Oh, crap, not again with the flying dude in the cape and the red booties. Didnt director Bryan Singer already pay due diligence in 2006s Superman Returns with Brandon Routh? The box office cant be the only reason to revive a franchise.
We needed to juice him up, admits director Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen). Ill say. With Batman getting all the bad-boy love, Supie needed to roughen his do-gooder image. And here he is in Man of Steel, directed by Snyder, with story input from producer Christopher Nolan, the sinister genius behind the Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan knows from moody. And Snyder knows from fireworks. Nolan knows from holding back. Snyder, uh, doesnt. Together, they could have spawned a movie at war with itself, which admittedly this one often is. Against those odds, Man of Steel soars high on its own schizoid ambition. Lacking the old-school humor and charm of Richard Donners 1978 Superman and Christopher Reeves iconic performance, Man of Steel pretty much starts from scratch.
This is all to the good, especially for Henry Cavill, the British actor who wisely takes on the role as if its never been played before. Fellow Brits Christian Bale (Batman) and Andrew Garfield (Spider-Man) took the same approach. Cavill can do hunky in his sleep (see Immortals or The Tudors). Its the banked fires he brings to Superman and his alter ego, Clark Kent, that make his performance such a potent surprise. Cavill, square-jawed with a hip sense of alienation, doesnt let the suit act for him. Hell, he doesnt put it on till halfway into the movie. This Clark is a loner, an alien from the planet Krypton, raised on the Kansas farm of the Kents Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane, finding depth where there isnt any).
Howd he get there? As told in DC Comics, Krypton is nearing extinction. The scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) sends his infant son, Kal-El, off to Earth. Enter the Kents, his adoptive parents, then Gen. Zod (Michael Shannon, nostrils flaring), the Krypton fascist who follows Kal-El to take over the planet. Blah. Blah. Blah. What else is new?
In approach, lots. Snyder follows no linear pattern. Baby Kal-El in the rocket is followed by a smash cut to Clark, age 33, working on a fishing trawler. Flashbacks fill in the rest. Papa Jonathan Costners heartfelt portrayal lifts the film tells Clark to hide his powers. Out of fear of becoming popular, Clark never smiles or makes friends. Hes made for bigger things. Is he a reluctant Jesus or just confused? Before the gloom can settle, Snyder overkills with Hans Zimmer sound and FX fury as Supie rescues humans from fire, flood and twister.
When Clark finally puts on the suit, its colors are muted, like he is. Maybe thats why Snyder has him punching everything in sight, with one exception: In the Arctic, to find the codex holding the key to (what else?) global domination, the Man of Steel falls for Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane (a tough, terrific Amy Adams). You dont hire four-time Oscar nominee Adams to play Lois if you want a compliant bimbo who cant see the superman behind Clarks glasses. Even when Snyder pulls out every computer-generated trick in a climax that wont quit while its ahead, Cavill and Adams give the movie a beating heart. It needs it. Caught in the slipstream between action and angst, Man of Steel is a bumpy ride for sure. But theres no way to stay blind to its wonders.