THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
After 2006's Superman Returns concluded the original Superman arc that began in 1978, moviegoers patiently waited for the next interpretation of the most iconic superhero of all time. In 2013, Warner Bros. gave us the a new version of the character that would kick off the first cinematic universe for DC Comics.
PLOT
Man of Steel follows Kal El, the last son of the destroyed alien planet Krypton. He was raised by the human couple Martha and Jonathan Kent, who named him Clark. Jonathan had insisted on him hiding his powers throughout his life, in order to avoid possible backlash. After he died in a tornado, Clark would continue to keep that promise. As an adult, he has isolated himself from society in order to prevent himself from being exposed. One day, Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane investigates a Kryptonian ship that crashed in the Candian Arctic. Having been working at the discovery site, Clark enters the ship and activates its central computer using a key left by his biological father, Jor El. With it, he is able to communicate with an AI version of him. Before leaving, Lane follows him and she gets attacked by the ship’s security system. Kal is able to stop the bleeding by cauterizing the wound with his heat vision. The next day, Lois wakes up outside the escaped ship in the Arctic. She attempts to publish her experience but her boss Perry White is against it. She allows a contact to publish it while she searches for her savior. When finding him at his hometown Smallville, she tries to convince him to reveal himself, but she drops it when he explains Jonathan’s sacrifice. Clark returns to his mother Martha and reveals the discovery of his ancestors. The following night, another Kryptonian ship glooms over Earth. Around the world, a message is sent by Krypton’s former military leader General Zod, who was presumed dead after the planet was destroyed. He demands Kal El to be handed over to him. When Lois is name dropped on his whereabouts, she is taken into custody by the FBI. Clark goes to the army in a Kryptonian suit, surrendering to them, with the deal to free Lois. Both of them are however taken under the order of Zod’s Commander Faora (Antje Traue). When he meets Zod on his ship, he explains that he and his disciples were free of Phantom Zone imprisonment after their planet was destroyed. When modifying its transport, they were able to travel around the galaxy to scavenge what they could find. At an abandoned outpost, they found a terraforming machine known as a ‘World Engine’. He came to Earth after Kal activated the abandoned ship. He then reveals that his plan is to terraform Earth into the new Krypton. When Kal refuses to go along with it, he admits that he killed Jor El, that lead to his sentence. Lois uses Kal’s key that he gave her, summoning AI Jor to help her escape Zod’s ship. When she does, her pod is damaged but Kal is able to save her from crashing. Zod goes to Smallville to find the codex, an artifact that decodes the genetic makeup of the artificially incubated is race, that came with Kal when he crashed. Unable to find it, he attempts to threaten Martha. When her son senses it, he attacks him, causing his suit to malfunction, forcing him to hone his abilities like Kent mastered. As he recovers, Kal collides against Faora and Nam Ek. They are temporarily taken down and Kent reunites with Lane, and she explains how to stop him, based on the knowledge of AI Jor. Zod is informed that Kal is the living codex as Jor was able to diffuse it into his son’s cells when he was an infant, before being sent to Earth. Zod summons the World Engine to the South Indian Ocean while his ship ‘Black Zero’ hovers over Metropolis. Both machines link across the planet, beginning the terraform. Zod also destroys the abandoned ship at the Arctic. Clark, now named ‘Superman’ by some of the soldiers, meets up with General Swanwick (Harry Lennix) and explains that his pod can activate the Phantom Zone. Once it collides with Black Zero, it will open a black hole and will take everything in its path to the Zone. As Superman destroys the World Engine, getting through its defense mechanism, Lois boards a plane to take the pod to Metropolis, along with Dr. Emil Hamilton (Richard Shiff), and Colonel Nathan Hardy (Christopher Meloni). Faora attempts to stop the pod from colliding but Hardy is able to steer it into Black Zero. She, along with Hardy and Hamilton die during the collision. Lois falls out of the plane but Superman arrives to Metropolis in time to save her from falling, only after destroying Zod’s remaining ship. The world is saved after destruction had ended. Zod survives his crash and exacts revenge on the new hero. They fight each other all over Metropolis (and Gotham City), and more destruction is inflicted. The fight ends when Superman is able to snap Zod’s neck. Some time later, he is able to convince Swanwick to stop trying to track him down, as he promises to be a protector of Earth. The film ends with him getting a job at the Daily Planet, where Lois works.
