This is gonna be a long review because its the most awaited movie of the year
Director -Zack Snyder
Cast- Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russel Crowe, Lawrence Fishburne and Others
Soundtrack by - Hans Zimmer (have to mention the guy specially)
Did you know that scientists have recently discovered that under some rocks on the distant moon of Saturn called Titan, there actually lives a species of bacteria..and that this bacteria might some day evolve into complex organisms..and also that when these bacteria reproduce the first thing that their little ones want to be is Superman...really long joke I know..but you get the point. If you have ever been a kid in the last 70 years then you have surely wanted to fly or shoot lasers out of your eyes or have X ray vision (come on, you definitely wanted that!)..we owe all this to Superman.
Superman is the great grand daddy of all superheroes..I mean the very concept of a man who could do something more than the ordinary..the origin of the word 'super'- hero is Superman. There have been many heroes before him and many after...Spiderman is your teenage superhero...Batman is the adult favorite (thanks also majorly to the Nolan treatment)...but good ol Supe's is for all ages..you might have an old uncle who may think Batman was a man with Bat-like powers, but show him an 'S' in the diamond-like shape and even he will recognize it.
Having said all that, we have never had a Superman movie which did equally awesome justice to the character. The first Superman movie (1978) was actually not so bad..but you do have to recognize the technical restrictions of those times and also that Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder were kids back then. Yes my friends...happy with the success of the The Dark Knight Trilogy, Warner bros/DC comics kinda made Chris Nolan the creative head of all their superhero movies..a bit like how Joss Whedon is the godfather of the Marvel movie universe after The Avengers. So when I heard that Chris Nolan is about to be the executive producer of a reboot of Superman.I was like yeah!...then I heard David Goyer (the guy who worked on the scripts of TDK trilogy with the Nolan Bros.) I was like yeah!!..and that Hans Zimmer (the composer for the TDK trilogy and the sherlock holmes movies and many more) I was like YEAH!!!!..and then I heard that Zack Snyder (director of 300 and Watchmen..my second fav director of the modern generation) was gonna direct it..then I was like..when do the bookings open?!!!..and I waited for many many months more so than any movie that I have waited for since TDKR and is it worth it....
Of course it is!..see the basic problem with Superman is even though he is a recognizable character world over its hard to tell his story..'cause you know...he is Super..he is perfect...he is the ultimate strong man and good guy and stories of guys this perfect kinda tend to be boring. Now, Spiderman has his growing up issues..Batman is a hero who basically finds his origins in trauma and psychological issues...the Hulk has anger-management problems..Tony Stark has money women and all kinds of gadgets..therefore they are relatable..humans with the same problems like us but who do extra-ordinary things...The problem with Superman is that he is not human..he is an alien.and hence even though its fun to see him do the things he does its difficult to relate to him through an entire story..as there is no internal conflict. Am not saying that an alien who can fly and who grew up among us should have a deep identity crisis because it would rob the fun out of him..but it would make him much more relatable as a character to see if he also problems like we do..even if can lift a truck, he also has issues to deal with. And for all the fans of the old Superman movies, this was what was lacking in them...so who better to do that than the man who specializes in taking fantastical concepts and bringing them to a believable level..coupled with a man whose visual style and artistic flair is unparalleled in current cinema. You have the right mix of seriousness and fun there.
And boy does the mix work well...if any of you don't know the basic Superman lore yet..this is the movie to watch..the movie begins on the doomed world of Krypton (Kal-el/Superman's original home)..when Kal-el is just a baby..Now I wont spoil the plot for those who dont already know (duh!)...but Kal-el ends up on earth and is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent..who later on discovers his powers..also he finds out that he is not the only Kryptonian alive.
Hats off to script writer David Goyer, Nolan and Zack for showing us that growing up as a kid with super-powers isn't as super..learning that you have X-ray vision or enhanced senses isn't exactly a pleasant experience...Also I love the part where Clark learns to fly..he grew up on a farm in Kansas..its not like he is gonna get it right in one go. Kevin Costner plays Kal-el/Clark Kent's father and he is Clark's voice of reason. The moments between him and Clark are really very heart-warming..especially the way he tries to understand Clark and also guides him about using his abilities. Diane Lane as Martha Kent does a very good job too. The best part about Clark's growing up is that its shown in flashbacks..so that it doesn't really mess with the pace of the story nor does it cut short the really humanizing aspects of the story. And on the same point, the only gripe I have about this movie is the pacing..it kinda feels like the emmotion is in the first half and action in the second..I said kinda but not exactly...at a moment when Kal-el discovers his powers..you are left wondering as to where the movie would go now..I mean wondering not in a good way..you are kinda clueless...but then comes the now famous-creepy message from General Zod (played psychotically well by Micheal Shannon) 'You are not Alone'.
