When the first trailer of Man of Steel was released, the first thing I noticed was the names of two persons - Zack Snyder and Christopher Nolan. That very moment I knew that the tone of the film will be dark & somber, but it will be visually dazzling. The subsequent promos suggested the same. However, trailers can be deceptive, as we had seen in the case of The Amazing Spiderman. The ultimate judgement should be based on the finished product only. Man of Steel was released in India today and I was able to watch its noon show in 3D. Here is my review of the latest attempt at rebooting Superman franchise.
The movie begins with the birth of Kal-El (Superman) on the planet of Krypton. The planet is approaching its doom and at the same time the government there faces the revolt of General Zod and his group. Zor-El and Lara, parents of Kal, send him to the earth where he is raised by his foster parents, the Kents, and named Clark. From the very beginning the special powers of Clark make things difficult for him. However his foster parents' guidance help him slowly adapt to the conditions around him as Clarke grows up. Very soon he comes to know about the story of his birth and native place. However it also leads to Zod getting a clue about his whereabouts and he attacks earth. Superman must now decide where his loyalty lies.
The new movie deals with the origin of the Superman story and so has a fairly long narrative. The Krypton sequence alone is good 10-15 minutes long. Later on too the narrative keep on moving between the adult Clarke and the young Clarke. The whole first half is dedicated to the same and has hardly got any slick action scene. That is little disappointing because the somber tone of film literally begins to take toll on you, and remember, this isn't a Batman film. Things light up post interval as Clark dons his superman costume and Zod invades earth. The last 40 odd minutes are are dedicated to all sort of boom boom as there are big explosions and skyscrapers fall like a pack of cards.However, there is not a single scene which makes you say 'wow'. They are good, but not great, and we expected latter.
And this is the problem with Man of Steel. It is good, but pales in comparison of recent superhero films like The Dark Knight Rises and Iron Man 3. The first problem is with the pretty long narrative used to establish the plot and the characters. It is little gloomy, dull at places and largely devoid of drama. The audience would have definitely loved some fun in the proceedings. Afterall the movie is based on a comic character. The film brightens up in the second half, but is marred by inconsistencies and sometimes become illogical. The action scenes have been choreographed well but there is hardly any breathtaking sequence. On the other hand the punches, crashing and explosions become too repetitive after a time. The duel between Superman and Zod in air reminds you of the battle between Neo and Agent Smith in The Matrix Revolutions.
On the other hand the film is visually arresting and the fans of Snyder's work in 300 and The Watchmen can easily recognize his style in the movie. The cast is pretty good and everyone delivers. Henry Cavill and Amy Adams are perfect as Superman and Lois Lane. There are few very good scenes in the film, but the whole film doesn't turn out to be in the same league.
The film will definitely do well at the box office, but much more was expected from Man of Steel.
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