Monday, June 17, 2013

Man Of Steel


From the moment that Kal-el is born he is an outsider. An anomaly on his own planet (for being born by his mother Lara naturally and not in the usual 'hands-off Kryptonian fashion) and an alien on Earth. How he balances the two sides of his nature is what makes Man of Steel the great superhero movie that it is.


From the moment Michael Shannon shows up as General Zod I knew things were only going to get better from here. I get why Zod is so insane over Kal-el. He represents everything Zod is against - order not freedom. Zod is a 'true believer' and that's what makes him the most dangerous kind of villain.



Jor-el as kick ass action hero? Yes please. And boy does Russel Crowe pull it off. He makes Jor-el's sacrifice of his son both noble for his people and his planet and personally heroic all at the same time.

 
Holy crap. They did a fantastic visual for the Phantom Zone. If anything, this film is visually spectacular. I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. Director Synder has once again delivered.

If I have one quibble it's that I have seen this story before and read it in all the incarnations of the Superman origin that you can imagine. So I want this to be the last origin story about Superman ever. I have seen the same story over and over each time a new actor takes the role. This one does it the best. All the familiar elements are there but they are presented in a fresh and new way - out of chronological order. We learn about Clarke through his strongest memories.

 
Imagine if all your powers like x-ray vision and super hearing found you on the same day in elementary school? What would you do? It's interesting to see how that Clarke had to work on his powers everyday just to keep from going insane.

It's a nice, delicate dance that they do here and each set piece further puts together to story for us which is brilliant and often so heartfelt that I wanted to tear up for joy. They just got so many things right with this re-telling of the story.

 
Bad enough that Clark landed in the 'Bible Belt' of Kansas. The Kent family neighbors all seem about ready to beat him to death with their torches.

Many people have said they don't like this Lois Lane but I thought Amy Adam got the spunk of the girl reporter we all know and love. This Lois would never be fooled by a simple pair of eyeglasses and I like that they never downplayed her bravery and intelligence. I loved her fearlessness. I am glad they downplayed the romance between Lois and Clarke for this film. This wasn't the movie for that. This was about beginnings and what happens next.


The Fortress of Solitude was done in a fresh way too. Every part of the myth has been tweeked just enough to make it believable for someone like me who can easily suspend my disbelief.


 
That moment when he first flew in his suit? WOW. I think that theatre was awful dusty because I think I started to tear up a little.

 
The set pieces are huge as is the final battle between Superman and Zod. The power of Kryptonians who don't have to hold back is truly awesome to behold. This one will be the hit of the summer and it surprised me that ANYONE found it boring. Zac Synder can make any superhero he wants from now on.

 
 
Oh Sluggo, you so crazy.
 

1 comment:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Glad you enjoyed it and that it was worth the wait!