Lois Lane played by Amy Adams..does really well..and contrary to many reviews I found her chemistry with Kal-el to be pretty good...their chemistry does set up to develop nicely in the second part. Russel Crowe as Jor-el is great and you can see how Kal-el develops his strong moral code in presence of father figures like Jonathan Kent and Jor-el. And the cherry on the cape (no that's not a misprint..it might be a misfired pun)..is Henry Cavill..he kills it as the Man of Steel...the right amount of vulnerability..controlled aggression..almost saintly way of looking at normal humans..he might not be as heart warming as Christopher Reeve..but he does add real depth to the character ...and in a movie trying to be an intense re-boot, it was what was desperately needed.
And if you have noticed..since I started actually talking about the movie and its plot...I have hardly used the word 'Superman' to refer to the character. You know why, its because the name is hardly mentioned in the movie..and this is the Chris Nolan/David Goyer touch. This is the kind of realistic touch they can bring to an otherwise fantastical concept. If you happen to remember, the character of Anne Hathaway in TDKR was actually of Catwoman from the comic books..but she was never referred to by that name. Batman only adopts that name because he wants to become a symbol, an idea. Merely by not referring to a character by its comic book name brings the character closer to reality. They did the same thing with Superman..because if you think about it..if you were an alien and you were dead serious on saving the world by trying to be as quiet about it as possible..you certainly wouldn't name yourself something as gaudy as 'Superman'..it would be a title someone else gives you. and this works in this movie as well. Also, another Nolan/ Goyer touch you might have noticed is that the movie wasn't titled Superman..just like the The Dark Knight..it was titled Man of Steel..to show that its much more than a mere comic book movie.
And where does the Zack Snyder touch come in...well...firstly you must know Zack Snyder is a very visual director. He deals with action in a very very stylized almost poetic manner. 300 is a great example...he even made an entirely movie out of elaborately poetic action sequences called Sucker Punch...he made owls..yes owls look badass fighters in The Owls of Ga'hoole (really underrated movie..great for kids too..please watch it)..Zack Snyder can make anything look badass..yet imbibe it with spirit as well...Do You remember the climax of Matrix Revolutions where Neo fights a kazillion Agent Smiths in an epic finale..which has them blowing through buildings..and do you remember the invasion of Manhattan from the Avengers where 6 superheroes come together and one of them is a Hulk (of course you do)...well, those sequences look like a trailer to what you'll encounter in the last 40-45 minutes of this movie. I mean this is an answer to all those people who say Nolan-like movies lack action and fun.
I picture it like this..Chris Nolan and David Goyer said to Snyder.."Look Zack, we are gonna allow the first half for character development and setting up the story...and in the last act...just do what you love...go crazy"...and crazy he goes..each punch each thrown car..Superman's sound barrier breaking flight..all the action its just so epic!! Though for some people it might be one action sequence too many..believe me..even if you don't care about the movie or the depth or the acting or Zimmer's awesome awesome awesome (again not a typo) background score..this movie is just paisa-vasool even merely for the action.
My Rating is - Its Superrific!! ( as if it was gonna get anything less than this)
PS- ok here is a riddle for you- A child sent from the heavens by his father to bring hope to humanity..he is raised by parents who are not his actual parents..the child learns that he can perform miracles..and is scared and terrified..he roams the earth for many years gaining wisdom.. his fathers spirit tells him of his true destiny...and he comes back a Messiah for his people..who am I talking about...Jesus or Superman?...if you are surprised to note the similarities then you are not alone...Parallels are often being drawn between Jesus and Superman..just search the net..damn fun to read.
PS 2- WARNING MILD SPOILERS- had to get this one in..because as much as you are hoping to see a Marvel comic movie like post-credit scene that might lead to a Justice League movie or a special appearance from the Batman..sadly its not there..but there are two clues about the sequel to Man of Steel..one being that in a scene you can see a Lexcorp building (Lexcorp being the corporation headed by Superman's human arch-enemy Lex Luthor) and also even though I didnt notice it..A satellite destroyed by General Zod belongs to Wayne Enterprises. Lets just hope to good we get to see Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent share screen space at least for a second in the sequel.
