the villain blow stuff up in a bid to dominate a world he doesn't belong to (Megatron, anyone?) He isn't the all-controlling and terrifying villain he was made out to be. In fact, most of his villainy can be attributed to his dual-toned Kryptonian goatee (which was rather stupid, yet I must have it).

Where's my goatee? Goddammit, where's my goatee!?

The actual action-heavy sequences don't begin until almost the end, but when they do, they hit you like a Kryptonian spaceship carrying an alien baby. The effects-heavy set-pieces are absolutely brilliant, and worthy of being in a film bearing the stamp of Snyder. Proving his ability to create breathtaking battles and painstakingly detailed special effects with his previous projects, Snyder maintains the visual fidelity throughout the entire film. Each and every frame is beautifully shot. The camera is dynamic, and gives a sense of furious velocity as it follows around Superman with every flight he takes. The destruction that unfolds towards the end absolutely dwarfs the one we all witnessed in Avengers' climactic battle with the Chitari.
Needless to say, Hans Zimmer's sweeping orchestral score is an absolute auditory pleasure, one that elevates each and every frantic battle. 

With everything said, Man of Steel is an excellent Superman movie, but it falls short of absolute greatness. Cavill's brilliant debut as the Kryptonian superhero is admirable. Combine that with a well told origin story and Zack Snyder's artistic and visual brilliance, you get a movie that nearly fulfills everything you were hoping for. Nearly.

Overall Rating : 3.5/5