Next Projection’s Comic Book Specialist Weighs In On Man Of Steel

Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon
Director: Zack Snyder
Country: USA | Canada | UK
Genre: Action | Adventure | Fantasy | Sci-Fi
Official Trailer: Here

Editor’s Note For an alternative perspective on Man of Steel, see David’s review.

It is difficult to have a singular opinion of Zack Snyder’s latest film, the reboot story of the Superman franchise. Man of Steel has a great deal of potential across the board, but almost refuses to live up to it in certain areas. To put it simply, the action sequences and special effects were excellent, almost as though Snyder focused all his intelligence and cleverness in creating elaborate fight sequences than in the storytelling.

Man of Steel is an origins story of one of the most famous superheroes: Superman. It follows Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) as he learns to control his growing powers, due to his extraterrestrial heritage, and his struggles to find his place in the world. However, Clark must quickly figure out what kind of man or hero he is to become when invaders from his own race, led by the megalomaniacal General Zod (Michael Shannon), come to Earth to annihilate the population.

To put it simply, the action sequences and special effects were excellent, almost as though Snyder focused all his intelligence and cleverness in creating elaborate fight sequences than in the storytelling.

Snyder’s direction of Man of Steel leaves much to be desired. The pace, the flow, the dialogue and the character development are all disjointed and rushed. Instead of telling a Superman story that would reach the same level of emotional depth and power, as seen in 1978 Superman film by Richard Donner, Man of Steel all but turns into a summer blockbuster. The influence of David S. Goyer and Christopher Nolan (the writing staff of the successful The Dark Knight trilogy) can be seen throughout the film, but the way the film is presented feels as if Snyder did everything possible to steer away from their vision to satisfy his longing for Superman action sequences he did not get in any previous films in the franchise. In truth, it was hard to believe that Goyer had written the screenplay as the dialogue was mainly repetitive, obvious, and lacking any layers. The dialogue’s lack of sophistication and cleverness was reminiscent of the overly melodramatic-style found in the CW teen dramas, much like the atrocious Smallville TV series.

Having said all of that, the film was enjoyable thanks in large part to the special effects, sets, costumes and actions sequences. The look of the film was magnificent and full of visual wonder, something one would hope to see in a Superman movie. Snyder’s vision and imagination know no bounds when it comes to action, and he does it wonderfully and with a touch of realism. One could easily create vast superhero battles that would be fun to watch but not really be relatable. That is not the case in the many thrilling fight sequences in Man of Steel, which seems to rewrite the book on how to do big battle sequences. Those who are not really looking to see a profound story and are more looking to see amazing fight sequences will be thoroughly satisfied with this film.

On the most parts, the acting was nothing special, which is a shame given the amazing cast. However, that is hardly the fault of the actors as it was clear that Snyder’s priority was not on the character development or interaction. In fact, one could argue that the more skilled actors should be praised as they were able to push past this limitation and can be seen doing everything they can to convey what they could through their performance. What the dialogue could not do Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe and Diane Lane did their best to bring to the surface through their eyes and expressions.

Cavill definitely looks the part of Superman/Clark Kent, but is only given moments (few and far between) throughout the film to make him a real vibrant character. Even with Snyder’s poor directing, Cavill was able to give a worthy performance and make us recognize his claim to the cape and know he was the right choice for the role.

Cavill definitely looks the part of Superman/Clark Kent, but is only given moments (few and far between) throughout the film to make him a real vibrant character. Even with Snyder’s poor directing, Cavill was able to give a worthy performance and make us recognize his claim to the cape and know he was the right choice for the role. With the hope of a sequel, Cavill makes us pray for a better director and script so we can see him take Superman to a level similar to the way Christopher Reeve did in the first Superman and Superman II. Adams and Diane Lane did their jobs well, but again the storytelling and script was their biggest challenge. Adams’ Lois Lane begins the film as an independent woman, but has that status systematically taken away as the film progresses. She starts off as a woman who can take on editors and Generals alike and also have the intelligence to stand up to powerful aliens with incredible power. However, by the end of the film she does nothing but be the damsel in distress that merely is made to comfort the hero through his trials. Diane Lane’s Ma Kent did a great job being the warm and loving person we know her to be, but was given so little time on screen and very few moments to really make any kind of impact on the audience.

Crowe and Shannon’s performances would stand out as the best the film produced. Crowe was given enough dialogue, time and focus to really make the character of Jor-El be a worthy presence. However, Shannon was given more screen time but less freedom to bring his performance of Zod to the level we know he could do. Like Cavill Shannon had moments of excellence, but his relationship with Jor-El and his chance to really make Zod the terrifying and understandable villain we know he could were sacrificed. The travesty of wasting a performance from Michael Shannon, who could have easily made Zod a powerful presence as Terrance Stamp did in the previous films, is a perfect example of what was wrong with Snyder’s run at the Superman series.

There is a good story deep within the Man of Steel’s bones, and most of the main cast did their best to bring it to the surface with their performances. However, due to poor script writing and Snyder’s priorities being askew, the audience only gets limited bursts of what could have been an excellent and exciting story. While the film is not a bad one, it is one that had so much going for it, which ultimately is what makes the film disappointing: the inability to fully reach the potential the audience can see it possesses.

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Umar Shameem

When I was 6 years old, my mother showed me the 1978 Superman movie. I watched that maybe 1000 times by the time I was 7. Ever since I have loved movies, and comic books. Fast forward 20 years, a couple film courses, several thousand comic books and over 2000 movies, and you get me. I continue to watch films of all genres and read comics. It is apart of my identity and it is something I love and hope to be able to continue loving and enjoying until the end of my days.

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