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So, a Superman reboot. One thing I liked about Superman Returns was that it was an intelligent and elegant film with beautiful visuals of Superman and the city itself. Like a lot of people, one thing I didn't like is that there just wasn't enough "pulse pounding" sequences. Well, you definitely get all the mayhem and destruction you could want in Man of Steel. And yet, now I want some of the elegance that Bryan Singer was able to bring to the Superman concept. Maybe I'm just fickle, but can't there be both? The following comments I make not as a criticism but as a personal reflection. Now, I knew long before I saw the film that Zack Snyder hadn't used the John Williams music, but in my heart, the filmic Superman just doesn't exist without the genius of John Williams's score. I can't believe how well it holds up over the years--it sounds like it could have been written today, and Superman Returns was all the better for using it. The score for Man of Steel felt like your typical action movie crescendos and thumping. (I can only remember one, understated theme from the movie.) In a way, the soaring Williams themes felt like they gave Superman the ability to come alive and fly, since the association between the character concept and the music was so innately, strongly irresistible. That's Williams's gift. He has a profound ability to understand the source material and bring it alive with music. Would Jaws have been as effective if it didn't have that unbelievable, two-note theme that you could come out of the theater humming to yourself? And in E.T. you can instantly see the scene of the bikes flying through the air when that music plays. Are there any music sequences in Man of Steel that make you instantly remember the scene? The word for Williams's many iconic themes and melodies is, "indelible." I admire Hans Zimmer and the many other talented film composers out there, but I don't think, in my lifetime anyway, there will be any film composer who captures the essence of film magic and the characters that inhabit that world in the way that John Williams has over his career. I say that understanding that there are plenty of people who turn their noses up at a melodic, gossebump score, the same way they turn their noses up at Tchaikovsky, and go to bed at night dreaming of having Alban Berg or Arnold Shoenberg as film composers.
That said, I liked the movie for what it is. But I would say only about half of the substance of the film felt like a Superman film. And I definitely understand the reasoning. The filmmakers wanted to break from the tradition of Superman movies, not be bound by the filmic tropes that have been so firmly attached to it, and to see what comes out. (One thing they did keep, which I like, was the Superman-as-Christ figure, with his crucifixion poses; the scene of him in the church seeking guidance as he sits directly in front of a stained-glass window depicting Jesus in Gethsemane praying to God for strength and guidance; and the "He will be like a God to them" line...) Let me say this, I've figured that Zack Snyder's style is something most people either love or hate. Me, I'm a lover. I like watching his imagination and visual sense on the screen. (I think Watchmen and 300 are both great films). So, for what it is, this is a very solid action movie. For me personally, can I say that this a fulfilling Superman movie? No, I don't think I can. I think the creators went a few steps too far in re-inventing the representation of Superman on film. There was nothing as elegant as Singer's version, or as operatic as Richard Donner's vision, and no moment as singularly powerful as Superman's harrowing reaction to Lois Lane's death in the original film.
As I was watching, I was wondering if there is a metaphor in here regarding those breathing masks that Zod and his gang have to wear. When they get removed, the character becomes disoriented and has to adjust to Earth's "atmospherics." Are we, the audience, wearing masks of preconception that the movie rips away, forcing us to adapt to this new vision of Superman? Maybe so, but I don't think I'll be re-watching this movie that much because--and I admit it, I did go in with preconceptions-- I felt punched in the gut when it was over and I didn't get to hear the Fanfare, or the Superman march theme, or the romance theme. And yes, I know that sequels are forthcoming, but to see the mild-mannered reporter only at the very end, left me feeling a little empty too. A lot has been made about the seriousness with which Christopher Reeve took the role (even to the astonishment of the cast and crew). As an actor, somehow Reeve was able to separate the two consciousnesses, Clark Kent/Superman, resulting in a classic representation the metaphor I think is most important in the Superman mythos: that there is a wellspring of goodness in all of us (Singer carries this forth beautifully by making the James Marsden character not an antagonist, but someone who represents the potential for heroism in the common man. I think most screenwriters would have been tempted to make him an insufferable a-hole competing for Lois Lane's affections, kind of like Brad Wilson in Superman 3.). As an aside, this contrasts with Batman, who commonly represents the darkness that exists in all of us.
Regarding the shocking carnage in the film, it was thrilling to watch, but I wonder if the pontificating by the characters in the movie Clerks about the genocide of innocents when the Death Star was destroyed by Luke Skywalker is applicable here. That is, the good guys won, but at the cost of killing an enormous number of non-combatants. In Man of Steel, yes we're glad Superman wins, but he was probably responsible for the deaths of untold thousands of people. One thing the Christopher Reeve Superman had to contend with in Superman II is that he had to protect the people WHILE fighting the 3 Kryptonians. His regard for the lives of the people is what prompts him to leave the city so that the fight can take place elsewhere and won't endanger the lives of the people of Metropolis. (It's kind of heartbreaking that the people think Superman is abandoning them rather than protecting them).
C'mon though, who's going to believe that the reporter with the world's most distinctive jawline isn't the same as the Super Hero with the world's most distinctive jawline. Christopher Reeve thoroughly understood the dichotomy of Superman--that Clark Kent and Superman really are two separate consciousnesses-- and he could play that beautifully, uncannily even. Indeed, as I said, I think THAT--the dual nature of Christ and Man--is at the center of the Superman mythos, in the same way Superman and Clark Kent are at once both separate and the same, and the way humans have the potential to be both common and heroic. (And that Jesus Christ was both fully human and fully God). Brandon Routh didn't understand it quite as well, and I'm skeptical that Henry Cavill is going to be able to pull it off. But hey, I could be wrong. I was one who liked the casting of Routh. He had a good "look" for Superman. I wish he could have continued in the role. Once again, the thing I think Man of Steel misses is that Superman is a kind of foil for Batman. While Batman explores the hidden darkness within us all, Superman, to me, has always represented the potential for courage, nobility, and goodness within us all. Although the movie is dark, and I'm glad that it is relatively free of wisecracks and stupid comic relief, the tone of the film seems to undercut the theme I just mentioned. Comments about the music can be added here too. The Williams theme was inspiring to the viewer (and it was the mandate upon Superman that he inspire the people of earth, not always fight their fights for them), and it was, well, quintessentially American sounding. (Superman has super powers because he is Kryptonian, but he gets his "aw, shucks" boy-scout moral values from his Middle-American upbringing). Hans Zimmer's score, while rich, reinforces the darkness of the film, and will never be one of those "iconic" scores.
Objectively: Spectacular action and a story that benefits from a prepackaged archetypal narrative. Good visual sense, and I like the cutting back and forth between the present and the past, similar to what Christopher Nolan did in Batman Begins. I like that the sedition of Zod and his group is more fleshed out on Krypton. However, the movie is missing that "something special," and I'm not referring just to the music. I love the very brief Christopher Reeve cameo in Cavill's face. The film does seem to borrow an awful lot in the visuals--the Pandora-esque vision of Krypton; the repeated Matrix allusions. Oh, and has Jimmy Olsen been replaced by a Jenny Olsen? I can't exactly tell.
Subjectively: What can I say? I'm a child of the 80's. I feel like a little bit of me was ossified after watching the movie. The ongoing saga has taken a dramatic turn, and the old Superman has been laid to rest, and I mourn.
I do recommend the movie.
By the way, the 3D is pretty nicely done on this release.
| Additional DVD options | Edition | Discs | Price | New from | Used from |
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September 18, 2018 "Please retry" | Standard Edition | 1 | $3.99 | $1.99 |
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November 12, 2013 "Please retry" | Special Edition | 2 | $3.40 | $1.93 |
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