LOVE FEST - Man
of Steel, pt. 1 – My LoveFest
On April 18, 1938, the world was introduced to a
man who promised to “turn his titanic strength into channels that would benefit
mankind, and so was created 'Superman', champion of the oppressed.” Forty years later, having already achieved
absolutely iconic status, Superman took over the big screen and we were
promised that We
Would Believe a Man Can Fly. But for
me, it took another 36 years before that promise was fulfilled. On June 15, 2014, for the first time, I believed a man could fly. If Man
of Steel offered nothing more than that scene of flight, it would be a
worthwhile addition to any film library.
But it contains so much more.
Perhaps it is because Man of Steel is ultimately a story about parents, children, and
their families that it has stuck with me.
You see, I found out that I was going to be a father in October of 2012
with a due date of June 12, 2013, 2 days before Man of Steel would premiere in theaters. Excited to see the movie and still awaiting
my daughter’s birth, my wife and I walked into the theater on June 15,
2013. It was my last theatrical
experience before becoming a father, and being a father meant I had far less
time to go to the movies. It wasn't
until a few weeks ago that I saw a movie in the theater again. While I was eagerly awaiting the birth of my
daughter, the film opened with the sounds of a heartbeat heard through a
medical device, the sounds of labor, and then the cry of the newborn Last Son
of Krypton. Maybe it hit me stronger and
stayed with me longer because of my impending fatherhood.
In the midst of a thrilling action sequence
(something else that Man of Steel excels at, in my opinion Man of
Steel has the best executed action scenes of any superhero movie to date),
we watch as these new parents send their son to an unknown fate. They have done their research, they know he
will be safe and they know that they cannot offer him safety. But they don't know if he'll be accepted, if
he'll be loved, they just hope. Here,
again, Man of Steel strikes a specific chord with me. Adoption is a major theme in the movie and a
major part of my life. My older sister
has known since she was a teenager that if she were to have children it would
most likely be through adoption.
Contrastingly, my younger sister found that she was pregnant shortly
after high school at a time when she knew she was not ready to be a
mother. I have seen the heartache and
pains of a birth mother choosing to entrust the life of her child to somebody
else. I have also seen the heartache and
pains of a woman who yearns to be a mother but through the cruelty of biology
knows that will not happen without the help of somebody else. Finally, I have seen how much my sister and
the child she placed for adoption have been blessed by the adoption process and
how much my sister and the child she adopted have been blessed. Adoption is a wonderful thing, but it is
incredibly challenging as well. And for
many children of adoption, there is a nagging question of where you belong and
where you come from.
Kal-El's birth parents, Jor-El and Lara die
before Krypton does and with their last words they express hope for their
newborn child who is traveling to a new home. Among Jor-El's last words...
“Goodbye my son, my hopes and dreams travel with you.” Among Lara's, a defiant and motherly “His
name is Kal-El and he's beyond your reach.” Jor-El defiantly tells Zod that “he
is beyond your reach” and Lara speaks to her son, “pick a better world than
ours, Kal.”
On Earth, we are introduced to a young Clark Kent
who is experiencing an identity crisis.
We will later learn that he watched his adoptive father die trying to
protect his true nature. Having lost one
father and learned the truth of his unique nature, he is wandering the globe
seeking to know how he is. Despite his
personal struggles, it is quickly demonstrated that this man is a hero. When an offshore rig goes up in flame, he
risks revealing his nature to others in order to save them. In a quick flashback we see his childhood and
learn even more that he faces the struggles of an adopted child as the kids
around him call him freak and weirdo.
Then we are introduced to his loving adoptive mother who knows how to
comfort him when everybody else is rejecting him. His mother comforts him, “focus on my
voice.” The child pleads to know what is
wrong with him and Diane Lane's performance stands out as with a single look
you see that, for her, there is nothing wrong with him.
We soon see another flashback to his childhood
and Clark Kent once again risks revealing his true nature in order to save
others. It is remarkable to me how many
complain that the Superman portrayed in Man
of Steel doesn't save anybody because the first half of the movie is
completely dedicated to showing him rescue others time and again despite great
personal risk to himself. He saves a
bus-full of classmates and the parents of a classmate challenge his parents to
admit that he is more than he seems.
After this encounter he is essentially told that he's adopted with Pa
Kent telling him “You're the answer.
You're the answer to 'are we alone in the universe?'” Man of Steel is often derided for
trying too hard to be gritty and realistic.
