Man of Steel (2013)

Rated PG-13

Warner Bros.

My parents took me to see Superman The Movie (1978) when I was about 10 years old. I’d seen movies in the theater before, but this was the first one to crystalize the movie-going experience for me. I remember the setup being a little slow, I remember young Clark Kent racing a train, I remember him being conflicted about his misunderstood powers, but I will never forget the first time Superman accepted his destiny and took flight across my movie screen. Kids were standing on their seats cheering. I remember that. The “You’ll believe a man can fly” tagline was one of the best ever written. Even before I’d really learned to appreciate cinema, the special effects, the love story, the soaring John Williams score really made this a touchstone of my youth.

All of this to say that I obviously didn’t relive that experience with Man of Steel. How could I? I’m a grown man with children of my own who has seen every manner of impossible image brought to life by computers and Hollywood wizardry, to say nothing of all the superhero movies—including the Christopher Reeve sequels—that have come since that first film.

This is a good superhero film in an era of good superhero films. It tells its story with passion (some will say it takes itself too seriously), invested drama and big-summer action. The actors are tops: Amy Adams (Her)  as Lois Lane is aggressive, intelligent, professional but also tender. Kevin Costner’s fantastic in his brief but impactful scenes as Clark’s earth dad, reminding me of what I used to like about him. Russell Crowe brings his usual gravitas to Jor-El, Superman’s biological father, and gets more screen time than I expected. Michael Shannon, who specializes in intense characters, is excellent as General Zod, Superman’s main nemesis here. Zod is relentless, brutal, assured in his purpose (almost convincing me of his plight), with just enough complexity to steal most of his scenes. This new guy, Henry Cavill, is convincing as a dour Clark, a pride-gaining Kal-El and a blossoming Man of Steel. I like how he’s still learning to be Superman by the end of the film.

We’ve come a long way since the wire-work and green-screen wonderment of the original Superman. In this new movie there wasn’t a scene of action or flight or crumbling skyscraper that didn’t look totally believable. I really liked this film. And yet the experience was bittersweet, me wanting to feel as if I was having my mind blown away, but knowing the perfect storm of my youth, groundbreaking f/x, and the power of seeing the first comic book hero explode into life on the big screen would never be duplicated.

Side note: I would never minimized Williams’ iconic theme, but Hans Zimmer‘s new theme equally befits its era’s Superman.

| Marvin Brown’s Movie Review Archive