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

5.    Amazing Action – Escape from Zod's Ship, Faora is Awesome, Mid-Air Fist Fight

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)