Even if you’re not a Superman enthusiast, the “S” on the chest of a chiseled Henry Cavill is widely recognized. The man who’s faster than a speeding bullet is equated with more mythological allegories than some of best Greek Gods. In director Zack Snyder’s dark re-imagination, he IS God. In the film, Henry Cavill, a man who fits the part of Superman incredibly well, embodies the struggle of being both Kal-El, an other worldly alien, and Clark, an ostracized man, and through both depictions a very human Superman emerges.
While the action is all there, and the heroic sequences are spread throughout the film in true super hero fashion, this is not your mom and dad’s Superman film. Guided by David S. Goyer’s script, Snyder explores Krypton with an out of this world ability, and the experience is visually fascinating. In the opening sequence, Snyder does a spectacular job of bringing the origin story to life with an incredibly visual scope that rivals any huge blockbuster of the last few years.
We follow Kal-El’s father Jor-El (Russell Crowe) as he hurriedly launches his son off to Earth after going against reproduction laws. In his son he protects the codex, which is a genetic code that has the power to rebuild the Kryptonian race on Earth. The second he does this he becomes an adversary to a powerful villain in General Zod (Michael Shannon), and meets his demise after betraying the General. Shannon’s Zod is a pretty complex villain despite only showing up for the first and third acts. By representing the people of Krypton, he’s a man whose conviction is strong as he prepares to grow his race on Earth, which he hopes to decimate.
Taking a refreshingly more modern approach, one of the best additions of Snyder’s reboot is the introduction to an assertive, savvy, and sometimes-sassy Lois Lane. the Daily Planet reporter played by Amy Adams has a real spark about her, which aids in the powerful connection she and Clark experience inside and outside of the new ultra-cool Superman suit. Unlike other versions, Lane isn’t the damsel in distress, although she does get herself in a few dangerous situations. In this film she feels more like Clark’s equal as a human.
For the center story, Snyder knew exactly what his version of Superman looked like. Man of Steel , completely devoid of the Superman name, tells a story of a young man, a very sullen and rugged Clark Kent, as he learns to control his greatness for the greater good of people. Here’s a man who’s taught by his adoptive parents (Kevin Costner and an under-utilized Diane Lane) that he must walk among the humans, and understand them the best he can.
For fans of the series, it’s a thrill to watch Clark trying to measure his abilities. While we’re all familiar with the typical “discovery” sequence, Snyder surprisingly goes in a different direction, in peppering Clark’s super human abilities throughout the whole film. This isn’t the only delineation from the superhero structure as this experience is more dramatic, and humanizing than most.
It’s the emotional core of the film that lends to a better understanding of the profound situation Superman finds himself in towards the explosive finale. Snyder chooses to focus on the emotional journey of Clark Kent, which comes with inheriting powers he can’t understand and is not able to show the world. For most of the film, we get a wealth of knowledge through flashbacks, most of a boy trying to figure out his purpose in life. He’s the “weird kid” that no one sits next to on the bus. In one instance, you can gather that he probably took on a lot of emotional beatings from kids around him. In flashbacks we’re shown Clark as a young teen dealing with greater questions that any teen with a bout of angst would ever have to go through. He’s constantly told, “People would react in fear” to his gifts. “Did God do this to me?” he asks his adoptive father, and his answer reveals itself when he’s shown the chamber he’s arrived in. It’s then that he learns that he’s not from this world, and at that point we’re taken down a very different path of exploration of what qualities embody a “super” man.
Giving a great performance by showing his range of emotions, Cavill’s Superman embodies an all-American man living in Kansas, but also one that’s frustrated by the pressure of having enormous responsibility. He’s the man that needs to bridge two worlds together. He is the chosen one to speak for the people, and the emotion that comes through is tenfold. If that’s not enough he also has to deal with being the reason for Earth’s impending destruction. All of this weighs incredibly heavy on Clark with the return of General Zod, who’s out to grab the genetic codes from Superman to build a new civilization on Earth.
Even in its action-packed third act, we can still feel the profound emotion of Superman’s decisions. For the 143-minutes we’ve taken a journey with the boy who used to play out in the Kansas field in a makeshift red cape. As he learns the difference between controlling how he’s perceived and what he can symbolize to the American people, we as the audience have gained so much more. By the film’s run a real “super” man has arrived, and we have a feeling this is just the beginning of a powerful story.
MAN OF STEEL HITS THEATERS JUNE 14.