Director -Zack Snyder
Cast- Henry Cavill, Michael Shannon Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russel Crowe, Lawrence Fishburne and Others
Soundtrack by - Hans Zimmer (have to mention the guy specially)
Did you know that scientists have recently discovered that under some rocks on the distant moon of Saturn called Titan, there actually lives a species of bacteria..and that this bacteria might some day evolve into complex organisms..and also that when these bacteria reproduce the first thing that their little ones want to be is Superman...really long joke I know..but you get the point. If you have ever been a kid in the last 70 years then you have surely wanted to fly or shoot lasers out of your eyes or have X ray vision (come on, you definitely wanted that!)..we owe all this to Superman.
Superman is the great grand daddy of all superheroes..I mean the very concept of a man who could do something more than the ordinary..the origin of the word 'super'- hero is Superman. There have been many heroes before him and many after...Spiderman is your teenage superhero...Batman is the adult favorite (thanks also majorly to the Nolan treatment)...but good ol Supe's is for all ages..you might have an old uncle who may think Batman was a man with Bat-like powers, but show him an 'S' in the diamond-like shape and even he will recognize it.
Having said all that, we have never had a Superman movie which did equally awesome justice to the character. The first Superman movie (1978) was actually not so bad..but you do have to recognize the technical restrictions of those times and also that Chris Nolan and Zack Snyder were kids back then. Yes my friends...happy with the success of the The Dark Knight Trilogy, Warner bros/DC comics kinda made Chris Nolan the creative head of all their superhero movies..a bit like how Joss Whedon is the godfather of the Marvel movie universe after The Avengers. So when I heard that Chris Nolan is about to be the executive producer of a reboot of Superman.I was like yeah!...then I heard David Goyer (the guy who worked on the scripts of TDK trilogy with the Nolan Bros.) I was like yeah!!..and that Hans Zimmer (the composer for the TDK trilogy and the sherlock holmes movies and many more) I was like YEAH!!!!..and then I heard that Zack Snyder (director of 300 and Watchmen..my second fav director of the modern generation) was gonna direct it..then I was like..when do the bookings open?!!!..and I waited for many many months more so than any movie that I have waited for since TDKR and is it worth it....
Of course it is!..see the basic problem with Superman is even though he is a recognizable character world over its hard to tell his story..'cause you know...he is Super..he is perfect...he is the ultimate strong man and good guy and stories of guys this perfect kinda tend to be boring. Now, Spiderman has his growing up issues..Batman is a hero who basically finds his origins in trauma and psychological issues...the Hulk has anger-management problems..Tony Stark has money women and all kinds of gadgets..therefore they are relatable..humans with the same problems like us but who do extra-ordinary things...The problem with Superman is that he is not human..he is an alien.and hence even though its fun to see him do the things he does its difficult to relate to him through an entire story..as there is no internal conflict. Am not saying that an alien who can fly and who grew up among us should have a deep identity crisis because it would rob the fun out of him..but it would make him much more relatable as a character to see if he also problems like we do..even if can lift a truck, he also has issues to deal with. And for all the fans of the old Superman movies, this was what was lacking in them...so who better to do that than the man who specializes in taking fantastical concepts and bringing them to a believable level..coupled with a man whose visual style and artistic flair is unparalleled in current cinema. You have the right mix of seriousness and fun there.
And boy does the mix work well...if any of you don't know the basic Superman lore yet..this is the movie to watch..the movie begins on the doomed world of Krypton (Kal-el/Superman's original home)..when Kal-el is just a baby..Now I wont spoil the plot for those who dont already know (duh!)...but Kal-el ends up on earth and is raised by Jonathan and Martha Kent..who later on discovers his powers..also he finds out that he is not the only Kryptonian alive.
Hats off to script writer David Goyer, Nolan and Zack for showing us that growing up as a kid with super-powers isn't as super..learning that you have X-ray vision or enhanced senses isn't exactly a pleasant experience...Also I love the part where Clark learns to fly..he grew up on a farm in Kansas..its not like he is gonna get it right in one go. Kevin Costner plays Kal-el/Clark Kent's father and he is Clark's voice of reason. The moments between him and Clark are really very heart-warming..especially the way he tries to understand Clark and also guides him about using his abilities. Diane Lane as Martha Kent does a very good job too. The best part about Clark's growing up is that its shown in flashbacks..so that it doesn't really mess with the pace of the story nor does it cut short the really humanizing aspects of the story. And on the same point, the only gripe I have about this movie is the pacing..it kinda feels like the emmotion is in the first half and action in the second..I said kinda but not exactly...at a moment when Kal-el discovers his powers..you are left wondering as to where the movie would go now..I mean wondering not in a good way..you are kinda clueless...but then comes the now famous-creepy message from General Zod (played psychotically well by Micheal Shannon) 'You are not Alone'.
