Try as hard as any heterosexual female may to be impartial but it is inevitable one Henry Cavill will have an impact on any review this hypothetical person might make.
Logistically speaking (of course) the actor is aesthetically perfect for Superman - it takes a limited stretch of the imagination to envisage his strong jaw, calm gaze and slight dimple in the chin (apparently a requirement for a budding S-Man) accompanied with the iconic blue and red skin-tight (thank you wardrobe team) costume. Strutting across the screen with rippling biceps, a jaw-bone of a Grecian God, and what can only be described as bulging DD's, I haven't seen a man this ripped and this perfect. And apparently, neither has the camera, which eye-fucks him throughout.
But we have to remember Henry is also acting in the film, and he takes on the role of leading man with a strong, impassioned performance. As an evolution story, the focus is on Clark Kent's character arc throughout, but particularly in the most enjoyable first half of the film. Here flashbacks are used to create depth of his character as young Clark struggles to hide and control his godly powers. These sentimental moments, accompanied by adopted parents, played in an understated, majestic manner by Kevin Costner and Diane Lane, are beautifully poignant.
Gravity is added to the Superman fable; big, obvious questions like 'are we alone in the universe' are pondered where they, oddly, haven't really been discussed in the franchise. It also considers the 'science' of Superman, striving to explain why he is so super, although I'm sure Stephen Hawking wouldn't be convinced by Russell Crowe's mutterings about the Earth's atmosphere differing to Krypton. No matter, at least they tried, and its not like we weren't suspending any beliefs when we walked into the cinema to watch this.
There's glimpses of the captivating scale and cinematic escapism that permeates Snyder's earlier works. The monolithic alien robots, which penetrate the earth with some sort of sonic beam, blast out a surreal booming noise, a resounding orchestra of the soaring operatic scores of Hans Zimmer (who also worked on Nolan's Inception and Dark Knight series), just calling to be transferred into a dubstep remix. The learning-to-fly scene which tantalised in the trailers is a stand out sequence. Here Kal-El walks amongst a pristine ice landscape, crouches, the ground reverberates as though a force of pure energy has awakened, and, like a rocket, Superman launches into the clouds. Action throughout is dazzling, especially when we take to the clouds with the superhero, the camera follows videogame-style as he sucker-punches the bad guys.
As you might expect, as was the way with Batman, Nolan and co. deconstruct any camp or lighthearted associations the audience may have with the Superhero. The S emblazoned on his costume, Clark Kent insists almost pedantically, is 'not an S' but a symbol of hope in Krypton. KBabes. The costume department have also gone to measures to darken the blues and reds, stripping as much as possible from the Comic-book vibe. And the red pants outside the tights have been dismissed. ("NOT THE RED PANTS" I hear nobody cry). This is a necessary deviation from the known which slices a new angle for the superhero, as Nolan did with the Batman franchise, and Burton before him. In many ways the focus on a somber, elevated experience for Man of Steel is effective and a success. However overall the film does take itself too seriously, with limited laughs throughout - come on the villain is called General Zod. And his haircut is so bad.
Moreover I found character development beyond Superman/Clark Kent/ Kal-El was somewhat lazy and dimensionless. Although it is understandable why Lois Lane falls head over heels for Clark Kent after one conversation, there is limited chemistry between the two to convince any emotional investment in their relationship. Their kiss at the end just seemed latched on and apologetic, almost like when Anne Hathaway's Catwoman randomly kisses Batman at the climax of The Dark Knight Rises, it doesn't seem plausible. It just seems like a box each blockbuster has to tick - 'explosions, check; CGI, check; make out scene, check' - which is often, as in this case, slopped on at the end like a dollop of peas to bump up the nutritional value of a meal.
To add insult to this grievous injury I found myself disappointed by the aforementioned villain. Michael Shannon is robotic and two dimensional as Zod. I understand this was a requirement of his character, as on Krypton each individual is bred for their purpose- an interesting reference and warning about the powers of genetic engineering. However this idea does not lend itself to a refreshing baddie. Plus I didn't find Zod in any way truly threatening, rather an irritation. However as perceived in the transition from Batman Begins to The Dark Knight, a fabulous villain in the Joker is all it took to propel the series of films from good to excelsior status.
Man of Steel is a great, entertaining, all guns blazing blockbuster by all accounts. It is on par with rival Marvel's earlier 2013 superhero flick Iron Man 3, lightyears beyond Captain America, but not quite as shithot as The Avengers. I only felt let down by my own cinephilic expectations. I'm sure the next films (and there will undoubtably be more) will give more time to the romance between Clark and Lois. Dear Snyder and Nolan: give Kal-El a good villain and a sense of humour, and we're on to a winner.
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