Man of Steel Reviews (not mine)

I avoided reading any reviews of Man of Steel before going into the theater because I didn’t want to have my opinions influenced. I also wanted to write my own review before reading any others for similar reasons.

After seeing the movie, though, I went back and read reviews from a couple of sources I respect, namely Mark Waid, writer of Birthright, a Superman story that influenced MoS greatly, and Brian Michael Bendis, one of Marvel Comics’ top writers. Both of these men are much smarter than I am, understand good writing, and Superman. As it turns out, we shared a lot of the same opinions. Am I trying to bolster my own opinions by saying, “Look, these guys thought the same thing”? Probably. But I also appreciate the way they communicated their thoughts.

Any way, here are their reviews:

Mark Waid’s

Brian Michael Bendis’

My favorite writer, Matt Fraction, didn’t write a review, but did link to this interview with Glen Weldon, writer of Superman: The Unauthorized Biography

The whole interview is interesting and an insightful look at Superman and the film. I highly recommend reading it after you’ve seen the movie. Especially for the bits about how every generation gets the Superman it deserves. Here’s a bit from the end:

“So Cavill (who, we should really mention, looks great in the role) will come to be how millions of people—not just kids—envision Superman. The nature of the engagement these non-comics readers have to characters like this isn’t deep, but it is astonishingly wide. Global, in point of fact.

So: What will their Superman be like, specificallly? Well, he’ll be different than mine. Oh, he’ll have the same motivation (1. Puts the needs of others over those of himself, 2. Never gives up), because that’s the character’s essence. But he’ll smile a lot less. Because Man Of Steel tweaks the 75-year-old formula in a way that likely seems subtle, but really, really isn’t: My Superman has a duty; theirs struggles with a burden.

It’s different, and the difference matters hugely, I think. Not least because their Superman will find himself trapped in a chilly, gunmetal-gray, Nolanesque existence for years—an existence that will not suffer bold, colorful, gleefully goofy conceits like Krypto, the Super Dog Who Is Awesome.

Basically? He’s gonna be a lot less fun”.

This isn’t a crusade against the film for me, I hope it doesn’t seem that way. I enjoyed a lot of things about it, but, at it’s heart, it just wasn’t Superman for me. I want everyone to see it, though, and then go buy comics about Superman, then comics about other super heroes, then comics about whatever looks the most interesting to them. And I want them to flood the internet having civil, thoughtful conversations about the movies, books, and characters, ushering in a new golden age of comic book love.

We can do that, right?

Man of Steel

Superman was my first favorite super hero. I first encountered him in the seventies. My earliest impressions of the character were Mego dolls, Superfriend cartoons, Christopher Reeves, and Curt Swan art. It’s no secret that when most fans refer to “The Real Superman” they mean the iteration they first encountered. I say all of that to say that my opinions of who Superman is and what he should be, are rooted in my childhood. I realize there are as many interpretations of the character as there are of the Bible. So anything I say I liked or disliked about The Man of Steel should be taken with a grain of salt - partly because of the above stated bias and partly because I’m just not that bright to begin with.

So, here we go. Spoilers past this point.

The Good

Krypton - One of the perks of introducing a new take on Superman, no doubt, is getting to reinvent Krypton. There have been a lot of versions throughout the years, from the headbands and swimtrunks of the sixties to John Byrne’s skullcaps and head dresses. This new movie version was cool to look at. I especially liked the Wooly Willie-based technology.

Physical casting - Henry Cavill looks like Superman, right down to his good natured smile.

Scale - This Superman movie felt big. The original Superman movie and Superman Returns both felt small. When you have a character as powerful a Superman, he has to face powerful threats, not dudes with guns or abstract problems. Man of Steel did a great job of showing Superman’s power by giving him equally powerful opponents.

Learning To Fly - I liked that, just like in the comics, Superman started out taking giant leaps, before figuring out how to fly. I also liked that when he finally did fly, it seemed powerful to the point of almost being violent. I’d like to think that in future movies, as he get the hang of it, it becomes a little more effortless, but for now, I enjoyed the explosiveness of it all.

Lois Lane - Lois Lane should always be getting herself in trouble - and also should also be allowed some agency in her own story. Yeah, Superman saved her a few times, but she was also instrumental in saving the day.

The Bad

Chemistry casting - While Cavill looked like Supeman, he had no on-screen chemistry with anybody.

No Love triangle - Letting Lois know who Superman is from the start robs you of the whole Clark/Lois/Superman love triangle - an essential part of the whole mythos!

No Sense of Wonder - There was no point in Man of Steel where Superman was met with anything other than distrust and fear. Nobody ever pointed to the skies with glee and joy as he flew by. Nobody ever looked at him awe. Even Lois, who trusted him from pretty much the start, took his super powers as a given. Yeah, your first reaction upon seeing a guy fly would probably be to freak out. Your second reaction, however, would be, “COOL!!!”

Mass Destruction - Man of Steel featured a lot of property damage. A lot. And most of it was out of Superman’s control. But in the final fight scene, between him and zod, the two Kryptonians were knocking each other through buildings like they were cardboard. It was cool to watch. It was exactly what you imagined a fight between two super powered characters would look like. But it wasn’t something Superman would do. The potential for loss of human life is unavoidable in a fight like that. Superman would have flown zod out over the ocean, to a desert, or the moon to fight - anywhere that he could have avoided innocent bystanders. Which would have let us avoid the movie’s worst sin:

Murder - Superman took a life to save people. Superman doesn’t do that. He just doesn’t. He always finds another way. That’s why he’s Superman. Also, if you’re going to have Superman kill somebody, you at least spend a little time unpacking it - you don’t cut immediately to a new scene seconds later.

The I’m Not Sure If What I Think

Color Grading - Man of Steel looked cool, but I’m not sure if it looked like a Superman movie. It was very desaturated looking. I can’t help but think it needed a few more pops of color in places.

Jenny Olsen - Let me go on the record and say I have no problem with recasting the character of Jimmy Olsen as a girl… if it adds something to the story. As it stands, though, there seemed to be no reason for it. She barely had any screen time at all, let alone a scene that justified the gender swap.

The Death of Pa Kent - Spider-Man is motivated by guilt over not saving his uncle. Batman is driven by the death of his parents. While Pa Kent’s death was a powerful scene, I’m not sure Superman needs a dead parental figure in his past to be Superman. Seems like adding a cliche where none existed before.

Okay, so there you have it. What I liked, what I didn’t, and what I’m not sure about. All in all, it was a fun movie, and well made, just maybe not the Superman movie I would have made for me. That being said, go see it and form your own opinions. Then maybe go buy a comic book.