A Mixed Man of Steel

       

Man of Steel

       
           I went into Man of Steel yesterday with relatively high expectations.  While Superman isn't my favorite of the super hero legends (with his lack of complex, human weaknesses), the trailers built Man of Steel up as a human story worth seeing.  So the question is, was it?
          I'd say Man of Steel is worth seeing, but is not without flaws.  All of Clark Kent's human moments (growing up, facing his powers...) are told in glimpses and flashback.  These moments are the best part of his story and we are only given tastes of them.  Though I wanted more, I was at least able to enjoy what the film gave, especially the scene when young Clark is overwhelmed by his power, saying "The world is too big." Diane Lane as his mother tells him, "Then make it small."  The power of the film is in these human moments.
          A huge portion of the film focuses on Krypton, which is an interesting spin, especially as General Zod is a formidable foe for Superman.  Scenes with Lois Lane are a bit too rushed, as are scenes with both Clark's biological and adoptive fathers.  Instead, huge portions of the film are dedicated to destructive battle scenes.  I'm all for some action, but there must be plot and character development to accompany it.  (See Star Trek Into Darkness) Instead, sometimes Man of Steel just gives us more destruction.  Spoiler Warning: While the movie controversially allows Superman to kill a foe, in truth Superman probably accidentally hurts and destroys huge chunks of a city during his extended battle with Zod.
          The end of the film offers a glimpse into what the next film may look like, paying homage to his roots.  Even though I didn't absolutely love the film, I liked Henry Cavill as Superman, loved some of Hans Zimmer's music, and appreciated the almost poetic portions of Kent's backstory.  I would certainly see a sequel.  I would also see this, just because:

Do you reject Superman?

Man of Steel

         The new Man of Steel full length trailer has dropped.  I'm the first to admit I'm not a big Superman fan.  I always found him too super and not man (flawed, vulnerable) enough.  However, the trailer, much like the teasers that played before The Dark Knight Rises, displays a grittier, more trouble man played by Henry Cavill (The Tudors).  The trailer also gives us glimpses of his parents, Lois Lane (Amy Adams), and of course the signature costume.  What I most like is the simple, thought provoking idea Superman asks in the end.  In voice over, he asks if the world will be ready for him, or reject him, as his father feared?  Weighty stuff for a boy, and heavy stuff for a man.  I may just like Superman after all.  Check out the trailer here.

Man of Steel: Super and Man

Super Man (Henry Cavill)

          

         

      Before a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, a flash of a trailer for Man of Steel played, quickly capturing the total attention of the crowd.  Using The Bridge of Khazad Dum, a mournful Lord of the Rings song, the trailer flashed images of a ragged and bearded man, wondering aimlessly along  color bleached butterflies, abandoned swing sets and boats.  The trailer called to mind indie movies like the John Keats Bright Star movie of a few years back, as well as bits of The Deadliest Catch and Into the Wild.  Mostly though, the trailer echoed the new, deeper, thinking man's superhero movie popularized by Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy.  The tone was subdued and dark, which is a far cry from the not so distant Superman remake a few years back, and frankly much different (though not necessarily better or worse) than most Marvel movies.

       Most interesting, however, is the studio's choice to create two distinct trailers for Man of Steel.  Both feature the same images of the idealistic boy in a red cape and jeans and more weathered man, but the two voice overs present perhaps the most interesting aspect of Superman: his humanity versus his super-humanity and with that his choice versus his destiny.  In the first trailer, the voice over is done by Kevin Costner, who plays Superman's earth-bound father Jonathan Kent.  Kent speaks of Superman's choice as a man.  He has a choice for good and for evil as he changes the world.  In the second trailer, the voice over is done instead by Jor-El, the biological alien father of Superman.  Jor-El, played by Russel Crowe, instead presents Superman as an ideal for others to strive to become, and a leader of lesser men, saying "They'll rise behind you.  They will stumble.  They will fall.  In time, they will join you in the sun.  In time, you will help them accomplish wonders."  

      This image of Superman, as played by Henry Cavill, presents him as an ideal and almost as a deity.  It toys with  the notion from Batman Begins of a superhero becoming more than a man, and instead implies that Superman is no man at all, but rather a sort of a god unable to resist the call of his destiny.  It was a bold choice of the studio to present the duel nature of Superman as hero and human.  Superman without his powers is just a man, but Superman without his humanity won't cause anyone to rise behind him, especially at the box office.  The trick is to balance both aspects of him.  If Zach Snyder manages to pull it off, he may recreate Superman as the titan of the superhero juggernauts.  If he fails, then Superman won't fall to Kryptonite, but rather to a failure to live up to his superhero name.  Here is hoping that next June will bring a super hero who is both super and man.