Man of Steel (second-pass)
Cert: 12A / 143 mins / Dir. Zack Snyder / Trailer
Superman's mum is hot. There, I said it. I mean his Kryptonian mum (no offence Superman's Earth mum). I'd noticed this last time I watched the film, but I'd forgotten how much until now. This seemed to be a running theme, in fact. I'd also forgotten how much I enjoyed Man of Steel. I didn't forget that I enjoyed it, of course, just how much damned fun it is. Even the run-time didn't bother me too much this time around.
Another thing which slipped my mind is that both of Superman's dads here are Robin Hood. If that's not the setup for a sitcom, I don't know what the hell is.
But yeah, I had great fun revisiting Zack Snyder's retooling of Krypton's last son. I love how much time we get to spend on his home planet at the beginning of the film. It's not a throwaway setup, it's an entire prologue and everything which follows benefits massively from its inclusion. And even if the last hour of the movie is essentially an extended fight scene, it's a one which doesn't let up.
Although really, Kal? Now you sigh audibly and snap Zod's neck? Before the cowering family in the corner are bisected, but after hundreds of thousands have been crushed under the collapse of Metropolis? Oh, alright then…
Still holding up well after a few years, Man of Steel is DC proving that they can play with the big boys. Or rather, proving that they are one of the big boys.
Tonally, it's somewhere between Chris Nolan's Batman and Tim Burton's Batman.
If you get the chance, sure.
More than.
It's certainly the best I've seen Cavill.
Nope.
There certainly is.
Level 2: This film's got Larry Fishburne in it, and he was in that Apocalypse Now, as was Harrison 'Solo' Ford.
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
Man of Steel (3D / Spoiler-free)
Cert: 12A / 143 mins / Dir. Zack Snyder
I was a few days late in catching Man of Steel, by which time I'd caught some of the 'mixed review' buzz that's doing the rounds, albeit without reading the actual reviews. Now, regular readers will have noticed this already, but I've always been a Marvel-kid, so Snyder was going to have to pull something pretty damned good out of the bag to impress me with one of DC's most old-fashioned heroes.
And it seems, to my jaded eye at least, that he's gone and bloody done it. I loved this. I've always found the weak-link in the mythos to be Clark Kent, by definition a necessarily dull character, but I enjoyed watching the film told from Clark's (well, Kal's) point-of-view, rather than the usual route of focusing on pointing/gasping members of the public. He doesn't get angsty to Spider-Man levels, but it's interesting to see his frustration coming from having to hold his power back (in the first half of the film, at least), rather than frowning over his glasses at general injustice. More on this in a spoilery-review in the future.
Once Clark gets the red-and-blues on it's a lot more straightforward, of course. Good guys are good, bad guys are bad, the army are typically-confused and Russell Crowe outstays his welcome. It never becomes unbearable (for me, at least), but it's certainly in 'comfortable territory'. The only real gripe I have about the movie is that it's way too long, considering the story they have to tell. The duration of the final showdown seems ridiculous, particularly once it ends, and it only serves to increase the number of 'hang on a minute' moments that occur (again, more on those in a future review).
I think Henry Cavill is the one to have done the best out of this movie. Everyone else is strong enough, but in a straight-down-the-line way, where they don't get to shine. The biggest casualty in this department is poor old Michael Shannon as Zod; I don't think I should have been quite that sympathetic toward the main villain. His portrayal of Krypton's Biggest Bastard was slightly too sympathetic for my liking. And again, more on this in the future.
But ultimately, I have to say that I really enjoyed Man of Steel. Sure, cynics are moaning about it being 'dark and brooding', but since Batman worked because of that and Green Lantern desperately needed it, I'll take all the darkness you can throw into the DC-verse, thanks very much. The Reeve-era films are still there for those who like their action a little more gleaming. Oh, and for the record, I really liked the "Reeve shot" in MoS, I know it's raised eyebrows elsewhere.
Given the limitations of an invincible, morally incorruptible hero, I think this movie is the best it could have been. Particularly if it's got to segue into JLA territory…
Fairly.
Yes.
For me, yes.
For me, cinema.
Not really.
Yes.
Yes! Finally! It seems like it's been bloody months...
Would (ie. will) you be happy seeing this iteration of Superman in a Justice League movie, and can DC ever hope to catch up with Marvel, let alone best them?
DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.
