Last night I got into an advanced screening of The Man of Steel. Below are my thoughts. I don't spoil major plot points, but I do talk some details - and I also assume you know Superman's origin story.
Superman in cinema has had a checkered past. From "classic" (Superman: The Movie) to ridiculous (Superman IV: Quest for Peace), these films have been all over the place. And fan boys are still clashing about the last reboot attempt. Did it suck? Was it genius? Whatever it was, it was polarizing.
So how does THIS reboot fair? It's pretty darn good. It's not a perfect film, but it exceeded my mid-range expectations by a mile. Here's how:
1. The special effects were amazing. Usually fight scenes leave me yawning after a while. This was not the case with Superman. The follow-through on the special effects - they just nailed the physics of it all better than I've seen in the past. They did the math. There were some scenes where I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. Kudos to the entire FX crew for doing it better than I've ever seen. And don't get me started on the Kryptonian technology/spaceships/homeworld...beautiful.
And here's something I don't usually say - see it in 3-D. So often studios do a crappy job slapping some 3-D together in hopes of milking audiences for more money. In the case of Man of Steel, the extra buck or two is worth it.
2. The score was perfect. I thought I would miss the John Williams score from the original films. I didn't. Hans Zimmer nailed the tone of this picture and did it justice.
3. Superman. Henry Cavill put a new spin on this character. Make no mistake - he wasn't trying to be Christoper Reeve. Or the Superman in the comics. And he didn't have to be. Some may find his portrayal a little too stoic. I found it spot on.
4. The final battle. Too often climactic battle scenes seem to end almost arbitrarily. ("OK - they've been fighting long enough - let's just have our hero hit the 'Achilles Heel' button and lets call it a day.") This didn't go down that way. The battle started normally enough, but by the end, I was loving it. I'm not going to say any more on this until next week when more people have seen it.
5. Giving the movie "heart". I'll admit, at first the way in which they set up the movie to get its emotional payoff wasn't totally working for me. But it had me by the end. And it was just enough without getting too sappy. And I appreciated that, because it's a fine line...
So why isn't it perfect? Before I dive into the shortcomings, here are some things I expect people to say about it that I DON'T consider faults:
- It's too dark/like Batman. Yep - Superman has been officially "Nolan-ized". That mood you get from the previews? That's pretty much the mood of the entire film. Is it like Nolan's Batman? Kinda. Did that bother me? Not really (and honestly, I thought it would). Captain America is kind of like The Avengers in tone. So is Iron Man. Etc.
- It's a sci-fi movie. To be clear - this movie is both a sci-fi movie AND a superhero movie. Much more so than The Avengers (and their NYC alien battle). If you don't like sci-fi, you may not be as into this as I was.
So what were its true faults then? In my opinion:
1. Length. Yes, this is an "epic" film in many senses
of the word. But I was feeling the length at points. I think they did an
excellent job of never going too long without some action, but even that wasn't enough. Or maybe that was the true problem. I think I'd have to see it again to truly nail it down, but I can't help
but feel it could have been made tighter with a shorter run
time.
2. One particular action scene. I was like "jumping the shark here - let's get back on track, people!". Luckily it was a short sequence.
3. There were two versions of Lois Lane in this film. Version 1 is a cliche "tough-as-nails" reporter who also becomes a plot device by putting herself in harms way in a way that no reasonable person would. I hated her. Version 2 was a near opposite - a character that acted in a believable fashion given her situation. Amy Adams gets credit for doing her own thing with the role. I just wish it started as well as it ended.
4. Product placement. You'll have no trouble telling which companies paid to be in this one, boy. Annoying! (Now excuse me while I hop off to get some pancakes...)
5. Zod. This is a minor fault - more of an annoyance. Zod got a little cliche/over the top at times. More in the beginning than in the end. Just enough to force me to list him here, not enough to ruin the character.
Even when taking those faults into consideration, I still enjoyed the movie quite a bit.
Final Verdict: B
Also, just so you know - there is no "stinger" at the end of the credits (to the audible disappointment of the preview audience).
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