However, I usually just see the realistic part without the alleged
grittiness and it is in the psychology of the Man of Steel that this is most
exemplified. A little boy finds out that
he's not of this earth and all his life he has been rejected by his peers and
called a freak. How else should he react
other than saying that he doesn't want to be the answer to any great
question. “Can't I just keep pretending
I'm your son?'' he pleads, and Kevin
Costner's line delivery gets me every time, “You are my son.” There is no pretending about it. Yes, you're adopted, you're not from here and
others may not accept you. But forever
and always, you will be my son and I will do everything I can to protect
you. Wisely, he also tells him about his
birth father, “somewhere out there you have another father who gave you another
name, and he sent you here for a reason, Clark.”
We next see the adult Clark as a busboy at a hole
in the wall restaurant. Even here he
displays his heroic side, protecting his co-worker from unwanted advances. He accepts scorn and ridicule and rather than
lashing out against the person, he responds against an object. This is another scene that gets criticized,
Superman wouldn't just destroy somebody's property like that. However, to me it is a demonstration of a
young, untested Superman who demonstrates the restraint he has learned when
dealing with bullies. Yes, he lost his
temper but he released his anger in a far healthier way than by attacking
another person.
Finally, Clark has found a clue as to his
heritage and we are introduced to Amy Adams' brilliant Lois Lane. The film doesn't use her as fully as it
could, but this is Superman's story. She
sees Clark wander off and follows behind.
Clark is introduced to his birth father and learns more about where he
comes from. He now knows he was loved by
both his birth parents and his adoptive parents and understands the hopes and
dreams of his birth parents.
Unfortunately, his journey of discovery is cut short as the self-defense
system attacks Lois. Once again,
Superman is the hero. Interestingly, he
is also shown to be not only a protector and rescuer but also a healer as he
diagnoses and administers to the injured Lois.
Having discovered where he comes from, the identity crisis is over and
Superman flies. And it is glorious. As the Dissolve's own Matt Singer wrote
recently, [t]his Superman looks better than
incredible; he looks credible. The tagline of Richard
Donner’s Superman was “You’ll believe a man can fly,” but there
has arguably never been a more convincing-looking superhero in any movie than
Henry Cavill in Man Of Steel.” (In a nod to
Superman's origins, he doesn't fly at first, rather he jumps high enough to
“leap tall buildings in a single bound.”)
In a brief respite before Zod
arrives, Lois tracks down Clark and challenges him. Recognizing the essence of the man who would
become Superman, she states “the only way to disappear completely is to stop
helping people completely and I sense that's not an option for you.” Again, the film emphasizes who Superman is,
even at great risk to himself he will do what he can to save people. In response, Clark recounts Pa Kent's
death. In another heartbreaking moment,
the adopted son rejects the adopted father.
Despite this, to protect his son's secret, Jonathan Kent sacrifices
himself. “He was convinced the world
wasn't ready – what do you think?” Clark
returns to his mother and lets her know that he found his birth parents. In another heart rending scene she tells him
“the truth about you is beautiful” and then shares the fears of so many
adoptive parents “I'm worried they'll take you away from me.”
Having discovered himself,
Clark is discovered by Zod. In one of
the most effective alien invasion moments I have seen in science fiction,
General Zod takes over the communications devices throughout the world and announces to each
nation in their own language “you are not alone.” In another flashback we are shown Clark
taunted and attacked by bullies. “Fight
back!” they yell, “get up!” but he shows restraint. “I wanted to hit them so bad...” Jor-El has
already told Clark about Zod, he knows the kind of man he is. Nonetheless, Superman tries for peace. He chooses to trust his adopted home despite
reservations and turns himself in rather than fight the bully. This is the Superman I have known and loved
since my youth, willing to give up everything to save the people he loves. The adopted son then meets the last vestiges
of his people in the form of Zod and his crew.
Time and again Zod challenges Clark's recent self-realization. Jor-El counseled him to be an example to the
people of the earth, giving hope that one day “they will join you in the sun.”
Zod presents a much starker choice – choose Krypton or choose destruction. There is no middle ground and mankind is
nothing to Zod. Accept your birth
parents and their heritage and reject your adopted parents or lose
everything. For Zod there is no other
option. In a key scene, Zod and Clark
visit in Clark's subconcious and Clark is shown a vision of the collective
skulls of mankind. This is what will
happen if Zod wins.
