Man of Steel (2013) Review

I have read several review of the film that say the action is repetitive and numbing. Now, to be honest, I am not a guy who is very fond of action, so this worried me. That being said, it is not a huge surprise considering it is a film from Zack Snyder, and outside the first two trailers, it didn´t look all that great. Needless to say I was worried going into the film, but to my surprise the action turned out to be a highlight.

I read a couple of days ago that it was between Snyder and Darren Aronofsky when choosing a director. This, of course, led me to imagine how great it could have been with a great storyteller like Aronofsky at helm, but after seeing the film it is completely opposite. This would most likely have been a disaster with Aronofsky directing, because in the end I think Snyder saved the film from a complete failure. It is ironic how my worry was that the storytelling was going to be weak on account of the fact that Snyder will often focus on the visuals, rather than the story and character, but while there is that as well, he lets there be several character moments in here and while they could have been directed better for sure, he did a good job on them. The problem was that David S. Goyer has delivered a very weak script. For once, Snyder doesn´t get in way of the drama by overproducing it, sadly the script is something that, well… could have been written by Snyder himself. It is weak on story, utterly hollow and cliché-ridden.

The film starts of very strong on Krypton with Russell Crowe in the lead, in what is an exiting and interesting sci-fi tale for the first fifteen minutes or so. As the film gets to earth it quickly looses its excellence as we get an hour of some very repetitive scenes, where 90% deal with Clark Kent struggling to not show his power because his dad says no and then Zod arrives and at least something happens. The problem was that I felt like I was watching the same scene with Kevin Costner saying Kent should hide his powers again and again and again and again. It was an interesting dilemma at first, but then it just went nowhere and the plot restrained from moving as Clark Kent turned into a shallow, static character. Then we got introduced to Lois Lane, as she became the focal point of the film for 15 minutes or so, which was fine, she had some character to her and some minor development before being thrust into a criminally underdeveloped romance. Clark Kent and Lois Lane had like two actual conversation during the film. All this really made me think back to the opening sequence and realize how great that actually was with Russell Crowe just stealing the show.

One thing I will compliment about the script is that I was very happy about how General Zod was written. He had very clear motivations to the point where I could understand him and almost sympathize with him at times.

Now like I said earlier, the scenes could have been directed better. While Snyder let the scenes flow nicely for the most part, it felt like he had to queue Hans Zimmer music up during every scene, when I think he should have just been leaving them quiet. Then there are the action scenes, which, like mentioned earlier, I really liked. Snyder knows how to make CGI looks good and though I am not a fan of it, I was very impressed. The final hour of action may have been repetitive in some ways, but Snyders visuals combined with the truly amazing Zimmer score made for one very intense and exiting final hour. While Snyder did use a certain quick-zoom technique far too often during the action, everything else was great and very entertaining to watch.

It may have a very flawed script and even be boring in parts, and while it will not be relevant ten years from now, it is for better or for worse, the best superhero film so far this year. Russell Crowe is a standout, stealing every scene he is in, while Hans Zimmer delivers one of his best scores to date. The action may be overbearing and over-CGIed, but the CGI is damn good and the visuals are interesting enough that it becomes entertaining to watch. Just don´t go in expecting a Nolan film, because it truly is somewhat of a polar-opposite of Nolan´s Batman-films.

3.5/5

The 8 Best Superhero Films According to Me!

In celebration of the release of the highly anticipated Man of Steel I decided to make a list of my top 8 favourite superhero films of all time… just because 8 is a nice number I suppose. Choosing only 5 films is difficult so sadly I couldn’t make room for some of the greats like Batman & Robin, Spiderman 3 or Superman IV.

8. Kick Ass

Nicholas Cage plays a guy who has fake extensions to his moustache, gives his daughter a bulletproof vest and shoots her so she can get used to it, dresses up like a Batman lookalike, needless to say this film is awesome.

7. Hellboy

This is a weird one, one that few others could have pulled off, but Guillermo del Toro is good with these types of films. The film balances a tone that is somewhere between darkly humorous, darkly comical and darkly campy and it is the perfect tone. Ron Perlman is perfectly cast as the title character that protects our world from the demons from beyond. The film employs makeup and costumes rather than CGI, creating a much more engaging experience.

6. Watchmen: Ultimate Cut

I haven´t even seen any other version than this to be honest, but I am fine with that. Zack Snyders very loyal adaptation of the amazing graphic novel (probably my favourite graphic novel of all time) is without a doubt flawed; yet it manages to be so great at the same time. At well over 3 hours it is a long and bloody ride, but it is oh so engaging, partly thanks to the novel, but also to Snyders great visuals. It even changes the ending in a way that I think greatly improves upon the original.

5. Iron Man

Coming at number 5 we got the film that started the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a bang. Robert Downey Jr. got his long awaited return in the spotlight when he was perfectly cast as Tony Stark, the eccentric playboy. It may not have had a great villain (actually none of the Iron Man films do when you think about it), but it was a good origin story and a lot of fun.

4. Spider-Man 2

To be honest I had almost forgotten about this film, a film that I watched several times as a kid, but seem to have forgotten about as of late. The truth is that it is a very fun film, it has some cheesy parts, but it pulls it off by having a consistent tone, making the cheesy moments work. The action is really great and the story is excellent, including a villain, which we at times almost sympathize for.

3. The Incredibles

This is one that is easy to overlook when talking about superhero films, because it is an animation, but nonetheless essential to include when talking about the best. This is one of the best examples of a fun adventure family film ever made. Not only does it have the Pixar trademarks of great character, story and emotions, but it has some of the best action sequences in any superhero film ever.

2. X-men: First Class

Never been a huge fan of the X-men films (though I love Wolverine, too bad his first solo film sucked), but this was a very pleasant surprise. First of all the concept of setting the film during the cold war and involving events such as the Cuban missile-crises was a great choice. The main pull of the film however is seeing the two main characters build a friendship that we all know they are going to break, leaving us morally split when they do.

1. The Dark Knight Trilogy

Bet nobody saw this coming right? I know it is cheating putting a whole trilogy, but if not I would just end up having them on the top three spots, which would make for a dull list. As a whole this is an amazing trilogy, starting off with a great origin tale, leading into a middle further develops the character, before giving the perfect conclusion. It is the Godfather of superhero films (well mainly the first two Godfathers), one grand epic tale of one mans journey through life, trapped by his own creation, struggling to break free as he is in a downwards spiral.