THOUGHTS
When seeing this film in 2013, I gotta admit I enjoyed watching it than as much as I do years later. I think one way to describe this one is that it’s not the Superman movie we needed, but it’s the one we deserve. Director Zack Snyder succeeds in making this origin story feel fresh to a modern audience. Writer David S. Foyer basically gave us an amalgamation of the first two Superman movies and it works here. I won’t overrate this movie saying it’s the best of the superhero genre but it definitely deserves to be taken notice. The visuals aren’t amazing but they’re gonna hold up for a while. I mean seeing the destruction of Metropolis (and Gotham) gave me a massive 9/11 vibe, which is probably why a lot of people weren’t into it. The biggest credit I can give is that even though this kickstarts the DC Extended Universe, it remains its own thing and doesn’t promote the next big thing yet. And what makes this more epic than intended is the great score of Hans Zimmer. This is not his best because he’s done an array of great scores that it gets hard to decide, but this one does stand out of his catalog of soundtracks for being on par to John Williams’ classic score of 1978’s Superman. I give this movie a lot of credit where it’s due, but there are still flaws in the story I can’t help but call out. First off, Zod should’ve Kal’s pod himself when he had the chance. He could’ve done it right as Jor shot his henchmen. Also, considering how big the pod was, I have a hard time believing that Jonathan and Martha were able to hide it in the barn, after carrying it in themselves. It’s so big, it definitely needs more than two people to carry it. I did find it hilarious when Clark destroyed the truck of the rude driver at the bar, but how the hell did no one hear it? Not seeing it is already one thing, but not hearing is another that I can’t get out of my head. Also, I respect that Clark never fought back against the bullies, because he could’ve killed them on accident, besides knowing that fighting back doesn’t make you feel better. The problem with that scene is that the bullies were dumb to call him out in front of his dad. I mean, did they really think his dad doesn’t work there? That is the worst bullying scene ever. I like that it was challenging for Clark to destroy the World Engine, but it’s defense mechanism looked like Doctor Octopus’ tentacles from Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. Lastly, I do not believe that Lois made it to the train station in time where the fight between Zod and Superman would conclude. I refuse to believe it. If you ignore all of this, you’ll still enjoy this movie in general. Like any other superhero movie, you’ll need an ensemble to keep viewers invested. The breakout Henry Cavill succeeds in making Superman his own. Looking the part is already one thing, but the one thing he nails everything the character is all about: Kind hearted, patriotic and empathic. What he did best was expressing the emotional weight that didn’t feel expressed before. He screams in agony when killing Zod because he never wanted to take a life. And he hates that he had to do it. In other words, he owned that scene. I think this version of the character remains an inspiration because of the courage he expresses whenever it came to doing the right thing. Even if there's a chance of failing, trying is enough. Seeing Cavill share that for the first time was moving towards me and I appreciate how he kept it intact during his tenure as the character for following films. If I’m going to say anything good of Amy Adams as Lois Lane, it is because of the dynamic of being someone who obsessed of sharing the next big thing to respecting one’s privacy after understanding the full story. I’m not sure why Clark is in love with her but if I’m going to guess here, I’ll say because maybe he admires how she believes in him. Why I like Adams here, I still prefer Erica Durance from CW’s Smallville as the best portrayal of Lois Lane, which feels ironic saying that because Adams had a guest appearance on the show. She is still good however because she does good embracing her own set of courage to go headfirst into danger because she respects truth more than authority. Because she originally drops the story of Kal before Zod arrives, you respect her epiphany that some truths don't need to be revealed. Kevin Costner is good here being Jonathan, the father who wants his son protected from hate. He is hard on him whenever he uses his powers, because that’s how bad he wants him safe. It is painful to see him die in the tornado, not allowing Clark to save him, because that was how deep he believed the world wasn’t ready for him. Russell Crowe’s Jor El on the other hand is the one who motivates him to be a hero. It is pretty great to see because that shows how much he believed in him. The dynamic of having a dad that is protecting and another that motivates him is pretty awesome. The one scene where I appreciate Diane Lane as Martha Kent is the flashback when she teaches the young Clark to hone his abilities. The fact that she is able to help him more than she expected was touching because it shows that the love of parents, especially mothers, can be more powerful one would think. I did enjoy Laurence Fishburne as well when it came to playing Perry White. Rather than being an uptight boss, he’s someone who is firm with his decisions but does care of his employees. Him not allowing to publish Lois’ story due to how shook the world will react, reminded me how Jonathan had protected Clark. If he didn’t prevent her, than Clark would’ve gotten worse criticism compared to what he goes through in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. You even respect the guy for trying to save one of his employees from the rubble. Last but not least, Michael Shannon was a great choice as the villain General Zod. There are times where I would say he does it better than Terrence Stamp because he gives new layers for this character. Rather than being stone cold evil, he truly believes that what he was doing was right. You are surprised on how honest he was to Clark because he could’ve lied. But he didn’t have to because he felt that he had nothing to hide, which is something I respect because any other villain would have lied. The compassion is there for him to be a good leader, but his brutal tactics are what keep him apart from the House of El. And the only time you feel bad for him is how he lost his purpose with Krypton being permanently extinct. I feel like the older this movie gets, more people will find him as much of an iconic villain compared to Superman’s popular foe, Lex Luthor. Overall, Man of Steel is not the best Superman movie, but a good one nonetheless. If you love Superman to the core, than hopefully you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.
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