Superman is without a doubt my faviourte superhero, so for this review take everything with a pinch of salt. I own the comics, the films and possibly to many clothes with the "S" proudly emblazoned from underwear to outerwear. It took a huge amount of strength during the entire film not to jump up and loudly announce that the man on the screen was a fraud and that I was the real Superman (yes my complex runs that deep!). As of late the comic book film has seen a revival with The Avengers Assemble, Thor, Captain America and The Dark Knight. But after a lackluster Superman Returns it seems that the last son of Krypton was doomed to be the forgotten superhero of earth. And let's all be honest the man in the cape with his pants over his suit is the best of them all.
In Zack Snyder's Man of Steel 'Supe' is re-imagined as a drifter without a place in the modern world bouncing around from job to job trying to find out where he came from but obviously destined for great things. All the usual suspects are involved; the Pulitzer prize winning Lois Lane (Brilliantly played by Amy Adams though criminally underused), General Zod (played with menace and malice, despite the black leotard, by Micheal Shannon) and newspaper owner Perry White (brought to life by Morpheus himself Lawrence Fishburne). However, the supporting cast are dwarfed by The Man of Steel himself Henry Cavill who is every bit Superman. It's rumored that Stan Lee said of Robert Downey Jr that when he thought of Iron Man he imagined a man just like the actor one day inside the suit, and for Shuster and Siegel I can imagine it would be a very similar experience if they could have seen Cavill flying through the air donning the cape of their own pulp fiction hero. No-one can ever hope to be Christopher Reeve sailing majestically against a green screen on a gymnasts horse, it was only after he hung up his leotard that the world truly understood why it was that he was and forever will be Superman because of what he accomplished, but Cavill is a close second.
 |
| Henry Cavill - possibly the best looking man on the silver screen right now! |
It's the same story as it's always been so I won't tell it again in its entirety, but once again the son of Jor-El is sent to Earth just as Krypton begins meeting its sticky end and will obviously later be the one to save us all. However, the material is as relevant as it was when it was written; Russell Crowe's Jor-El warns the elders of Krypton that their abuse of their home planet will cause its destruction just as General Zod leads a failed coup against the hierarchical structure on the planet in the hope of reshuffling the deck. If you need the real world implications pointed out for you again turn on the news and wait ten minutes one or both will arrive pretty quickly!
I could go on and on about the film for days both the good and bad points. Good: Snyder has recovered from the terrible Sucker Punch in style, visuals at times are simply stunning and some shots look as if they should be in European art cinema rather than a blockbuster film, the scenes between Clarke and his dad hit home particularly hard. Bad: It's a little long at times and the final fight sequence drags on, Superman "purists" will dislike the moral ambiguity of this particular incarnation of their hero, the end feels a little shoehorned in and the science behind it ropy and best. Ultimately though I want you to experience the film for yourself in all its glory and enjoy it for what it is, another stab at re-imagining the greatest superhero of our time for a modern audience. What I really want to look at is what this incarnation of the man in tights is saying about our world today.
 |
| Amy Adams as one of the only female characters in the whole film - Lois Lane |
Superman for me is the greatest inspiration for young and old alike and whatever the medium I am reading/watching/wearing the "S" symbol is a marker for hope and freedom (The film goes to great lengths to make the viewer aware that in its literal translation that's what it means on Krypton). Unlike the Stars and Stripes that as of late has been tainted with Americas recent history, the flag of the "S" can be worn around the world as a marker for those who believe in the greater good. When Clarke finds his fortress of solitude in the arctic Jor-El explains the history behind the emblem and conveys the pride and responsibility that his son should feel when wearing that suit. At times it feels though as if he is not actually addressing the man in-front of him but rather us in the audience. Is it that Snyder is trying to instill in the fan boys and girls watching that they too should feel these things when donning their own Superman apparel? Transforming us all into better people through the philosophy of the man himself asking us to stand to account as individuals for what is right, each as our own 'Superman' (it brought back memories of Spartacus as each slave stood as an individual to face their fate together rather than let the man that had come to embody their ideals die alone); or is it another cheap trick to get us to buy more merchandise? I hope that it's the former.
 |
| That was the last time that Zod would have a curry before fighting Superman |
However, the thing that most interested me was how the film captured the current climate surrounding the debate of surveillance and individual freedom. As Zod's craft circled Earth able to tap into any electronic device on the planet to project his warning to the world you cannot help but think of the recent NSA and GCHQ scandals where it was finally revealed to the world that our governments now more than ever are easily able to find out a little to much about us with the click of a button. Never fear though as it seems that Superman is on our side bringing down a surveillance drone that is looking for him in the closing minutes protecting both his privacy and seemingly willing to defend ours. No longer it seems that the Man of Steel is simply a pawn for American idealism but is rather his own man with his own destiny that he and he alone wishes to fulfill. Is it that the new 'Supe' might actually be a Libertarian at heart? It certainly seems that way. (Or at least I'm claiming him as one of our own!)
With a sequel already on the way get to see Man of Steel now so that you won't be the only one in the cinema that is wondering what on earth is going on! The only change that I'd have them make for the next one is to give some of the female characters something else to do other than stand around and look pretty waiting for the guys to start doing something.
No comments:
Post a Comment