Man Of Steel

“Man of Steel” tried a different approach but still suffered a similar problem to “Superman Returns” because it invited comparisons to not only “Superman the Movie”, but its equally good sequel “Superman II”.  This is an origin movie so we return to Krypton. This time around the mystical quality that pervaded Krypton in the original Superman is replaced by a typical depiction of high advanced civilization that is commonplace in sci-fi/fantasy movies. This terrible decision (taking away the mystical/mythological aspect of Superman) makes it like every sci-fi/fantasy. As a result Man of Steel has meh feeling to it. Its hard to understand why the filmmakers thought that by removing what made Superman (both the character & his universe) unique would work.  The filmmakers made what appeared to be a smart choice by not making Lex Luthor the villain. Instead General Zod & his followers are the only villains in this version of Superman (the first time since Superman III that Lex Luthor didn’t appear in a Superman film). Lex Luthor is never mentioned & there’s only fleeting references to him (the LexCorp skyscraper & a pair of tanker trucks that has the LexCorp painted on them are shown). This decision seemed like good idea; but alas it doesn’t work because this time around General Zod doesn’t work. This is strange because on paper Michael Shannon as General Zod is a great idea! For some reason General Zod in this version of Superman isn’t a good villain.  Perhaps its because his motivation in this film is different than what it was in ‘Superman II’. In this version Zod’s motivation is to use a terraforming "world engine" to transform Earth into a new Krypton and use the codex to repopulate the planet with genetically-engineered Kryptonians, killing all of Earth's indigenous life in the process. Admiral, but it just doesn’t work. General Zod in Superman II just wants a world to rule & he gets that opportunity. What is also curious about General Zod in Man of Steel is he doesn’t seem like a bad ass, whereas in Supeman II he does. What makes this interesting is Michael Shannon is built like a linebacker & Terrance Stamp is built like a slot wide receiver. However, something about Terrance Stamp screams “not to be messed with” & that isn’t the case with Michael Shannon. Also continuing a trend that was started in Superman Returns there’s next to no joy in being a super hero in the DC Movie Universe. Moody super heroes are the trend in super hero films, but with the exception of Batman that is not the M.O. in DC Comic Universe. Why in this film did the filmmakers decide to make an issue of Superman being an Alien. Yes, pretty much everyone knows that the reason for Superman’s powers is because he’s an alien. But the way its treated is similar to a 50’s sci-fi movie where aliens were a menace.  There’s also no time for romance in this Superman film so why did the filmmakers include Lois Lane?  In fact hardly any of the characters have room to breathe. The exceptions being Russell Crowe as Superman’s Biological Dad Jor-El who appears like he had a blast making this film, Kevin Costner as Superman’s Earth Dad Jonathan Kent who brings the right amount of gravitas to the part (through the way he is killed by being sucked into a tornado & waving off Clark Kent/Superman so he wouldn’t reveal his powers by saving him is stupid), Richard Schiff as Dr. Emil Hamilton who just is really likable & believable in this part, Christopher Meloni  as Colonel Nathan Hardy who also bring gravitas and a center to the movie whenever he’s on screen, and Antje Traue  as Faora-Ul  she’s a Krytptonian villan who unlike General Zod is a bad ass. The scenes with her & Meloni crackle with energy & vitality. Her character contributes the only memorable line of dialog of the film- “A good death is its own reward.” The scene where Dr. Hamilton & Col. Hardy sacrifice themselves by flying Superman’s space ship into the Phantom Zone & take most the Krytonian villians with them is especially moving. It reminds us viewers that sometimes in order to save the world a person or persons have to pay the ultimate price to do so. There’s a good scene where Meloni says Traue phrase to her as the ship is headed into the Phantom Zone. That’s pretty sad that all the characters who stick out & help the move the plot along are supporting characters. None of the major characters stick out & they all seem strait jacketed by their roles. This is never more evident than in the much ballyhooed & debated scene where Superman is forced to kill General Zod. This is necessary because its the only way he can save the world. But the way its shot & Superman’s reaction afterwards ruin the impact this scene should have.  You don’t feel anything because its handled badly. In fact after the scene is over hardly any mention is made about that. Think about that, this paragon of virtue –Superman-commits an act that goes totally against everything he believes & yet we don’t get a scene of how he has dealt with the guilt/remorse he probably feels. That’s bad filmmaking & inexcusable.  The film didn’t do well with the critics Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 56% & through it’s the highest grossing Superman film of all-time it only did ok at the box office-$668 million. That was good enough for Warner Bros &DC Entertainment to green light a sequel Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Let’s hope that this Justice League movie (which it is because Wonder Woman, Cyborg, & Aquaman are in it) fixes the problems that were in this film and is the Justice League movie comic book movie fans have been waiting to see.