Lois Lane played by Amy Adams..does really well..and contrary to many reviews I found her chemistry with Kal-el to be pretty good...their chemistry does set up to develop nicely in the second part. Russel Crowe as Jor-el is great and you can see how Kal-el develops his strong moral code in presence of father figures like Jonathan Kent and Jor-el. And the cherry on the cape (no that's not a misprint..it might be a misfired pun)..is Henry Cavill..he kills it as the Man of Steel...the right amount of vulnerability..controlled aggression..almost saintly way of looking at normal humans..he might not be as heart warming as Christopher Reeve..but he does add real depth to the character ...and in a movie trying to be an intense re-boot, it was what was desperately needed.
And if you have noticed..since I started actually talking about the movie and its plot...I have hardly used the word 'Superman' to refer to the character. You know why, its because the name is hardly mentioned in the movie..and this is the Chris Nolan/David Goyer touch. This is the kind of realistic touch they can bring to an otherwise fantastical concept. If you happen to remember, the character of Anne Hathaway in TDKR was actually of Catwoman from the comic books..but she was never referred to by that name. Batman only adopts that name because he wants to become a symbol, an idea. Merely by not referring to a character by its comic book name brings the character closer to reality. They did the same thing with Superman..because if you think about it..if you were an alien and you were dead serious on saving the world by trying to be as quiet about it as possible..you certainly wouldn't name yourself something as gaudy as 'Superman'..it would be a title someone else gives you. and this works in this movie as well. Also, another Nolan/ Goyer touch you might have noticed is that the movie wasn't titled Superman..just like the The Dark Knight..it was titled Man of Steel..to show that its much more than a mere comic book movie.
And where does the Zack Snyder touch come in...well...firstly you must know Zack Snyder is a very visual director. He deals with action in a very very stylized almost poetic manner. 300 is a great example...he even made an entirely movie out of elaborately poetic action sequences called Sucker Punch...he made owls..yes owls look badass fighters in The Owls of Ga'hoole (really underrated movie..great for kids too..please watch it)..Zack Snyder can make anything look badass..yet imbibe it with spirit as well...Do You remember the climax of Matrix Revolutions where Neo fights a kazillion Agent Smiths in an epic finale..which has them blowing through buildings..and do you remember the invasion of Manhattan from the Avengers where 6 superheroes come together and one of them is a Hulk (of course you do)...well, those sequences look like a trailer to what you'll encounter in the last 40-45 minutes of this movie. I mean this is an answer to all those people who say Nolan-like movies lack action and fun.
I picture it like this..Chris Nolan and David Goyer said to Snyder.."Look Zack, we are gonna allow the first half for character development and setting up the story...and in the last act...just do what you love...go crazy"...and crazy he goes..each punch each thrown car..Superman's sound barrier breaking flight..all the action its just so epic!! Though for some people it might be one action sequence too many..believe me..even if you don't care about the movie or the depth or the acting or Zimmer's awesome awesome awesome (again not a typo) background score..this movie is just paisa-vasool even merely for the action.
My Rating is - Its Superrific!! ( as if it was gonna get anything less than this)
PS- ok here is a riddle for you- A child sent from the heavens by his father to bring hope to humanity..he is raised by parents who are not his actual parents..the child learns that he can perform miracles..and is scared and terrified..he roams the earth for many years gaining wisdom.. his fathers spirit tells him of his true destiny...and he comes back a Messiah for his people..who am I talking about...Jesus or Superman?...if you are surprised to note the similarities then you are not alone...Parallels are often being drawn between Jesus and Superman..just search the net..damn fun to read.
PS 2- WARNING MILD SPOILERS- had to get this one in..because as much as you are hoping to see a Marvel comic movie like post-credit scene that might lead to a Justice League movie or a special appearance from the Batman..sadly its not there..but there are two clues about the sequel to Man of Steel..one being that in a scene you can see a Lexcorp building (Lexcorp being the corporation headed by Superman's human arch-enemy Lex Luthor) and also even though I didnt notice it..A satellite destroyed by General Zod belongs to Wayne Enterprises. Lets just hope to good we get to see Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent share screen space at least for a second in the sequel.
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