Lois is able to escape Zod's
craft in an amazing staged and innovatively crafted action scene involving
Jor-El. Again, Man of Steel demonstrates action chops far beyond the
typical comic book movie. Once again we
see Superman save a life as he rushes to save Lois while her escape vessel
crashes toward the earth. In an effort
to find the “codex”, the McGuffin of the film, Zod threatens Ma Kent. Here, and only here, we see Clark totally
lose his temper. “You think you can
threaten my mother?” He knows who he is
and accepts both sets of his parents. He
slams into Zod and they go rocketing through a grain silo and into Smallville
downtown. In another amazing action
sequence Superman faces down Zod, Faora, and Nam-Ek (the giant
Kryptonian).
After the battle in Smallville,
Zod finds the codex within Clark's DNA and chooses to terraform the earth. Superman coordinates with Lois and the
military as Jor-El revealed how to stop Zod and his crew. Superman rushes to stop the World Engine, a
machine capable of transforming earth's climate to an extent that all of
mankind will become extinct. A cargo
plane is loaded with the ship that brought Clark to earth and instructions on
how to use it to create a singularity and send Zod back to the Phantom Zone. The World Engine is destroyed, the military
succeeds in creating the singularity and sending all but Zod away. Unfortunately, massive destruction has
already taken place. Zod and Superman
fight in a final absolutely thrilling and beautifully constructed action
sequence. As they battle, Zod again
challenges Superman about his adopted home - “these humans you've adopted” he
snarls, “I'm going to make them suffer...I will take them all from you one by
one.” After the massive battle through
the destroyed remnants of Metropolis, Zod (for the first time) directly
threatens the lives of innocents. Having
learned of Zod's nature from his father, having seen a vision of the
destruction of earth, Zod having told him “My soul, that is what you have taken
from me!” and sworn to destroy everything he loves, he sees no other choice and
kills Zod. Even in this controversial
moment, Clark is choosing his adopted home – he is recognizing that no matter
what, he is a child of earth.
More than anything, I believe that this is what Man
of Steel is about. It is a deconstruction
of one of our greatest icons, a heightened examination of what it means to be
adopted. The language of adoption is
present throughout the film. It is a
film whose first scene is the birth of the child and whose penultimate scene is
of that child as an adult spending time with his adoptive mother – fully aware
of both his birth parents and adoptive parents.
He knows who he is and he knows all that his parents have done for him
as we flashback to his childhood. In one
of the most significant moments of the film, we see a young Clark Kent playing
“Superman.” Even for Superman, the idea
of the superhero is iconic and form shaping.
This is the true ending of the film, followed by a brief coda where
Clark Kent begins his career and Lois Lane says “welcome to the planet.”
Man of Steel touches on a lot of
things personal to me. More than
anything I see it as a powerful tale about an adopted child who learns to
accept the heritage of his birth parents as well as his adopted parents. It is also an effective deconstruction and
examination of what it means to be Superman.
Personally, I do not see the grittiness everybody complains of. It is grounded, yes, realistic, yes. It is an examination of what it would really
mean to be a Superman in a fallen world.
Ultimately, it sides on optimism despite mankind's shortcomings. But
beyond what has touched me so personally, I believe it has a great deal to
offer everybody.
More to Love about Man of Steel
While my love for Man of Steel is based in
large part on personal attachments to the story, I also believe that it is an
objectively good film. As I read Matt
Singer’s recent One Year Later on Man of
Steel, I just kept nodding my head about all he said was great. Here’s a brief list of what else I love about
Man of Steel, with pull quotes from
Mr. Singer:
1. Superman
seems real– “Snyder’s Superman looks real, full stop, with a
raw physicality that has never been present before in any iteration of the
character—even Bryan Singer’s Superman Returns from just seven
years ago. Cavill actually seems to be able to violate the laws of gravity
at will.”-Matt Singer on Man of Steel
2. The
world seems real - “[A]n epic superhero film that
crosses continents and spans planets while still paying incredible attention to
the smallest detail, from the earth crackling and buckling under Cavill’s feet
when Superman takes flight to the alarmingly accurate building-collapses during
the climactic battle between Superman and Zod. On a technical level, Man
Of Steel is a major achievement, particularly in
the field of tactile computer effects. Every punch and impact has weight.”
