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| Man of Steel Directed by Zack Snyder Three Stars |
Superhero movies used to be almost wholly
perceived as dead-on-arrival garbage, but no longer are they merely fodder for
children and adolescents. Serious-minded adults now look to superhero movies
for entertainment, intrigue and even a reflection of the zeitgeist. American
society goes through distinct cycles with regards to superhero popularity –
“Batman moments” and “Superman moments”. Sure, there is the odd Spider-Man or
Iron Man that maintains its own level of steady popularity, but the two
juggernauts of superhero lore are indisputably the Caped Crusader and the Man
of Tomorrow. And their popularities rise and fall according to the needs of
their times.
It’s fascinating to observe how the
popularity of each of these superheroes has waxed and waned, and to consider
the reasons why. The first “Superman” moment came in the 1930s, as American
society quietly recovered from the shell-shock of the Great Depression. Batman
became popular in the late 1940s as post-World War II malaise set in. Superman
surged again in the 50s and 60s as American society boomed economically.
The last Batman moment came after September
11, when there was clearly appeal in the US for a grouchy, introspective
antihero prepared to bend the rules for justice. Superman Returns [2006] was a flawed picture that was absolutely
pummelled by critics and audiences alike for presenting its hero as a wimpy,
gutless bore. He was trying to return when it wasn’t his moment.
One could argue that the last Batman moment
came to an end just after the economy fell through the floor in 2008. Batman,
still popular as The Dark Knight Rises
proved, is hardly a sunny character that reminds us of hope and liberty. So can
Superman seize his moment again in the wake of widespread economic uncertainty
and a political system that works against the people? Or is he too clean-cut
and nice to be the superhero for the new times, especially in the wake of
surging popularity of the awkward adolescent Spider-Man, and the cheeky
narcissist with a heart of gold, Tony Stark?
This brings us to Man of Steel, the newest Superman film directed by Zack Snyder (Dawn of the Dead, 300, Watchmen) and
produced by Christopher Nolan, which is attempting to present Superman afresh
as a popular hero. This movie has learned its lessons from the successes of
recent superhero movies, and the failures of the most recent Superman film.
Snyder positions this as a serious, mostly sombre and action-packed film,
rather than the navel-gazing, nostalgic experience that Bryan Singer delivered
in Superman Returns. The most
immediately obvious departure from all previous Superman films is Man of Steel’s opening thirty minutes,
which focus exclusively on the final weeks of Krypton, and the birth of Kal-El
to his Kryptonian parents, Jor-El (Russell Crowe).
This opening is quite thrilling. It’s a joy
to observe the interpretation of Krypton and its highly technical civilisation
that suffers from the same Cassandra complex that our own civilisation is
developing. The Kryptonians have used up their planet’s resources and turning
to harnessing Krypton’s core for their energy needs, a course of action that
senior scientist Jor-El warned against. The planet is doomed, and its internal
instability will tear it apart in a matter of weeks, Jor-El warns. Knowing that
his pleas to the political class will likely fall on deaf ears, Kal-El
organises an ‘escape pod’ of sorts for his soon-to-be-born son, targeting a
nearby habitable planet for the newborn interstellar asylum seeker.
This intriguing situation is compounded by
an attempted coup led by the military General Zod (Michael Shannon). He and his
goons are thwarted, and shortly before the destruction of Krypton, they are
condemned to float for eternity in the cosmos, in containers that look
suspiciously like human (or Kryptonian) sized dildos when they are raised into
the heavens.
The scope of the action in this first act
(and the film generally) is marvellous, and of course the special effects are
eye-popping. Russell Crowe has a surprisingly large and gratifying role as
Jor-El, and is wise to interpret the character his own way, rather than channel
Marlon Brando from the Christopher Reeve films.
The rest of Man of Steel is enjoyable science fiction, and it was probably a
good move to steer away from the “Superman as Boy Scout” feel that Superman Returns delivered. Henry Cavill
is a rugged Kal-El, who is introspective but does not wallow as much as Brandon
Routh’s character did in the previous adaptation. Michael Shannon is a creepy
enough actor to do service to the evil General Zod, and his reappearance on the
scene marks an enormous shift in the film’s tone. Man of Steel looks, feels and sounds more like an alien invasion
movie than a superhero movie. This isn’t altogether a bad thing, as Snyder
presents all the action with panache and clarity, albeit with a
self-seriousness that seems a little silly after a while.
The supporting cast is filled with fine
actors – Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Lawrence Fishburne as Perry White, Kevin
Costner as Jonathan Kent (no Jimmy Olsen!). With the exception of Jonathan Kent
(who is quite movingly portrayed in just a few short scenes), not much effort
is made with the minor characters. Lane is presented as a spunky reporter, but
her development is really left at that, and her role in the story seems
superfluous and slightly tacked-on. Ditto Perry White, who is given his own
sub-story that serves to detract from the main event.
Man
of Steel, as I made clear above, is an action movie
first and foremost. It delivers, although perhaps with too much of a good
thing. The climactic battle between Superman and Zod is quite impressive,
really giving the audience a sense of the extent of superhuman strength these
aliens have. It does, however, fall into the same trap that many superhero
films in the past have, in which we’re forced to ask ourselves – “Who is paying
for all this wanton destruction? Weren’t there people in and around the gas
station that Superman just exploded? Why doesn’t the Man of Steel just fly off
to the middle of the desert and fight his battle there, where there would be
less casualties?”
The movie’s finale, in which New York City
is nearly vanquished by a huge alien machine designed to terraform the planet
for its new inhabitants, is certainly pretty to look at, and plays out quite
conventionally. There is a certain comfort to the pattern of these movies,
however ground-breaking and reinventive they claim to be. And the final shot, of course, sets us up for
future films that I, for one, would pay to keep seeing.
Does Man
of Steel indicate that another ‘Superman moment’ has arrived? It’s
difficult to say, not least because this is being presented as a film that
happens to have Superman in it rather than a Superman movie. It has been
heavily marketed with producer Christopher Nolan’s name, in an attempt to
convince us that this will be more The
Dark Knight and less Man of Steel.
Time will tell if Superman is the mega-hero audiences and society wants at the
moment. In the meantime, kick back, relax and enjoy a good alien invasion movie
featuring a guy in spandex.
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