The trailer for Man of Steel built up a lot of anticipation in the run up to the film’s release, but the reality of the movie doesn’t quite live up to expectations. There were more than enough ingredients for an epic sci-fi comic book adventure and in many ways that’s essentially what the superhero film delivers, but it just doesn’t feel like it quite got it right in a few key areas, taking the edge off what could have a perfect return for the man of steel.
The story is as brilliant as it always has been, and Henry Cavill looks like he was born to be Superman. The special effects are the most advanced we’ve ever seen in a DC Comics adaptation, but the finish and polish applied to what is clearly a great foundation unpicks the threads. It’s silly things that bring the film down like the inky 3D hologram technology of Krypton, which just looks a bit naff for a supposedly advanced race or the ludicrousness of Jor-El, Superman’s birth father (played by Russell Crow) flying on a dragon like creature during the first sequences of the film.
Though most of us know the story of Superman, Man of Steel gives it a slight shake up, featuring a lot of the back story of the destruction of Krypton and picking up with Clarke as he’s in hiding trying to keep his powers a secret, while occasionally flexing his life saving sentimentality. When an old Kryptonian scout ship is discovered by the US military, Clarke and reporter Louis Lane both independently turn up to investigate, which triggers a beacon, summoning the might of former Kryptonian prisoner and outcast, General Zod.
The casting and performances are in general impressive on the good guys side of the battle-lines, with a solid Clark Kent and Superman from Henry Cavill and a great new Louis Lane from Amy Adams (On The Road) and Perry White from Lawrence Fishburne. Equally, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner are solid as Martha and Jonathan Kent, with Russell Crow doing a pretty good job as Jor-El.
The negatives come in the form of the dark forces of Krypton as Michael Shannon (Take Shelter) doesn’t quite live up to the expectations we had for his role as General Zod. His accent hasn’t been worked on at all, so while he looks the part his lines sound more like an angry Kentuckian than the impassable military leader of the old Krypton army. This is added to by a pretty tame version of Faora, Zod’s Sub-Commander, played by Antje Traue.
In addition to the unimpressive Krypton goo hologram technology, random dragon and not so fearsome baddies, the other element of Man of Steel that doesn’t quite hit the tight spot is the extensive use of CGI. It works really well in parts, especially the Krypton space ships and the destruction of buildings when Zod starts to terraform Earth, but there’s just too much of it for the fight sequences between Superman and the powered up Kryptonian criminals.
Ultimately, the detractions have got to sit with director Zach Snyder (Sucker Punch), who’s previous work has relied heavily on an other-worldly CGI style, as well as producers Christopher Nolan, Charles Roven, Emma Thomas and Deborah Snyder. There are some stunning scenes and amazing moments, but when the stakes are so high, you’ve got to get everything right.
Man of Steel is far from being a bad film, it’s fun, action packed, got some good performances and it’s mostly visually stunning to watch, but it does miss out on the full potential of what it could have been. The good news though is that we now have the foundations for more of a credible Superman outing. However, things didn’t get that much more impressive for the sequel, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn Of Justice, so there’s a lot riding on the character’s 3rd film, Justice League, which is out in November 2017.
Man of Steel review: 3.4/5
