Superman [Really] Returns - Man of Steel Movie Review

Some people have the discipline to stay away from critic reviews for movies until they have personally watched the movie themselves - I am not one of those people.  Since I was a little kid, I always loved Superman.  Admittedly, it wasn't so much about reading comics, but more so watching shows like Super Friends, Superman: The Animated Series, and Justice League, plus the animated movies - either way, I've always been a huge fanboy.  Unsurprisingly, then, I have been anxiously looking forward to Man of Steel ever since it was announced - once release week hit, I was reading all that I could about this movie.

My heart sank when I saw the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes drop lower and lower for this movie - to the point that it wasn't even "fresh" anymore, but "rotten" - currently, it's sitting at 56% approval (60% is needed to be considered fresh).  Once it crossed over to rotten territory, I decided that I would not let these critics get to me.  I reasoned that these critics were probably a) expecting this film to be some artsy fartsy masterpiece to be shown at Sundance Film Festival, or b) too closely comparing it to the original series with Christopher Reeve.  Also, I took comfort in the fact that these Rotten Tomatoes critics rated Superman Returns at 75% ("Certified Fresh"); the general consensus from most people (and my personal opinion) is that Superman Returns completely sucked, so what do these critics know?

I understand that the original Superman is a classic and that Christopher Reeve did an excellent job playing the Man of Steel.  Honestly, it's been a long time since I watched the original, so I don't remember much of it (but I did buy a used copy off of Amazon, so I'll be watching it again soon!).  From what I can gather by reading through some of the reviews, though, the original series was lighter and cheerier. This most recent interpretation of Superman is grittier and more serious (apparently, too serious for many critics).  This is a reboot, though, so people should be looking at it independently (although of course that's not entirely possible for people who have seen the previous films).

Anyway, here is my review of the movie (I will stay away from anything not revealed in the trailers to avoid spoilers):

To cut to the chase, I was not close to being disappointed after leaving that theater.  In fact, this movie reminded me of why I loved Superman in the first place.  Man of Steel did such a great job showing how Clark became the man he is today.  He is a very principled man who always tries to do the right thing.  He sacrificially fights for the people of Earth even when they don't appreciate him.  And of course, he can kick major butt (which is an aspect that hasn't really been portrayed well in live-action until now, considering how crappy visual effects were in 1978, when the original Superman movie came out).

Actually, I saw many parallels to Jesus, the ultimate hero and hope of the world.  Aside from the aforementioned qualities (although Jesus didn't punch people through buildings, so it's not a perfect parallel of course), I noticed that Superman said he was 33 years old, which is about the age Jesus was at the time of his crucifixion.  Once they threw the age out there, it caught my attention and I noticed the parallels.  While the influx of "anti-heroes", dark/brooding characters, and moral ambiguity in movies over the past few years has been intriguing, it's nice to have someone who is an unequivocally honest, salt-of-the-earth, true hero.  Superman will always be the ultimate superhero who embodies those qualities in comics (sorry Captain America, Supes came first).  Although this nickname hasn't always been used in a positive way, this film made me appreciate the fact that Superman is the "big blue boy scout".  

Here is a brief breakdown of what I thought was really good in the movie, and also what was not-so-good:

The Good

Henry Cavill

I did think it was a bit ironic that they cast a British man to be the ultimate All-American hero.  However, he was the perfect pick to play Kal-El/Clark Kent.  Based on the interviews and what all the cast members say about Cavill, he is a genuinely humble and honest guy.  Those qualities come through as he portrays the Man of Steel.  He is able to show emotional vulnerability while also appearing invulnerable.  The emotional complexity is portrayed in a way that I've never seen before, and I've never connected more with the character emotionally.  He also looks the part.  Although that aspect is not as important as the acting, it helps to have someone who looks exactly what you think Superman would look like in real life.

Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, and Russell Crowe

Kevin Costner and Diane Lane did such a great job portraying Jonathan and Martha Kent.  In other portrayals, they're just kindly elderly people who are good parents to Clark.  In this film, they are complex people who mold Clark into the good-hearted, wholesome man that he is today.  They are the ones who help him through his struggles as he tries to fit into a world where he is an outcast.  They are his emotional support.  I think out of all the Jonathan and Martha Kents that I've seen so far in film and television, these two are my favorite.

Russell Crowe also played an excellent Jor-El (Superman's biological father).  I'm glad, because he was so terrible in Les Mis last year.  He did a great job inspiring Kal-El to unleash his full potential and be a force of good for the world.  

It's nice to see how big of a role the parents played in forming the character of Superman.

Emotional scenes

I teared up a couple times during this movie, because they did a great job of making some tender moments between Clark/Kal-El and his parents.  The flashbacks were well-done and each had a clear purpose in shaping Clark into the man he is today.

Incorporating a big plot with the origin story

With any human superhero, one may be skeptical if the origin movie develops that person into a hero and then all of a sudden this giant global threat pops out of nowhere.  However, they did a great job in Man of Steel taking advantage of the fact that Superman does come from an alien civilization.  That way General Zod and his gang coming to earth to wreak havoc is a lot more plausible.

Action!

After I was severely bored and disappointed by the wooden and emotionless 2006 Superman Returns movie, this was more than enough to compensate.  It seems like in a lot of superhero action movies (new Batman trilogy, X-Men films, etc.), they dumb down the action, perhaps due to technological or budgetary limits (compared to the cartoons, where the hero battles seem a lot more epic).  Seeing Superman unleash his supersonic flight, heat vision, and punches fulfilled the inner fanboy in me.  Many critics complained that there was too much action, but I completely disagree.  

Not-so-Good

Amy Adams/Lois Lane

This was disappointing, since I usually love Amy Adams (she was great in Enchanted and The Muppets).  First of all, she doesn't really look the part.  Like I said, that's not as important as the acting, but I'm so used to having Lois look something like this:

Also, she didn't really seem like a reporter in this movie - she seemed more like a nosy woman trying to get into everyone's business.  Maybe it was because she didn't have a cameraman going everywhere with her, or because she didn't take any notes.  I think what it was mostly, however, is the fact that her tone of voice wasn't like she was conducting an interview.  It sounded more like a busy-body trying to get the latest gossip.  

Finally, her chemistry with Henry Cavill isn't the best.  I'm not sure if it's the age difference (she's 8 years older than he is) or what, but I wasn't really feeling it much.  

Amy Adams' sub-par performance as Lois didn't ruin the movie for me (after all, the focus was on Superman).  As long as they don't make any spin-off movies about her, it'll be okay.

Some cheesy dialogue

There were a couple lines they could've taken out because it just made everyone roll their eyes.  I guess at least they managed to lighten the mood some (right, critics?).  

Mixed

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Man of Steel was universally panned by critics.  Although it was written by the great Hans Zimmer, people criticized this for being a half-hearted effort from him.  Also, there wasn't much of a memorable anthem as there was in the original Superman series (the famous "Superman March").  The critics do make valid points there - it was not as memorable as I would have liked (nothing groundbreaking).  I did enjoy the music for the most part, though.  In fact, I found the soundtrack on Spotify the Tuesday before the movie released and listened to it non-stop at work!  It's not the best it could have been, but I do think it helped move the movie along overall.

Conclusion

Man of Steel is the Superman movie that this new generation needs.  I have been waiting for this for a long time, and it did not disappoint.  If you have not seen it yet, you really should.  I can't wait for the sequel (which may come as early as next year - I just hope they don't rush it and sacrifice quality) and for the Justice League movie!

Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

Edit: I forgot to mention that Cinemascore (which polls audience reaction) gave Man of Steel an A-!  To me, Cinemascore seems like a more reliable gauge than Rotten Tomatoes - what the general public likes vs. film critics who may be out of touch with the rest of society.