- Matt Singer on Man of Steel
3. A Legitimate Threat – “If nothing else, the massive damage
caused by the battles between Superman and his fellow Kryptonians reminds
viewers of the enormous power these creatures possess. They look like human
beings, but they are truly alien.”- Matt Singer on Man of Steel
4. Amazing Cast – Diane Lane and Kevin Costner both shine as Ma and
Pa Kent. Russell Crowe is an effective and imposing presence as Jor-El. Henry Cavill is, in my opinion, the best
Superman yet (Reeves still has the best Clark). Amy Adams is a brilliant Lois
Lane, albeit a little underused. And
Michael Shannon's performance as Zod is so effective you don't even think about
Terrence Stamp's iconic performance in Superman 2. The smaller parts are also well played across
the board with a well-cast Faora, Jax-Ur, Perry White, Emil Hamilton, General
Swann, etc.
“That tension between man and superman is well played by Cavill,
who makes a likable, relatable, eminently hunky hero. He has all the qualities
Superman fans want from the character: He radiates decency and goodness, with
kind eyes and a wry smile, but he also looks like a legitimate ass-kicker, and
he fills out a set of tights and cape like nobody’s business... some of
[Superman's] core contradictions—he’s both impervious to pain and incredibly
sensitive—make him tough to play. Cavill pulls it off.” - Matt Singer
“Amy Adams... has just the right blend of intelligence,
defiance, and determination, and she has an obvious, immediate connection with
Cavill.” - Matt Singer
“Michael Shannon...oozes menace as General Zod” - Matt Singer
6. A typically great score from Hans Zimmer.
Conclusion to part 1
One of my earliest and fondest childhood memories is of
watching Richard Donner’s Superman with my family. I still remember when my parents and my
siblings all gathered around our little old TV to watch a VHS copy of the
movie. I remember being amazed at watching
superman run faster than a speeding train, even though it looked funny. I identified with that bullied young man,
because I was always small for my age and was often picked on at school. Watching him become Superman inspired me.
Before Man of Steel was
released, Superman 2 was my favorite
Superman movie. Terrence Stamp as Zod
was a sight to behold and I loved the back and forth between Lois and Clark. Although I don’t have the same childhood
connection with Superman 2, I long felt it was the best Superman movie
made. Superman 3 was the only film in the original series that I didn’t
watch when I was younger, as for some reason The Quest for Peace seemed to be running constantly on one cable
station or another. Despite its myriad flaws,
I watched that movie multiple times because I loved Superman.
For me, as for so many children who have grown up since
1938, Superman was an ideal. Without
even knowing it, I was totally devoted to DC’s stable of superheroes because of
Superman and Batman. When I was six or
seven years old, I jumped off of my bunk bed onto a bed below pretending to be
Superman. I received multiple stitches
and still have a scar visible just above my hairline to remind me. Superman was my younger sister’s favorite
hero. She was inspired not only by the
character but by Christopher Reeves’ inspirational true story and she proudly
displayed a Superman poster on her wall through high school.
I highly anticipated the release of
Superman Returns, especially after watching Brian Singer’s video
journal containing the first footage of the
airplane rescue. I was there opening night with a date and I enjoyed
the film despite its flaws. It was
faithful to the spirit of the Richard Donner movies and I still think it is underappreciated. But, like many others, I was disappointed in
the lack of action and the casting didn’t always hit the right notes.
When Man of Steel
was announced, I was thrilled. I’m a big
fan of Christopher Nolan (The Prestige
is in my personal top-ten). With each
new announced cast-member I had more reason to be optimistic. What’s more, I’m the odd duck who likes Zack
Snyder. He had already adapted two comic
books faithfully, Watchmen and 300, and I enjoyed both films. The only film of his I haven’t seen is Sucker Punch. Given the ire generally directed toward that
movie, perhaps avoiding Sucker Punch
is what allows me to love Man of Steel. I was in the prime demographic to be
disappointed when I walked into the movie theater last June. Instead, I got my first viewing of one of my
favorite superhero films, a film that stuck with me after I left the
theater. It answered all of the
objection people had about Superman
Returns and Superman as a
character in general. It effectively
creates Krypton as a vivid science-fiction world, it demonstrates the true
power of Superman and gives him effective enemies to battle against. More than anything, it examines a hero’s
quest to understand himself and to find acceptance both of where he came from
and his adopted home. I love Man of Steel and I struggle to
understand why it engenders such hate among so many. But we’ll address that more in part 2 … (coming later tonight)
