Man of Steel- Where to begin?
Firstly, its an EPIC retelling of the Kal El /Krypton story. Notice what I didn’t say there,he's mentioned by THAT name but once.
I saw the very first Reeve Superman in my late teens and this version definitely wasn’t anything like it. Not even close. And for that I’m very grateful.That was of its day, and fun for its time. Instead this is a great adaptation of the very familiar story boosted by jaw dropping special effects work, with a more than decent script where every character works and every actor fits their role superbly. It is a terrific, if rather breathlessly paced action packed retelling of THE Super hero.
I watched “Superman Returns” the other night for the first time since the cinema release and it managed to still send me to sleep and that tried to be really meticulously faithful to the originals, even down to the actor looking so like Reeve/Kent. You’ll never want to shut your eyes watching MOS , believe me. Blink and you will miss something spectacular.
Was it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it really a darker retelling of the Superman story redone Batman/ Nolan style?
No it is not. It truly is its own man, definitely resold as a straight story this time ,sometimes shot in a documentary/ reality style ,then like Watchmen, and it feels a little uneven because of that .But there still are some humorous moments (truck anyone?), a constant ,unbelievable barrage of effects and a level of carnage you wouldn’t believe…………… certainly of the old school versions anyway. Metropolis and other town areas get absolutely flattened when the Kryptonian fight gets going and the human cost is, well, pretty shockingly high. But when you're throwing trains around or Wart hogging high streets what do you expect to happen ? But it feels slightly at odds in a Superman film.
There is still a fair amount of story woven between all the action, if often told in retrospect. I thought the main character “conflicted” storyline was handled very well and was surprisingly moving, with both Father figures interacting and influencing Kal El continuously through the story. I found Jonathon’s moments particularly moving and truthful. And Jor El must be Russell’s best part in years and that back story, particularly of Krypton was superbly expanded on. Somebody said it was a slow beginning? Measured against what? Looked like a ****ing warzone on Krypton to me in the first opening minutes.
Just a word of warning about the “feel” of the movie though. It may have been just because old Morpheus was in it but at times I thought that this could have been easily been called “ Superman Reloaded/Revolution” .I thought at one moment Zod was going to say ”Welcome back Kal- El, we missed you.” This is due in part to the design of the fight sequences and Kryptonian machine technology being VERY Matrix like at times ,particularly the Kryptonian child pods/ World engines. And I also would not have been terribly surprised if the Master Chief himself had not jumped out of one of Zods ships and asked Superman if he needed a hand, it had that kind of Halo vibe with the craft/armor/weaponary as well.
That said ,its still a brilliantly entertaining version of the Superman story ,worth the price of a ticket for the spectacle alone. I never thought they would ever be able to do a film version of “Kingdom Come” but having watched this one,I think they could do it in a few years time. God only knows how on earth they will ever top this one though , even in a Justice League free for all.
PS Got to add that Antje Travae as Faora and Aylet Zurer as Lara both made outstandingly stunning Kryptonian women ,if at somewhat opposite ends of the moral spectrum.
And I wasn't really to clear why the Codex that Jor El originally takes looks like part of an ancient fossilized human ancestor skull? Obviously with what he actually does with it and who actually "has it" in the end, doesn't that still mean all of Krypton can be ressurrected eventually?
