Man of Steel
The DC vs Marvel war has been raging for decades and the battle is still going on. Before a few years ago, DC frontrunners Superman and Batman were probably the most widely recognized worldwide. Since then, Marvel has taken the world by storm with all of their Avengers films. DC has been putting up quite the fight with The Dark Knight Trilogy, but as good as Batman is, DC can’t be a one man show.
After a long break, the last son of Krypton returned in the aptly named Superman Returns in 2006. Everything about it was terrible and everyone’s faith in Superman joining the ranks of modern blockbusters was crushed. However, Man of Steel’s announcement instantly changed expectations. With Zack Snyder directing and Christopher Nolan producing this would surely be a good movie. Even the announcement that the Metropolis Marvel would be played non-American Henry Cavill and that Lois Lane would be played by non-brunette Amy Adams didn’t seem all that unsettling.
Thankfully, we have finally gotten another solid Superman film. Henry Cavill fits the role of Superman marvelously and the movie provides amply action as well as serious moments. You can definitely see influences from both Snyder and Nolan and the combination turns out very well.
Some people seem to have incorrect assumptions before seeing the film and think that every new superhero movie is going to be like The Avengers: nonstop action with lots of comedic bits sprinkled in. Man of Steel does not fit this mold and it is better because of it. This is a serious film with deep, thought-provoking material.
Though the overall tone and presentation are near perfect, there were some poorly contrived moments made which prevent the film from reaching its full potential. Whether it was Lois Lane blasting Kryptonians with a laser-gun or Superman battling phantasmal snake-like demons made of some type of liquid metal, some scenes could have used some rethinking. Fortunately these were all small blemishes on an otherwise fine canvas.
Especially noteworthy is the film’s score which is able to perfectly capture the essence of Superman. This, along with Cavill’s brilliant displays of what can best be described as righteous fury, serve to almost perfectly distinguish this caped crusader from just about any other superhero.
The big question now, is where do things go from here? The film covers a staggering amount of Superman’s basic story and includes very significant physical and moral challenges. After dwelling on what Superman has been through its hard to think up how you could come up with grander challenges for a sequel. Obvious angles that could be used in the future include Lex Luther, kryptonite, or having more of an imminent threat to Lois. The problem is that none of that comes close to surpassing what’s already happened.
Even more worrisome is all of the recent rumors regarding a possible Justice League film. Sure, it’s easy to think that The Dark Knight trilogy has been amazing, and this new Superman movie was great, wouldn’t it be great to pair them up just like The Avengers? Apparently that’s what Warner Bros thinks but he Justice League has always been flawed precisely because of Superman. Any problem that someone like Batman could contribute to would not be challenging at all for Superman. Likewise, Batman has no business trying to help with something that Superman finds challenging. When it comes to superheros it might make financial sense to stick Superman in the Justice League, but the he is really in a whole different league than everyone else.
Rumors of possible future sequels or spin-offs aside, Man of Steel is a success. It is exciting and moving. It beautifully presents Superman’s origin story and the struggle of Clark Kent figuring out where he fits in the world but still also provides plenty of action and excitement. This is definitely a summer blockbuster that lives up to the hype.
