His dying planet crumbling around him, and his society in turmoil after an abortive coup by the militant General Zod (Michael Shannon, Mud), Kryptonian scientist and statesman Jor-El (Russell Crowe, Broken City) consigns his only infant son Kal-El to the stars, with a whispered lament: ‘our hopes and dreams travel with you’.
Similar words have probably been whispered in recent months by the many fans of Kal-El – better known by his Earth sobriquet, Superman – as they prepare for his latest screen outing, their prayers directed towards director Zack Snyder (Sucker Punch), writer David S. Goyer and producer Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Rises). After 80 years of comic book, film and television interpretations, the fans are hoping for Man of Steel – the character’s latest big screen adventure – to fulfil a legacy seemingly sullied by Bryan Singer’s poorly-received Superman Returns.
Whether their desires have been realised is perhaps a matter of faith, a fitting outcome given this new film’s emphasis on belief and trust. There’s a long game being played in Man of Steel, one that could still yield the definitive cinematic version of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s archetypal creation; however, even at 143 minutes in length, this is clearly only phase one. Snyder et al offer what the current craving for reimagined superhero franchises ravenously demands: a bold and brutal origin story, steeped in the genesis of an unlikely saviour with a troubled past. Their focus is clear, for this is Superman’s tale, not his humanised, empathetic alter ego.
Though Clark Kent’s (Henry Cavill, Immortals) presence is constantly sighted, he forever remains in the shadow of the identity that is his birthright. Clark’s search for his parentage, people and place in the universe informs glimpses of his past, encapsulated by the love of kindly Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner, The Company Men) and his wife Martha (Diane Lane, Secretariat), but without certainty or true comfort. As his differences become more pronounced, Clark’s physical prowess and willingness to assist cannot be tempered, even as he attracts reporter Lois Lane’s (Amy Adams, The Master) attention. The quest to discover his true self can only end in confrontation: between his need to belong and his wish to help, and with his father’s friend turned intergalactic terrorist, Zod.
Restrained in its inclusion of the trademark touches viewers know and love, but never anything other than a Superman film, Man of Steel’s primary objective is the evocation of mood and expansion of mythology. Though fleshing out the protagonist’s motivations remains a central concern, characters almost come second to the bigger, bleaker picture, their traits – whether sensitive yet surly, feisty but able to be frightened, or commanding but conflicted – already known from the wealth of previous content. The well-selected actors aptly and admirably play their parts, with Cavill dazzling with subtlety and style in and out of the cape and tights, Adams as intrepid as ever, and Shannon a brooding livewire of an antagonist. Alas, in a sea of awkward exposition and context-setting flashbacks, the film perhaps loiters too long in the past for its cast to truly make the most of the characters’ present.
Other aspects bubble with unease: the lack of levity that screams for a lighter touch, the frenzied, lens-flare-saturated violence that mistakes grittiness for depth, and the relentlessness of explosions and destruction in an unfulfilling and overblown climax. And yet, some details also elicit success: the understated score in the wake of such visual spectacle, the power that radiates in a rare quiet moment when the hero comes face to face with his enemy, and the affectionate set-up for the story’s continuation. Accordingly, Man of Steel is awash with contrasts, delicately cognisant of the vested hopes and dreams of the watching audience, but arrogantly aiming to reshape them alongside the serious and solemn 21st-century incarnation of its titular symbol. There’s adequate satisfaction buried within the ambition and grandiose – but ultimately uneven – execution, but it is the feeling that the best may be yet to come that lingers.
Rating: 3 stars out of 5
Man of Steel
Director: Zack Snyder
USA, 2013, 143 mins
Release date: 27 June
Distributor: Roadshow
Rated: M
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