Friday, June 14, 2013

'Man of Steel' Review



As of moments ago, I returned home after viewing Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan's amazing and mind-blowing film, presenting in a fresh, and bright as dawn light, one of comic book's most recognizable figures. The sets, the costumes, the special effects, the cast, all of it was beautifully done. I will not be offering any spoilers for those who read this and have yet to see the film, so don't worry about that. Now, on with the review!

To start out, the sets were amazing. The Krypton presented to audiences at the beginning of the film was the most amazing, technologically advanced rendition of the planet ever seen on film. Gone is the cold, harsh ice world of the classic Christopher Reeve's film, instead we are given the Krypton of the comic books, a world thousands of years ahead of our own, with creatures and machines the likes of which have never before been seen by humankind. As for Smallville and Metropolis, Plano Illinois and Chicago are excellent backdrops for these key components of the Superman mythos. All though more of Smallville is seen in the film (fight scenes, flashbacks to Clark's past), the use of Chicago for Metropolis was great. I'm basically tooting my home state support horn here, but so what? I look forward to seeing in the next Superman film, if (and hopefully) Chicago will again be used for Metropolis. 

For the costumes, oh man where to start? The Kryptonian garb worn by Jor-El (Russell Crowe), Lara (Ayelet Zurer), Zod (Michael Shannon) and the Kryptonian Council were awesome. Truly, those clothes were out of this world (ok sue me, its a classic pun and it fits). Superman's uniform was awesome, and looked insanely comfortable to wear. The S-shield on the chest of the costume was a stylized version of the one used during the 1940's in the comics, and not only that, but the S wasn't even actually part of the costume. Instead of being physically on the suit, sewn in, it was raised, like a logo or crest, marking the significance of the symbol (in the film it is the symbol of the House of El). 

Now for the special effects, and wowzer's were they ever amazing. Simulating Superman's powers on the screen has always been a challenge for filmmakers, but this time, they got it so right, it jumped several levels on the awesome scale. When Superman is in flight, it all looks so fluid and loose at the same time, like if a man truly could fly (with years of honing it) this is what it would look like. The effects used to render the various Kryptonian creatures, buildings, and ships seen in the film were spectacular, and so real, one would almost imagine all of it to truly exist. 

On to the cast. Oh goodness me, where to start? Ok, let's start with the obvious one, Henry Cavill stepping in to don the cape and tights of Superman. In a nutshell, Cavill IS Superman. He nailed the character so well, although there were times when he seemed a bit too serious. But aside from that readers, if Superman was a real person, this is how I would imagine him to be, quiet, serious, but with a sense of humor, an honorable being, raised by two loving parents, and endowed with the knowledge and teachings of both his human father and his Kryptonian father. 

Amy Adams as Lois Lane, boy did they make the right call. Up till now, I've only seen Ms. Adams in more comedic musical roles, but she is the icing on the cake for Lois Lane portrayals. She was serious, sarcastic, and yet genuine and sweet as well. 

Michael Shannon as General Zod, oh holy crap was he scary! This guy nailed the Zod of the comic books, an egomaniacal person, a soldier determined to do his duty to his world, even at the cost of murder and violence. I hope he wins some kind of award for playing this role, because he deserves it. 

Russell Crowe as Jor-El, now this was a great casting choice from the start. He portrayed Superman's Kryptonian father in a way that took him beyond the role of the planets leading scientist, but also gives him the added title of total bad-ass. No other man could have played this role the way he did, I just can't think of anyone who could have pulled it off. 

The rest of the cast was spectacular. Kevin Costner and Diane Lane were wonderful as Jonathan and Martha Kent. They showed the genuine love and warmth that two parents would have for a child from the stars, and the influence that Jonathan is shown to have on Clark's life is huge in developing Clark's character choices throughout the film. Everyone else was awesome, a great cast was put together for the film, and they delivered stunning performances. 

Before I end this, I just want to say, how beyond awesome this film was. This is a film, that showed our world, the real world, and what happens when a being as powerful as Superman comes to it. If the world of comic books was to be a real one, I hope to God that it would be like this. This is a world (fictionally) that is going to become a place where the impossible is possible, things that could have never happened before will happen, and the stuff of dreams will become reality. 

I give this film 5 out of 5 stars for delivering the most amazing Superman film to date. Everything I talked about in this review, all of it, is what contributed to making this movie great. I hope that everyone who see's this movie will love it as much as I did.