The Original and Still the Super-est
Jun. 24th, 2013 11:59 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matrilI love superhero movies in a general sense, but even though Superman is my favorite superhero, I've had kind of a tumultuous relationship with the movies. Well, that's possibly because he's my favorite. I'm picky about how they handle him. The first film I love for the Krypton and Smallville sequences, but the main storyline is a little too campy for my tastes - Lex Luthor should be scary, not comic relief. The sequel bugged me for what they did with the Lois/Clark storyline. I'm a huge Lois Lane fan, possibly even more than Superman (she's bold and brash and principled without having a single super power) so if they make her look at all foolish or weak or laughable, it bugs me. That's why I wasn't a big fan of Superman Returns. Because they were so keen on keeping the son's parentage a secret, they made Lois and Superman/Clark completely estranged for most of the movie. And her role was frankly boring.
So....when I learned they were making a new movie, with some of the same people who did the new Batman films, I was divided. I wanted to hope it was good, but I was afraid I'd just be disappointed yet again. I take this stuff way too seriously, I know, but I wanted it to be really good.
I'm happy to say that, overall, Man of Steel meets with my approval. It's not a perfect Superman movie, but it may be my new favorite.
Let's get what I didn't care for out of the way first.
I felt like the massive destruction, both in the Smallville sequence and the Metropolis climax, got a little out of hand. I know they wanted to show how callous Zod and his fellows were about wreaking harm upon Earth and its inhabitants, but honestly, after you see the tenth skyscraper crash and fall to the ground, you kind of become numb to it. It was overkill, and it could have been replaced with something more substantial. Also, Zod and by extension Superman must have surely killed dozens if not hundreds of anonymous innocents during their rampage through the city, but Superman only seems to really get bothered by it when the victims have faces, right in front of him. Now, I'm sure (I hope!) the filmmakers didn't mean to imply this, but that's how it came across to me. I kind of think there was some way he could have curbed the collateral damage somewhat.
The genetic programming bit on Krypton was....interesting, and somewhat inspired by the comic books, so that's something. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I don't care for the notion that babies born "naturally," i.e., without any conception aids, are somehow more pure and right. Whatever genetic manipulation might indicate about the culture, a baby is a baby, innocent and untainted. On the other hand, I do agree that there's something wrong with a culture that absolutely forbids anything but artificially engineered conception and birth. I even wrote a dystopia with that very element. I just don't like that it could be extended to mean IVF kids are some kind of abomination.
Well, on to the good stuff.
Of course I loved Lois. She was integral to the storyline, she was the nosy but insightful reporter I love, she understood Clark/Superman's moral dilemmas and empathized with him, and she even got an awesome scene with AI Jor-el. Very cool. Of course the part of me that likes mushy gushy romance enjoyed their kiss, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all if they hadn't established a believable connection between the two of them. I've noticed people objecting to the way she knows his secret before he's even fully established his dual identity, but I love it. All the best portrayals of Lois and Clark's relationships, in my opinion, have her becoming one of his secret-keepers after a certain point, and why not right away? It's an insult to her intelligence to have her fumble around his secret for years. Yes, that means there's no love triangle for two (unless you count what ignorant observers might assume about Lois/Clark/Superman), but I don't think that's nearly as essential to a good Superman story as is the special connection between him and Lois - two people who will stop at nothing to promote truth and justice. The filmmaker seemed to understand that in many ways, Lois represents everything about humanity that Superman values and loves. The world is in awe of him, but he is in awe of Lois. Okay, that's all the romance stuff, I promise. Maybe.
People have said Superman is boring because nothing can stop him and he has no character flaws. Bah, I say. I like my heroes unequivocally good. Can they be boring, if portrayed in a bland manner? Of course. So can any character, good or bad. The key is find what conflicts exist for someone who just wants to do the right thing and help people. For Superman, it means he wants to save everyone. Theoretically, he could save anyone at any time, but not everyone every time. And that tortures him. It's also not easy figuring out how to save people the best way, to help the most people possible. That's why the ending with Zod worked for me. Yes, he killed him. And Superman never kills. But that's the point. Zod backed him into a corner, and he could see no way to save others without destroying Zod. Yet it tortures him, and will probably torture him forever. It should. Superman should be the kind of person for whom it is torture to kill his mortal enemy.
The other conflict is between Superman's Kryptonian heritage and his Earth upbringing, and they did that nicely as well. He wants to fit in, he wants to be like everyone else, he's afraid everyone will reject him for being different. The flashback scenes when he was a child were great in establishing that. It was nice, too, that they brought the two conflicts together. He wants to blend in, but he also wants to come to the rescue, and keeps endangering his secret because he can't bear to let people die by his own inaction. The bit with his father's sacrifice/death was wrenching, and I'm not sure I agree with his father's insistence - what a way to scar your kid! - but he really thought he was doing the right thing for Clark. And one of my favorite exchanges - "Can't I keep pretending to be your son?" "You are my son!" Yes, yes, yes. Superman is as much Smallville as Krypton. Love it.
I loved how Martha played a significant role, and Lara got to do a bit more as well. Faora was a good villain. Not too much to complain about with the portrayal of women here, though of course it would have been nice to see more incidental roles - military leaders, etc., being women.
