Review – Man of Steel

The comic fandom has had less to say about whether Man of Steel works on its own than how it might lead in to an eventual Justice League movie, a la Marvel’s Avengers franchise. All in all, it works on both levels by emphasising the alien elements of the Last Son of Krypton. Not only is the door now open for any-and-all intergalactic shenanigans in this expanding DC superhero universe, this reboot also allows an increasingly human Superman to forsake his own species in order to become Earth’s saviour.

The religious reverence is laid on pretty thick, but so it should be. You may even have your faith restored in Kevin Costner, as he and Diane Lane milk the most of their few precious scenes. Director Zack Snyder takes the mythology suitably seriously, bringing appropriate gravitas to Superman’s suffering. Writer/producer Christopher Nolan’s penchant for plausibility (as seen in his Batman trilogy) keeps this Man of Tomorrow grounded in a more human reality.

Some have said that the destruction of Metropolis at the film’s climax is too dark to truly feel like a Superman movie. True, when skyscrapers are falling to pieces around him, Kal-El (Henry Cavill) is too involved in his fight with General Zod to save those falling from the windows of buildings. The scene climaxes in an act that many will consider goes against the grain of everything a superhero stands for. If such a moment sparks debate about the human ideals we hold our heroes up to, the film may have further made its point. The fact that we have a Superman doing things he may grow to regret, only indicates that we are now dealing with a more complex character for a modern age. Here we have an evolving hero who will fight his inner demons alongside each villain. If we can forgive a man for his mistakes if he learns from them, can we not learn to forgive Man of Steel’s few mistakes if the film ticks all the boxes it needs to?

The closing scene suggests the sequel will be brighter, when a much more familiar Clark Kent dons his reporter’s spectacles. If Christopher Reeves’ classic portrayal was all about a distinct duality in the two sides of Superman, the success of this Man of Steel is in the fusion of man and Super. The tagline for the 1978’s Superman was “You will believe a man can fly”. Now, you will truly believe this being is born from another world, but trying his best to be human.

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