Saturday 15 June 2013

REVIEW - MAN OF STEEL


A dangerous move, anticipating the success of your film to such an extent that you make the entire thing as the first act of a franchise. It's all backstory. Even those conflicts which are resolved by Man of Steel's end are directly related to the origins of the character, as we know him, as Clark Kent. Perhaps not quite so dangerous, given the blatant money-making potential, and also the fact that the man we need to know here is not Clark Kent, but Kal-El. Underneath it all, he's Superman, and writer David S. Goyer's interests lie in exploring this character, not the person he pretends to be. So Man of Steel is a burdensome film, trudging through scene after scene of, essentially, scene-setting, with the opening Krypton-set sequence so well-developed it outdoes the rest of the film. It's somewhat enervating, having to wade through all of this to get to a place where we feel comfortable, but Zack Snyder fills the screen with enough distractions to sate us for the time being. You know you're getting a full-course dinner with Snyder, whether you like it or not. And technically, the visual effects team (which includes Joe Letteri) has done a breathtaking job, and Hans Zimmer's score is most rousing, if also most intrusive, and possibly still going as I write this. Action scenes near the end are handled with aplomb until Snyder gets carried away intercutting them, and thus lets the air out of the lot. Religious allusions are rather clumsy and fatuous, but not too irritating. There's one hilarious expository scene that is so bad, it's like a parody of such scenes in other action films. Henry Cavill is incredibly affable for someone so attractive (he's the sort who looks odd with clothes on, you know?), which is certainly a positive, as the super-sincere Superman has often previously been a bit too goody-goody to like (a quick snap to the neck reverses that feature here). Could do with a lot more humour, but its humanistic, and anti-militaristic streak wins me over.

3 comments:

  1. Glad to know that you liked the film.

    Man of Steel exceeded my expectations with a refined and refreshing new look. The idea conceived by Goyer, tuned and initiated by Nolan and reshaped onto the screen by Snyder is a triumphant and unique superhero adaptation, with the the trio understanding the diligence in bringing back the American icon onto the modern stratosphere. The opening sequence is awe-inspiring, visually stunning as it is emotionally provoking. The non-linear flashbacks works profusely in identifying the purpose of Clarke Kent, smoothly transitioning the focus on biological self, Kal-El. The fatherS)-son and alien-self themes work adequately without overselling, former being particular dynamic and moving. The 3-C's Cavill, Crowe, Costner conjure a relatable and requisite dram, with latter pitching in an impressive turn. The contrived nature of Kent-Lane build-up is decisive in incisiveness of the plot downplaying the cheesy moments, thereby creating a matured and sophisticated . Shannon's Zod is standard villain with flawed but purely sovereign motives. Action is ambitiously ruthless perfecting the acrobatics of Kryptoninas on earth. Quite blew me away. Amazing fights. The abundance of CGI-fest and towering set-pieces in third act was relentless which didn't bother me all that much. Besides Zimmer scoring Zimmer, Mokri's cinematography deserves a special mention which is lost in realisvistic speed of action sequences. Zack Snyder directs the movie with panache and justifies his recruitment for the job. Hollywood escapism at it's best.

    May have over-said the things but that's what felt to me. Comparisons to other superhero and superman movies aren't worthy.

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    Replies
    1. Yeh, but is it as good as that clip?!?!?

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    2. Nope. Not even close. Great pick.

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