The devil welcomes you to his first review in a (hopefully) upcoming series of reviews of multiple comic book movies. I plan to eventually review every comic book movie I've seen, but I'm starting with last year's Man of Steel. If there's anything Man of Steel has done better than any film, it's completely splitting the fan base. Some claim it as dark, joyless and a shame to the real Superman. Others call it a brilliant reinvention of an outdated character. Where does the Devil stand? Read on to find out.
What I disliked.
A minor gripe I had with the movie is the general color scheme of Superman and the world around him. I understand what they were going for. I also liked the direction they were taking it. But I thought they took it a little bit too far with the color. I did not like how cold, bleak and lifeless everything looked. I'm not a fan of the dark world around him, but if they're going to do that they should at least make Superman bright and colorful. Make him a beacon of light in a dark world. (not bad huh?) But even his suit is faded, and the whole world and everything within just looks gray. Anyways, this is just a very small thing that bothered me. It didn't really hurt the movie that much. But the writing did, I don't understand what Goyer was going for in the Kodex subplot. I just don't get why Jor-El placed all of the Kryptonians' DNA into Kal. It didn't benefit him in anyway, not did it benefit Jor-El or his people. So his son is carrying his people's DNA, okay but that's not going to bring them back or keep the whole species alive. So why do it? The villain's plot did not make much sense to me personally. I know he wants to terraform the Earth and rebuild it into Krypton. Because he's doing it to save his people. But the thing is, terraforming the Earth is not going to bring his people back or save his race. I don't get it, what the hell was he trying to accomplish? Another thing, the dialogue really shows the roughness of the writing. Sometimes it's actually good and quite profound. Other times it sounds really childish, and sort of just like they are reciting the plot. Another implication of this is the way the movie flows; it all feels really choppy and not well edited. Especially with the constant flashing back and forward. The generally subpar writing is the film's greatest flaw in my opinion.
The other thing that greatly bothered me was the romance. Don't get me wrong, I like Amy Adams and thought she did pretty good in the role of Lois Lane. Henry Cavill was a solid Clark Kent and better Superman. The two did have a very small level of chemistry with one another. But the romance and how it was handled felt rushed and sort of forced. It's like she's obsessed with this stranger, and then he is forced to save her, and then at the end he swoops in and kisses her. I didn't like it, it was too cliche. I've seen worse CBM romances though...*cough* Thor *cough* Spider-Man 2 *cough*
Last one I'll make it short, the constant shaky cam bugs the hell out of me!
What I liked.
One of the things I greatly enjoyed about the film was the duo of villains. The side villain, Faora, is one of my personal favorite elements of the film. She isn't all that interesting, but she is quite the badass. Definitely among the best female CBM villains. The main villain, General Zod, I found to be a very interesting character. Even if his plot makes zero sense, I found the character to be a wonderful contrast to Superman's story. I think the point of Zod is to be Superman's opposite in character. Zod was born to be a warrior, raised to be a warrior. His destiny is fixed, and he plans to fight fur his people until the last breath. Add to it the epic visuals and Shannon's performance and he was a solid villain in my book. Another strong point was the central theme that was conveyed in the story. The theme was the choice and forging your own destiny. The contrast between Superman and Zod is this: Superman is a man choosing who he wants to become, Zod is a man who was born into who he is and will never change. For his whole life Clark has been searching to find his real parents, people, and planet. But when it finds him, he realizes he had those all along. The point of Superman's character is the choice, choosing humanity over Krypton. Of course I think a lot of the execution on this was poor, but the central theme is still there. The soundtrack of the movie has got to be among the all-time best, Hans Zimmer is the man! The man who brought you The Dark Knight theme and now Man of Steel. The music was soft and melodic when it needed to be, but heroic and exciting when the scene called for it. It also had a few dark moments when the villains are focused on. Overall, it was the perfect soundtrack for the film.
Probably the most noticeable positive regarding Man of Steel would have to be the action. I know that a lot of people did not like all of the city smashing destruction. Personally I didn't mind, but at times it did feel a bit gratuitous. Even so, the fight in Smallville was amazing. The final battle was excellent as well, but my favorite is the short moment when Superman releases his rage at Zod for hurting his mother. First flight was one of the best in the movie as well.
Conclusion.
The thing is, I grew up not caring about Superman. Because of the impression that the Donner films and Superman Returns gave me. No disrespect to the classics, but the Superman I knew was kinda weak in my eyes. I just didn't know the character. But I got into the Superman comics, and realized how great they really are. And how a great Superman film had yet to be made. Man of Steel gave us the closest Superman to the comics so far. They also delivered a proper Superman fight unlike any other. That alone is my justification for it being a decent (not great) movie. This was the Superman Snyder made for the fans. But even so, the soul of a movie is the script and story. And let's be honest, this one SUCKED. The writing, the story and the dialogue barely make any kind of sense. And the movie feels so roughly cut and edited. It can grow very hard to watch at certain times. The good outweighs the bad, I liked the themes, the villain, and the action. But the poor storytelling, extreme shaky cam, and rough script bog the movie down a bit. It's still a decent flick and a fun watch.
The Devil gives Man of Steel an overall score of:
7 stars out of 10.
Thanks for reading, and the Devil says hey! Feedback in the normal place fellas!