Man of Steel

Somewhere in the last two years I have just not found the time for superhero films as I once did. Maybe it's an age thing or that the genre has changed too much, or too little? When news came of Man of Steel aka the next Superman film I didn't have much of an opinion. Sure I saw the odd cartoon and maybe one of the Christopher Reeve films but I was never a die-hard fan or someone who read the comics.

Yet here I am with a technically rotten film according to Rotten Tomatoes but I have to say that it wasn't as bad I expected and actually enjoyed it. Directed by Zack Snyder, the man behind 300 and Watchmen, his reputation for style over substance was a concern by fans going in and I can still say that it is justified. This is a mixed bag and had Snyder toned down on the level of action/CGI/explosions, this would have been a stronger film.

Donning the red cape is British actor Henry Cavill and he is great but severely underused. The problem being that Snyder is a director more interested in action and spectacle reducing Cavill's scenes where he can really shine. Whenever he has a moment to actually talk or isn't a CGI figure flying through explosions, we do witness the Superman everyone wants to see. I did hear concerns that Snyder was going for the darker superhero, which has become all the rage, and would conflict with the character's ideology but I never found this to be the case.

The supporting cast included many famous faces and were all on good-form, such as Russell Crowe, Amy Adams, Kevin Costner, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Kelly and Diane Lane. Boardwalk Empire's Michael Shannon takes on the villainous role of General Zod and while he continues to add another great performance to his list, I did feel that his lines lacked something to make his character shine. Crowe has the same issue but I found there was more to his character that helped and he too delivered a strong performance in a supporting role.

Unfortunately it's Snyder's use of action that hurt the film for me. Whereas he did a great job with 300's epic action sequences, Man of Steel suffers from the director's previous mistakes in the awful Sucker Punch where it's all big and explosive but lacks any sense of gravitas. Each time there's a action sequence or explosion, Snyder makes it loud and in your face complete with endless 'dramatic' music to point of numbness. It becomes exhausting and lacks any sense of progression or point when characters seem to have infinite health switched on.

However when Snyder is able to focus on the characters, particularly towards the end of the final battle in the last few moments, we are finally able to see that great film Man of Steel aims to be. It becomes tense and dramatic, no longer focusing on the crazy action spectacle and more on the characters. Sadly with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice's mixed reviews it looks like Snyder didn't learn from his mistakes here but this is still a very good film.