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JUNE <strong>14</strong>, <strong>2013</strong><br />
Superman bends, but doesn’t break<br />
By Noah S. Lee<br />
Although it’s not quite as<br />
indestructible as we’d like it to<br />
be, “Man of Steel” triumphs<br />
as an action-packed summer<br />
movie, distinguished by its<br />
sensation and scope.<br />
Was bringing back<br />
Superman into the public consciousness<br />
necessary? Not<br />
really, considering how much<br />
people have enjoyed and continue<br />
to enjoy the first two<br />
Christopher Reeve films.<br />
Of course, that didn’t stop<br />
“Superman Returns” from<br />
trying to relive the franchise’s<br />
golden years; sadly, that<br />
attempt didn’t reignite as<br />
much interest in the character<br />
as the crowds had hoped for.<br />
Poised to resurrect the<br />
Kryptonian superhero is<br />
“Man of Steel,” a grounded,<br />
realistic reboot designed to<br />
breathe new life into the character’s<br />
history.<br />
While it’s too early to tell<br />
if this new take on Superman<br />
will stand the test of time, I<br />
can say for sure that it brings<br />
a fresh quality to a mostly<br />
dead film series and will<br />
excite fans eager to witness<br />
the famous superhero make<br />
the comeback they’ve been<br />
waiting for.<br />
I appreciated the confident<br />
direction Zack Snyder<br />
(“300” and “Watchmen”) displayed<br />
in terms of tackling the<br />
Superman mythos; he<br />
advances from one stage of<br />
the character’s life to another<br />
without showing any signs of<br />
uncertainty.<br />
He quickly establishes a<br />
complex mythology from the<br />
get-go that, surprisingly, neither<br />
wears down the story’s<br />
flow nor bores the audience.<br />
While the pacing may<br />
seem slow to some, it pays off<br />
in the end when you come to<br />
realize how “Man of Steel”<br />
needed to take its time developing<br />
the superhero’s human<br />
side.<br />
I found myself enjoying<br />
the film’s use of a nonlinear<br />
narrative, which I believe<br />
served as an advantage in<br />
terms of guiding the audience<br />
through Clark’s overly familiar<br />
journey towards becoming<br />
Superman.<br />
<strong>The</strong> dichotomy of his two<br />
families — one of Earth, the<br />
other of Krypton — is an interesting<br />
device that imbues his<br />
emotionally charged story<br />
with exciting dramatic gravitas.<br />
“Man of Steel” also intersperses<br />
the titular superhero’s<br />
origin story with Lois Lane’s<br />
search for the truth about him,<br />
giving the human side of the<br />
film a greater relatable angle.<br />
As for the technical<br />
aspects, Snyder’s decision to<br />
shoot the film with handheld<br />
cameras worked rather well; it<br />
didn’t produce the usual disorientating<br />
sense of dizziness.<br />
In fact, this technique<br />
immerses the audience even<br />
deeper in the journeys undertaken<br />
by Clark and Lois to<br />
uncover the secrets of<br />
Krypton. It’s a relief we don’t<br />
have to worry about walking<br />
out of the theater with a<br />
throbbing headache!<br />
While the action set<br />
pieces are well executed and<br />
spectacular, I felt overwhelmed<br />
at times by their<br />
nonstop presence.<br />
This problem is most<br />
apparent in the third act,<br />
when Superman battles Zod<br />
Henry Cavill is the latest to take on the role of Superman in “Man of<br />
Steel.” Photo by Clay Enos<br />
and his band of Kryptonian<br />
followers.<br />
As visually impressive as<br />
these action sequences are to<br />
the naked eye, they didn’t<br />
leave a lot of room for character<br />
development, thereby forcing<br />
Clark’s journey of self-discovery<br />
to be placed on the<br />
back burner.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re are times when<br />
Henry Cavill takes his role of<br />
Clark Kent/Superman a tad<br />
too seriously for his own good,<br />
but for the most part you can<br />
believe the emotion in his<br />
eyes and the power in his<br />
punches.<br />
If only Christopher<br />
Reeve were still around, he’d<br />
be proud to see this new incarnation<br />
of the iconic superhero.<br />
Amy Adams delivers a<br />
strong, hands-on performance<br />
as Lois Lane, infusing her with<br />
equal amounts of courage,<br />
intelligence, ambition, and<br />
heart.<br />
<strong>The</strong> standout cast member<br />
is Michael Shannon, who<br />
relishes the opportunity to<br />
unleash General Zod’s deluded<br />
sense of purpose and<br />
frightening rage.<br />
Russell Crowe is in full<br />
teacher mode as Jor-El,<br />
Superman’s father — his performance<br />
is defined mostly by<br />
his sage counsel and solemn<br />
facial expressions. In contrast,<br />
Kevin Costner and Diane<br />
Lane, as Jonathan and Martha<br />
Kent, respectively, are exactly<br />
what you’d expect a loving<br />
Midwestern American couple<br />
and the source of Clark’s<br />
moral compass to be.<br />
Despite some obvious<br />
flaws toward the end, “Man of<br />
Steel” finds its voice and succeeds<br />
as an exhilarating summer<br />
blockbuster — one that is<br />
worthy of donning the “Sshaped”<br />
logo.<br />
MPAA rating: PG-13 for intense<br />
sequences of sci-fi violence,<br />
action and destruction, and for<br />
some language.<br />
Running time: 2 hours and 23<br />
minutes<br />
Playing: In general release<br />
THE COAST NEWS<br />
A15
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