Man of Steel

People have said that “The Dark Knight Trilogy” has really defined itself to many as the highest possibility of what comic book movies can become. Christopher Nolan’s take on the mythology of Batman has not only taken its place in comic book movies, but also movies in general. The biggest examples are some of the changes made with characters, as they’re put into a much more realistic matter. To many this formula of “Nolanization” has some praise it as a blessing...but I think it gets TOO much praise. While I did enjoy “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” I think its realistic take took out some of the enjoyment that made Batman fun, and was just one-note serious.

Now, we have the Superman franchise getting a taste of the “Nolanization” formula, with Chris Nolan writing and producing, but under the direction of Zack Snyder, under the name “Man of Steel.” Before this film was released, there has been a lot of hateful feedback towards the changes that were revealed, but that wasn’t a concern for me, but there were concerns. The first one was the actor playing Superman, Henry Cavill. It’s not that I was upset about them replacing Brandon Routh (who I thought was a good Superman, you inflexible little…!), my problem was due to Cavill’s previous films being terrible and he didn’t do much to fix that. The other concern was with director Zack Snyder; “Watchmen” to prove that he did have experience with comic book movies, his last film “Sucker Punch” was a complete train wreck, and was in my opinion one of the worst films of 2011. In conclusion, the worry about the Superman mythology shouldn’t have been the first worry. As for the film itself, let’s take a look.

In the film, Kal-El is sent to Earth after the loss of his family and home, Krypton, in hopes of allowing his species to survive. Cut to years later, where we see Kal, now under the name Clark Kent, travelling the world under odd jobs, and getting by life with abilities that are far different from the normal man, as he finds a Kyrptonian ship that gives him the answers to questions he’s been asking since childhood with his human foster parents. Now it’s up to him to protect the Earth, as a surviving Kryptonian, General Zod, threatens to take over and create New Krypton. Now let me explain this right now…I really enjoyed this movie. This is another example of how the “Nolanization” formula can be done in the right way.

The acting, while not perfect, was still great. Amy Adams as Lois Lane really pulled through, fitting into the place that was left by Margot Kidder and Kate Bosworth. She took the character into her own, and wasn’t just someone who willingly got herself into trouble to get saved constantly. Oh, she does get saved, but not because she was daring to get some report done. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane both give out nice performances as the Kents. We see the struggle of what’s right with Costner, and we do have that humble parent who loves their son no matter what from both Costner and Lane. Michael Shannon did a pretty good job as General Zod, as we see him try to twist around the thoughts of Superman and try to get his way going, even if it means the death of others. Russell Crowe also did a great job here, and I was really surprised to see him play a bigger part than what I was expecting, and serves more to the plot than just being Superman’s father and a guide. And just so you know, YES, I did like Henry Cavill as Superman. With what they were going with in this movie, his reactions and motives do work and feel right.

Now the big question is do I think this is better than “The Dark Knight Trilogy?” Yes, because it has one thing that made it work: Balance. And with balance, you get an ACTUAL comic book movie. If you just took out the costume and names in “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” you’d have the exact same movie, and it wouldn’t change a damn thing. It’s the main reason why I think it really worked for “The Amazing Spiderman,” because it took itself in a serious matter, but was still fun and felt like it belonged in a Spiderman universe. Same thing here with this new Superman; it felt like it belonged here only.

The main criticisms I’ve heard about this movie is how it didn’t feel like a Superman movie, because the writing is very flawed, and the direction felt off. While I do understand the criticism given, I can’t however understand how they would say that about this movie, but have absolutely NO problem with “The Dark Knight Trilogy” having the EXACT same problem. So, you’re telling me the shaky cam and unbalanced feel of “Batman Begins,” the over-analyzing of “The Dark Knight,” and the MASSIVE plot holes of “The Dark Knight Rises,” is completely fine and are regarded as masterpieces, but the things wrong with “Man of Steel” are a crime and make the film suck? I’m not saying anyone is wrong here, but it’s just distracting to me. People, either bitch at both, or bitch at neither; there is no in-between. And if you do hate the movie, don’t just go pinning this on Zack Snyder alone, because he was the director; Nolan and David S. Goyer are just as guilty for writing the damn script.

Overall, “Man of Steel” was a fun time, and is again what I wanted from “The Dark Knight Trilogy,” but wasn’t as good as “The Amazing Spiderman.” It was fun, it was thrilling, and it felt RIGHT.

Rating: 8/10