Quick and Dirty Movie Review: Man of Steel

So I saw the new Superman movie.

Suffice it to say, if you are a fan of the old Superman movie, or of Superman Returns, you will either enjoy or not enjoy the movie. The fact is, whether or not you like the old Superman or the comic book Superman will have absolutely no impact on whether you like this film. It is not only a total reboot of the franchise; it is a total reboot on the experience of enjoying a Superman film.

For precisely this reason, while I went into the movie quite prejudiced against it, mainly because it was a re-boot of the franchise, the more I watched it the more I came to see it as something which simply could not be compared with the original. It is so independent in its approach, even eschewing the original theme music and the 'crystalline' aesthetic of the original, that it must be judged on its own merits.

As it was, I did not like it.

The reason for this was that, as the movie started to come to a slow, grinding halt, I began to suspect that all of the conflicts in the movie are ultimately rather trivial and uninteresting. They lack anything that really causes the audience to risk themselves or to get themselves involved.

The conflict between Jor-El and Zod? A philosophical difference between two Spocks who fundamentally agree, one of whom happens to be Russell Crowe. The conflict between Superman and Zod? Completely lost in the bloodless and computer-generated PG-13 wreckage. The conflict between Clark and Jonathan? The old tired "adoptee angst" story, but compacted into one or two lines, and without even the presence of guilt as Clark develops into a mature young man. (And he really ought to feel guilty, as you will see.) The conflict between Superman and the government? Too familiar to really be interesting. (Note: I'm getting really tired of being reminded that we live in a police state. Can't we find a subject that helps us take our minds off of the unsettling reality?)

There is even, traditionally speaking, a certain conflict between Clark Kent and Superman, something which is almost inherent in the nature of a 'hidden identity', which is, in Superman folklore, not merely a hidden identity but also an alternative one. The invincible Superman becomes vulnerable to others and shows off his excellent rearing in Clark Kent. Yet in this movie that is mostly absent except for a few snippets here and there. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but suffice it to say that the dramatic distinction between the two is so reduced that it really stunts the emotional impact. There is hardly any difference between them at all.

In fact, considered as a movie, the only real positives this movie can claim (for some) are Cavill's pectorals, which are apparently sufficient to woo our Lois Lane and that anonymous, but cute, army captain who survives the apocalypse only to be reduced to school-girlish giggles. Glad they taught her something in basic training. Amy Adams does a passable job as Lois Lane, no doubt, but the Lois Lane character is so unchanged from her previous manifestations that she probably only had to watch a few old cartoons in preparation.

My suggestion is that you either see it once in the theater and pass on the DVD, or wait till the DVD comes out and rent it for movie night. Don't watch it after the original Superman movie or Superman Returns or you will probably experience an even greater disappointment than I did.