The trailers built it up to be one of the film events of the year. Produced by Christopher Nolan and directed by Zack Snyder, Man of Steel hit screens around the world with the impact of a freight train thrown by the man himself. The latest DC character to receive the dark and gritty treatment (akin to that of Nolan's Batman trilogy), Superman is back and this reboot is certainly more commercially successful than 2005's rather lacklustre Superman Returns. But the question is, can Man of Steel deliver the deep, thrilling and multi-faceted film that the trailer promised?
Man of Steel definitely
comes out near the top of this summer’s super hero smack down. It's by far
better than Iron Man 3 (I’m not sure
about that – Ed.), with stunning visuals and gargantuan super powered smack
downs, which do not look cheap and cartoonish after 3D rendering. Nor does the
film's cast, who all deliver measured performances. The casting of Russell
Crowe as Superman’s biological father was a clear success, as was Kevin
Costner’s performance as his ‘Earth’ father. Henry Cavill’s efforts in the
title role were largely convincing. Even though at some points he seemed to
have walked straight out of Eton (if you ignore the Mid-West American accent),
Cavill’s sincerity and commitment to the role was plain to see.
From an aesthetic perspective, the Terrence Mallick-esque look of the film
is also a welcome departure from the overly kinetic, glossy, and cartoonish
visual style of films from the DC universe. The film makes great attempts to
ground its principles in reality (somewhat ironic given the film’s subject
matter), for example giving Superman a sonic boom when he speeds off into the
sky. Snyder’s hallmarks are also plain to see. It is not fair to debate whether
or not he is a better director now, even though some of his earlier efforts
were not as well received as the brilliantly-bold Watchmen.
There are, however, some fundamental flaws. Man of Steel does not, to quote Star Trek, "boldly go where no one has gone before". In fact, the creative team of Goyer and Nolan can be accused of being a bit slack when it comes to story crafting duties. The film is essentially just another incarnation of the duo's first collaboration in the DC world, Batman Begins.
For some reason, Man of Steel doesn't show enough conflict in the character of Superman or attempt to show much of his struggle to work out what he should do with his life. Instead the film plods along with exposition about the character’s heritage and background, with little focus on his emotional conflict. This was one of the key issues in the Batman series which made the character such a bankable and engaging figure: it established everything about the character, making him troubled and flawed. In Man of Steel, despite wonderful performances from child actors Cooper Timberline and Dylan Sprayberry as the deeply frustrated and lonely boy, little true depth is established. Kevin Costner lends brilliant weight to the conflict of a younger Superman by enforcing his own paternal instincts to protect his foster son from the world, but Costner’s talents are massively underused, with Russell Crowe's Jor-El being the super parent who receives the most amount of screen time.
Cavill's Superman is immaculately humble, charming, polite, decent and honourable, both when he is in character as Superman or Clark Kent. He cuts a splendidly heroic and inspiring figure, and can also deliver the emotional super-punches when given a few woefully brief chances to do so (a wonderfully shot family car argument before a tornado strike in particular impresses). Watching a still-learning-to-fly Superman take out half a mountain is undeniably satisfying and spectacular, and there are plenty of destructive set-pieces. However, here is the fundamental issue with the film. The final battle sequence is relentless: skyscrapers are razed to the ground with enough decibels to deafen even the most enthusiastic death metal fan and the film seems to favour explosions over character depth.
For all its spectacular action and effects, Man of Steel does feel, at times, rather slow and superficial. It's constrained in terms of character and its creative team have lost touch with some of the fundamental principles with which they set out to rebuild the franchise. But anchored by its impeccable leading man and steady direction, this reboot packs class, coolness, and a whole lot of heart. To rephrase a line used during the promotion of Christopher Reeve's first outing as Superman, when watching Man of Steel, "You'll want to believe a man can fly".
Clapperboard Rating: * * *
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