Review: Man of Steel (2013)

'You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards.'

★★

Following the "adequate" comeback of Superman in 2006's "Superman Returns" and the mixed reviews, Superman made another comeback titled, "Man of Steel (2013)." This time, taking place in the DCU, the DC Cinematic Universe, with Zack Synder as director, and Christopher Nolan as producer. You think with a director like Zack Synder and Christopher Nolan as producer, the film would be great, but sadly, it's no Superman: The Movie (1978).

"Man of Steel (2013)" follows Kal-El, a child from the doomed planet Krypton, who is sent to Earth and raised as Clark Kent by a Kansas couple. As he grows, Clark struggles with his extraordinary abilities and true identity. When General Zod, a Kryptonian military leader, arrives on Earth to terraform it into a new Krypton, Clark embraces his role as Superman to stop Zod and protect humanity. The film culminates in a massive battle in Metropolis, where Superman is forced to kill Zod to save the city and its people.

While "Man of Steel (2013)" is better than "Superman Returns (2006)," it's nothing compared to "Superman: The Movie (1978)." The problem with this picture isn't the story or the actors. Henry Cavill is a good Superman. The problems are the character's decisions, the screenplay, the constant amount of action, and an over-usage of CGI. There's so much action that I hardly got a chance to breathe. The extensive destruction of Metropolis during the final battle was seen as excessive and inconsistent with Superman's protective nature. Additionally, the decision to have Superman kill Zod sparked controversy, as it conflicted with his strong moral code against killing.

My biggest problem with "Man of Steel" is Pa-Kent (Kevin Costner)'s death. I have written here, "The death of Pa Kent is the dumbest death in the history of cinema." Comparing this to Donner's Superman, Pa Kent in that film dies of a heart attack, and the lesson is, despite all those powers Clark Kent has, he can't save everyone. Clark in this movie doesn't learn anything. Clark could've easily saved the dog because nobody was even looking at him. Now, I'm not saying to copy "Superman: The Movie (1978)," but make the death more believable. Another example that had a good fatherly figure's death is in Spider-Man (2002). once Peter gets his powers, he thinks he can do whatever he wants with them, like beating up Flash Thompson or winning money in a cage match to impress a girl. Uncle Ben notices something is up with Peter and gives him a pep talk by saying "With great power, comes great responsibility." Peter doesn't listen and even lets the robber escape. Only to find out that it cost his uncle's life. When Peter caught him, and he dies, Peter then feels guilty about his actions. Aunt May tells him that it's okay and that Uncle Ben loves him.

Superman in Man of Steel was envisioned by Snyder in a significantly more dire light than most people realized. Superman became practically alienated from a large portion of his fans by shifting the focus away from his more human aspect and toward his extraterrestrial beginnings. Had this been written and directed by Christopher Nolan, then we would've had a better and more balanced film.