It had a pretty somber tone, but some humor, and lots of action. A bit I loved was Superman's sheer glee when he was flying for the first time. You don't get to see that often, and it felt real. He should be allowed to be gleeful! I hope if they do make a sequel, they can show more of that light side. But I'm not sure. Sequels nowadays tend to lean darker, because it ends up being part of a trilogy, and they have to go to the bottom before the redemptive ending. Well, that can be good storytelling if it's done right, but not if it's dark just because they think dark is cooler and grittier. I like optimism and hope. Superman can have a joyous ending. That's the kind of character he is. He deserves it.
So....when I learned they were making a new movie, with some of the same people who did the new Batman films, I was divided. I wanted to hope it was good, but I was afraid I'd just be disappointed yet again. I take this stuff way too seriously, I know, but I wanted it to be really good.
I'm happy to say that, overall, Man of Steel meets with my approval. It's not a perfect Superman movie, but it may be my new favorite.
Let's get what I didn't care for out of the way first.
I felt like the massive destruction, both in the Smallville sequence and the Metropolis climax, got a little out of hand. I know they wanted to show how callous Zod and his fellows were about wreaking harm upon Earth and its inhabitants, but honestly, after you see the tenth skyscraper crash and fall to the ground, you kind of become numb to it. It was overkill, and it could have been replaced with something more substantial. Also, Zod and by extension Superman must have surely killed dozens if not hundreds of anonymous innocents during their rampage through the city, but Superman only seems to really get bothered by it when the victims have faces, right in front of him. Now, I'm sure (I hope!) the filmmakers didn't mean to imply this, but that's how it came across to me. I kind of think there was some way he could have curbed the collateral damage somewhat.
The genetic programming bit on Krypton was....interesting, and somewhat inspired by the comic books, so that's something. I'm not sure how I feel about it. On the one hand, I don't care for the notion that babies born "naturally," i.e., without any conception aids, are somehow more pure and right. Whatever genetic manipulation might indicate about the culture, a baby is a baby, innocent and untainted. On the other hand, I do agree that there's something wrong with a culture that absolutely forbids anything but artificially engineered conception and birth. I even wrote a dystopia with that very element. I just don't like that it could be extended to mean IVF kids are some kind of abomination.
Well, on to the good stuff.
Of course I loved Lois. She was integral to the storyline, she was the nosy but insightful reporter I love, she understood Clark/Superman's moral dilemmas and empathized with him, and she even got an awesome scene with AI Jor-el. Very cool. Of course the part of me that likes mushy gushy romance enjoyed their kiss, but I wouldn't have enjoyed it at all if they hadn't established a believable connection between the two of them. I've noticed people objecting to the way she knows his secret before he's even fully established his dual identity, but I love it. All the best portrayals of Lois and Clark's relationships, in my opinion, have her becoming one of his secret-keepers after a certain point, and why not right away? It's an insult to her intelligence to have her fumble around his secret for years. Yes, that means there's no love triangle for two (unless you count what ignorant observers might assume about Lois/Clark/Superman), but I don't think that's nearly as essential to a good Superman story as is the special connection between him and Lois - two people who will stop at nothing to promote truth and justice. The filmmaker seemed to understand that in many ways, Lois represents everything about humanity that Superman values and loves. The world is in awe of him, but he is in awe of Lois. Okay, that's all the romance stuff, I promise. Maybe.
People have said Superman is boring because nothing can stop him and he has no character flaws. Bah, I say. I like my heroes unequivocally good. Can they be boring, if portrayed in a bland manner? Of course. So can any character, good or bad. The key is find what conflicts exist for someone who just wants to do the right thing and help people. For Superman, it means he wants to save everyone. Theoretically, he could save anyone at any time, but not everyone every time. And that tortures him. It's also not easy figuring out how to save people the best way, to help the most people possible. That's why the ending with Zod worked for me. Yes, he killed him. And Superman never kills. But that's the point. Zod backed him into a corner, and he could see no way to save others without destroying Zod. Yet it tortures him, and will probably torture him forever. It should. Superman should be the kind of person for whom it is torture to kill his mortal enemy.
The other conflict is between Superman's Kryptonian heritage and his Earth upbringing, and they did that nicely as well. He wants to fit in, he wants to be like everyone else, he's afraid everyone will reject him for being different. The flashback scenes when he was a child were great in establishing that. It was nice, too, that they brought the two conflicts together. He wants to blend in, but he also wants to come to the rescue, and keeps endangering his secret because he can't bear to let people die by his own inaction. The bit with his father's sacrifice/death was wrenching, and I'm not sure I agree with his father's insistence - what a way to scar your kid! - but he really thought he was doing the right thing for Clark. And one of my favorite exchanges - "Can't I keep pretending to be your son?" "You are my son!" Yes, yes, yes. Superman is as much Smallville as Krypton. Love it.
I loved how Martha played a significant role, and Lara got to do a bit more as well. Faora was a good villain. Not too much to complain about with the portrayal of women here, though of course it would have been nice to see more incidental roles - military leaders, etc., being women.
It had a pretty somber tone, but some humor, and lots of action. A bit I loved was Superman's sheer glee when he was flying for the first time. You don't get to see that often, and it felt real. He should be allowed to be gleeful! I hope if they do make a sequel, they can show more of that light side. But I'm not sure. Sequels nowadays tend to lean darker, because it ends up being part of a trilogy, and they have to go to the bottom before the redemptive ending. Well, that can be good storytelling if it's done right, but not if it's dark just because they think dark is cooler and grittier. I like optimism and hope. Superman can have a joyous ending. That's the kind of character he is. He deserves it.
