Straight off the bat Man of Steel informs you in such an awe-inspiring manner that it is a science-fiction action film. It also holds no punches in keeping you aware that Clark Kent, the lone wanderer who has taken the form of Henry Cavill under Hugh Jackman's style tutelage, is a man not of our world destined to become DC Comics' other famous superhero. The tingles that Han Zimmer's soundtrack sent down millions of spines when the third international trailer aired earlier this year resonates once more as every single note spells hope for the race that the Man of Steel is trying to save.
Russell Crowe performs soundly as a man who is trying to save the people of Krypton from sealing their own fate. It is beyond hope for them but Jor-El believes hope lies beyond the stars as he has found a way for them to reproduce naturally again. His experiment is his own son, who he sends to our planet much to the understandable heartache of his wife, Lara. The world of Krypton is staggeringly realised as it appears in a state of permanent sunset as the wildlife lows and Krypton flagships pierce the skies. A world on the brink of its destruction is still very much a beautiful one.
The star turn in this feature is immediately apparent with Michael Shannon as General Zod (Superfans will know him as a sworn enemy of Earth's favourite Kryptonian). Zod believes in the purity of his species and won't let anyone stand in his way who believes otherwise, including former comrade Jor-El. After a painful fight between the pair, Zod is eventually subdued at the demise of Jor-El but just in time for the father to see his son leave their homeworld for the stars. Zod and his followers are banished into a black hole - another bit of Krypton tech throughout this segment that needs no explanation; it just fits perfectly in with this world's design. A sidenote here, that the production design here from Alex McDowell rings perfectly with the feelings captured with the work dealt with on Blade Runner. You find yourself not asking how it works, but subconsciously knowing that this is what it is and therefore it does its job. The appearance of the soldiers captures the war chiefs of ancient Roman mythologies, the artificial intelligence is almost organic in movement and the Kryptonian art style is almost Art Deco and reminiscent of USSR propaganda.
Lara, then, watches from her home as fountains of magma thrust forth through the crust of the planet as she has lost her husband and her son. She holds on to one glimmer of hope that her son, Kal-El, will be delivered safely.
The modern-day section then opens with Clark, a drifter disappearing between various backwood jobs across America, who already knows he is not like the others around him but no knowledge of his heritage. He singlehandedly stops an oil rig collapsing on a rescue helicopter and plants a bar brawler's truck on pylons in a series of scenes as we see that Clark is conflicted with his love and hate for his fellow, or unfamiliar, man. As Clark seems to be on a journey of self-discovery, to find his place if any in the world, we are then introduced to Amy Addams' Lois Lane. My thoughts are conflicted on here introduction so early in what is to be an epic cinematic saga. Even the introduction of Perry White and The Daily Planet left me perfectly conflicted. This story so far has been interspersed with images from young Clark's past so we can understand his trauma of growing up and inheriting Kryptonian powers unexpectedly. However, maybe it isn't so early, as before long Clark is learning from a representation of his father in a crashed Kryptonian ship in the Arctic of who he is, where he is from and why he is here. This is why I am so conflicted with the introduction of the love interest and prospective colleague.
Jor-El's speech rings sociological thoughts of our own Earth's state of affairs; the draining of resources, an unnaturally speedy population increase and the undying belief in that we can aspire to be something greater despite all of this. With this in mind, we meet a refreshed Clark, in full red and blue garb leaping great bounds across the Arctic ice as he begins to learn how to fly. This is a fantastically explained and visually incredible piece when he learns that it is just prolonged jumping with Earth's incredibly different gravity and powerful yellow sun. As he sonic booms across African plains and off the white cliffs of Dover, a smile appears on Clark's face as he realises his unknown greatness and power.
But with quick re-education of who he is comes an even quicker threat from the stars; Zod has blacked-out all of Earth only to relay his message from a Lunar orbit - he knows Clark is hiding amongst them and demands his surrender 'in 24 hours' no doubt. Clark has to make a decision, and a wealth of father-son flashbacks and Christ-like poses enable him to do this. He can save all of them as Jor-El repeatedly prophesises from beyond the grave. This is where the dialogue grew tiresome, apart from Zod's death knelled words of destruction, the rinse and repeat thought process for Clark left a numbing sensation. When something is pondered too much it loses its grip on how desperate a situation this truly is for the Man of Steel.
The fight scenes are a true spectacle, especially if you own a large screen. There was a point where it took a leaf out of Thor's book and kept a certain street battle very localised and isolated, as if any destruction did not escape this imaginary corridor that the Kryptonians had made themselves. Any sense of this is immediately turfed out of the window as God like powers throw sonic boom punches at each other across the entirety of Metropolis. There is a great sense of scale and an even greater sense of destruction as with any epic poem about fantastical forces colliding. But again, before long, this spectacle can lose its soaring fantastical qualities and does fall slightly flat. Man of Steel does, however, do its very best in re-securing Superman as a household name again, especially with Justice League and now the arrival of a Batman Vs Superman feature which I can only hope will be based heavily on Frank Miller's Return of the Dark Knight. There are some preemptive nods to such franchise developments in the shape of Lexcorp trucks and a Waynetech satellite. It certainly had everyone under a spell, and of course it will be no match for the Christopher Reeve original but it will leave you in awe of the shape of things to come.
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