Superman has been rebooted again in the latest film titled Man of Steel, and this time you at least won’t be bored.
Superman’s origins are more or less the same in Man of Steel. His birth planet Krypton is still destroyed and his parents are able to send him on a spacecraft to Earth just before the planet explodes.
Years later when Superman is fully grown, he discovers that he is not the only survivor of Krypton; General Zod, a Kryptonian military commander banished to the Phantom Zone, and his remaining troops arrive at Earth seeking a device called the Codex sent to Earth by Superman’s father Kal-El. Superman soon has to make a choice between saving his people from extinction or protecting the inhabitants of his new found home of Earth.
Director Zack Snyder has once more proven himself at creating dazzling action set pieces. Like his previous films Dawn of the Dead and 300, Snyder utilizes special effects and unique camera work to give the scenes grittiness and adrenaline.
Unfortunately though, the rest of the film is subpar. Writer David S. Goyer does a poor job fleshing out the characters of both Superman and General Zod. To be fair, Superman has always been fairly one-dimensional; however, in Man of Steel Superman has no personality. General Zod isn’t much better: His character constantly wavers between anti-hero and villain.
The acting isn’t remarkable, either. Henry Cavill as Superman is alright; he’s not funny or charismatic and gives a performance equivalent to a grilled cheese sandwich. Michael Shannon, who in the past has stunned critics with his fantastic performances in Revolutionary Road and Take Shelter, is rather dull as General Zod. Amy Adams is decent as the curious journalist/love interest Lois Lane. Laurence Fishburne, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner are all average along with their characters.
Man of Steel is visually pleasing, but there isn’t much substance. The overarching story as a whole is an interesting concept, but the scenes don’t flow well with one another, and the overall tone is bogged down with an unnecessary amount of flashbacks.
Snyder has always been an action director, plain and simple, and when it comes to doing serious storytelling, he comes up short.
Though Man of Steel is nothing great, it wasn’t boring. And it wasn’t Superman IV.
3 out 5 stars
