Man of Steel (2013)
Knowing that their home planet Krypton is about to be destroyed, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife want to save their race by sending their infant son to Earth. The child's spaceship lands at the farm of Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent, who give him the name Clark and rear him as their own child. Despite the fact that his exceptional skills have caused the adult Clark (Henry Cavill) to live outside of society, he discovers that in order to protect his loved ones from a severe danger, he must transform into a hero.
Initial release: June 10, 2013 (New York City)
Director: Zack Snyder
Box office: 668 million USD
Film series: Justice League
Budget: 225 million USD
Review:
First Contact in a World of Glass: A Review of Man of Steel (2013)
Rating: 4.5 stars
The Thesis: The Burden of Existence, Gods, and Monsters
Man of Steel by Zack Snyder is, at its core, a science fiction epic about initial contact, which is presented as a superhero film. While Donner's 1978 masterpiece proclaimed, "You will believe a man can fly," Snyder's 2013 adaptation practically cautions, "You will fear what happens when he lands."
The warm, primary-colored optimism of the Silver Age is removed in this film and replaced with the harsh, metallic feel of hard science fiction. It raises a thought-provoking, if contentious, issue: Would we welcome a god-like alien if he really landed on Earth today? Would we, however, be frightened?
The Story: A Tale of Two Dads
Christopher Nolan directed David S. Goyer's script, which heavily leans on the "Moses" allegory but adds a discussion on the Nature vs. Nurture issue.
Krypton as a Caution: The Krypton opening sequence is a masterclass in creating a world. It portrays a culture that perished from dogmatic stagnation as well as natural disaster. A society where every child is "born" with a predetermined purpose is created by the organic, H.R. Giger-like technology and the birthing matrices.
The Pa Kent Paradox: The movie's most contentious character is Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent. He's not the source of boundless popular knowledge; rather, he's a frightened parent shielding his child from a society that he knows will analyze him. Although his death scene—in which he gave his life to a tornado in order to protect Clark's secret—is still a controversial plot option, it successfully transforms Clark into a ghost, who floats through humanity without making contact.
The Imagery: Handheld Gods
Using the visual vocabulary of a documentary, Snyder and cinematographer Amir Mokri took a daring stylistic move by filming a deity.
The Malick Influence: The scenes in Smallville, complete with laundry hanging on lines, buzzing bugs, and sun flares, seem to have been taken directly from a Terrence Malick movie. The handheld camera gives the fantastic aspects a sense of intimacy.
The Physics of Violence: The visual language changes to "Disaster Porn" when the scene moves to Metropolis. The brutality is palpable. The earth breaks when Superman takes off. The sound barrier is broken when he punches. We experienced the true weight of Kryptonian might for the first time in film at this moment. It is frighteningly kinetic rather than elegant. Yes, the deliberate annihilation of Metropolis is excessive, but it supports the movie's central theme that the ants below will inevitably be crushed by the gods battling above a city.
The Performances: Rage and Restraint
Henry Cavill (Kal-El/Clark): One of the many things that sets Cavill apart is his portrayal of unwavering fortitude in the face of adversity. He lets his physicality speak for itself, saying very little. He portrays the loneliness of a deity who fears to shatter the world in which he lives. It is a reactive but incredibly heartfelt performance.
General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, is a tragic opponent rather than a mustache-twirling villain. Zod is not "evil"; he is hardwired to defend Krypton. You believe him when he states that "Every action I take, no matter how violent or how cruel, is for the greater good of my people." He is the protagonist of his own tale, and his last encounter with Kal-El is more of an ideological battle than a physical one.
The Sound: Drums of War
Following John Williams was an impossible challenge for Hans Zimmer. He made the prudent decision to withdraw. He chose thunderous percussion and pedal steel guitars over the victorious brass trumpets.
The Topic: The new Superman theme is a straightforward, ascending piano melody that culminates in a drum crescendo. It resembles a sunrise in its humility and subsequent splendor. The idea of "hope" is presented in this film as something that must be gained via hardship rather than as a given.
The Debate: The Snap
The defining moment of the Snyderverse is when Superman is compelled to murder Zod in the movie's climax. Purists despised it. But in the context of this particular narrative, it represents the genesis of Superman's moral code. In this horrific instant, this Superman comes to understand that the price of killing is too high to pay, and that's why he doesn't have a "no-kill rule" that he learned from a comic book. The sound of the last son of Krypton breaking his last connection to his own race in order to protect his adopted one is the scream that comes after the snap.
The Decision
Steel Man is not flawless. The third act has pacing problems, and at times the bleakness might feel oppressive. But it's also aesthetically gorgeous, operatic, and ambitious. It dared to handle a cultural figure with the gravity of a historical one. The film, which focuses on an extraterrestrial attempting to acquire human behavior, reaches great heights in its finest scenes.
Ideal for: lovers of science fiction, deconstructionist narrative, and anyone looking for live-action Dragon Ball Z-level combat. Skip If you dislike the massive CGI destruction or favor the wink-inducing appeal of the Christopher Reeve age.
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