Before I saw this movie, I would have bet money it was going to be really, really good. The trailer for it is fantastic, and promised a darker, richer Superman than what we’re used to. The truth is, we’ve never had a flat-out, unequivocally great Superman movie (all those people that didn’t like Bryan Singer’s overly reverent 2006 Superman movie were unknowingly rejecting the 70’s Superman films as well) and I was hoping that this would be the boy from Krypton’s breakout, Dark Knight moment. Problem is…well…it’s really not…
What Works: Henry Cavill certainly looks the part of Superman. And there’s no denying that a top notch supporting cast has been assembled (Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburn, and the great Michael Shannon…to name a few), but only an appealingly soulful Kevin Costner leaves much of an impression the day afterwards. The action sequences are plentiful, so no one can claim “lack of visual stimulus” as a problem. I also enjoyed the flashback sequences, most of which can be viewed in that awesome trailer though. I kept wishing director Zach Synder would have brought some of the same crackerjack organization that he did to the underrated/unappreciated Watchmen film.
What Doesn’t: I kept wanting to like the movie more than I did. There’s just something nagging and abstract at the core of it. I never fully connected or felt awestruck by anything on screen. It’s trying hard—–very hard, but maybe some of the stress and worry of the franchise (if this film were a flop, it would really hurt the chances of a Justice League movie and cost Warner Bros. two big tentpole films) couldn’t help but make it into the finished film. The action sequences are relentless and make up the entire second half of the movie, but there’s not much spark or originality to them. After awhile, they begin to blur together and it all just feels like CGI overload. Also, the dialogue and characterizations lack spark. Amy Adams does just fine as Lois Lane, even if I can’t help but wish a different, more-exciting actress were cast (why not Paula Patton? Rosario Dawson? Zoe Saldana? There’s no rule saying Lois has to be white). And Michael Shannon, the heir apparent to Christopher Walken and an actor I love in almost everything, isn’t given enough dimensions to his General Zod to really make him memorable.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Don’t get me wrong, I would recommend Man of Steel, I just wouldn’t go see it twice. If your expectations are as high as mine were, lower them and maybe you’ll have a better time. As is, it’s great that DC Comics (vastly superior to Marvel) are in the mix, making edgier, more adult films, but they also need to feel like more than generic action flicks. Before this, the great Superman movie had yet to be made, and I would say it still hasn’t been.
Like the review. Loved the movie. Grew up with Superman. Yet something was not there. Don’t know what it was but I still liked it.