1978's Superman: The Movie has remained one of the most popular superhero films of all time. It was the first blockbuster superhero film. The success of the film led to the trend of superhero films that's still going on to this day. In fact, superhero films are now more popular than ever. That happened thanks to the strong impact that Superman had on people. The film had three sequels in the 1980s and one last sequel in 2006.
It's common for popular franchises to get rebooted. Since Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, it made sense that a Superman reboot would eventually get made. 2013's Man of Steel served as a new take on Superman. Superman: The Movie helped unite people in agreement over how good it was. The same didn't happen for Man of Steel. Man of Steel got very mixed reactions from people. In fact, I think it's one of the most divisive films of all time. There are people that absolutely love the film. A lot of people consider Man of Steel to be the best Superman film and consider Henry Cavill to be the best Superman. However, there are also people that hate the film and consider it to be a terrible representation of Superman and everything that he stands for.
It should be noted that Man of Steel has a lot of good qualities. Michael Shannon does an awesome job as General Zod. He gives Zod a powerful presence and a dramatic flair. The film gives Zod a motivation that is more complex and intriguing than a generic desire to rule the world. Zod's still a terrible, villainous person, but he's given an extra layer of depth that makes him more interesting. Henry Cavill gives a great performance as Superman. He has a great presence and physique that makes him believable as the character. The film has some fantastic action scenes. The third act of the film is packed with exciting battles between Superman and Zod that are visually amazing. Zack Snyder did an excellent job with the fight scenes in the film.
Those good qualities help Man of Steel shine as an impressive action film. However, the film is divisive for a reason. That reason is the way that Superman's morality is depicted. Christopher Reeve's take on Superman made audiences adore the character, because of what a charming, loving person he was. The Superman in Man of Steel is not as lovable. Superman is supposed to be the definitive example of a pure-hearted superhero. However, the Superman of Man of Steel isn't as heartfelt and uplifting as the character is normally supposed to be.
A big problem with the film is the film's take on Jonathan Kent. Jonathan Kent is supposed to be a wholesome gentleman that serves a great father to Clark Kent. The Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel is not a great father. In fact, he's not even a likable person. The film has a scene where a young Clark saves his fellow classmates from a bus accident. You would expect Jonathan to be proud of his son for saving a bunch of kids, but instead, he's upset. Jonathan doesn't want people to know that Clark has powers, because he's afraid that people would come after his son if they knew the truth. This might make Jonathan sound like a sympathetic, caring father. However, the way he talks to Clark about what happened makes him look very unlikable.
In Superman: The Movie, Jonathan had this inspirational line: "One thing I do know is that you are here for a reason."
Man of Steel has this dialogue exchange that makes Jonathan look really unlikable:
Clark: "What was I supposed to do? Just let them die?"
Jonathan: "Maybe."
When I first saw this scene, I was offended and disgusted. Jonathan had no right to tell Clark that he should have let kids die to protect his secret. That makes Jonathan a terrible parent and role-model.
If that wasn't bad enough, Jonathan's death scene in the film is terrible. In Superman: The Movie, Jonathan died from a heart attack. It was an emotional scene where there's nothing that Clark could have done to save his father. Man of Steel, on the other hand, has a scene where Jonathan loses his life in a tornado. What makes this scene bad is that Clark could have easily saved his father's life. However, Jonathan instructs Clark to let him die in order to keep onlookers from learning about his powers. Clark actually listens to Jonathan. Instead of saving his father, he just stands around while looking upset. The real Superman would have never let somebody die to protect his secret identity.
Speaking of Superman looking upset, the Superman of this film is not a happy person. If you look at pictures of Superman from Superman: The Movie and pictures of Superman from Man of Steel, you'll notice a lot of differences. The biggest difference is that Christopher Reeve's Superman smiles a lot. He's a very upbeat, optimistic person. Henry Cavill's Superman, on the other hand, does a large amount of moping around. He spends so much time making angry faces that he feels more like the Hulk than Superman. This is not Henry Cavill's fault. Henry Cavill's a very talented actor that wanted to capture the heart of Superman. However, the way that he was made to act made Superman look a lot less friendly than he's supposed to be.
Like Batman, Superman's known for being a character that refuses to kill. The Christopher Reeve films understood this aspect of the character. However, Man of Steel messes this element up. When Superman's fighting Zod and his sidekicks, he's not being careful about the safety of civilians. Thanks to how reckless Superman is during the fight scenes, the city suffers through an insane amount of damage. It makes sense that a lot of destruction would come about because of the fight between such strong, super-powered people. However, the real Superman is very careful to lure his enemies away from populated areas. The Superman in Man of Steel lacks the carefulness to keep the people of the city safe.
Lastly, there's the film's controversial climax. Zod is a very powerful villain, so how does Superman defeat him? He snaps his neck. Yes, Superman murders the villain of the film. In the Christopher Reeve version, Superman gets rid of Zod, Ursa and Non's powers, so he can defeat them and have them arrested. That version was able to defeat Zod without having to make Superman break his important no-kill rule. I understand that a lot of superheroes are willing to kill in cases of extreme emergencies, but Superman is not one of those characters. Granted, Superman does feel bad after snapping Zod's neck. This could have led to a scene where Superman vows to never kill again. Instead, Superman just screams.
Man of Steel does work very well as an exciting action film between a superpowered hero and villain. However, it fails when it comes to giving a film that captures the inspirational heart and optimism that makes Superman so enduring. If you want a well-acted, action-packed film, I can recommend Man of Steel. However, if you want to watch a film that captures the heart of Superman, I recommend running away from this film faster than a speeding bullet.
It's common for popular franchises to get rebooted. Since Superman is one of the most iconic superheroes of all time, it made sense that a Superman reboot would eventually get made. 2013's Man of Steel served as a new take on Superman. Superman: The Movie helped unite people in agreement over how good it was. The same didn't happen for Man of Steel. Man of Steel got very mixed reactions from people. In fact, I think it's one of the most divisive films of all time. There are people that absolutely love the film. A lot of people consider Man of Steel to be the best Superman film and consider Henry Cavill to be the best Superman. However, there are also people that hate the film and consider it to be a terrible representation of Superman and everything that he stands for.
It should be noted that Man of Steel has a lot of good qualities. Michael Shannon does an awesome job as General Zod. He gives Zod a powerful presence and a dramatic flair. The film gives Zod a motivation that is more complex and intriguing than a generic desire to rule the world. Zod's still a terrible, villainous person, but he's given an extra layer of depth that makes him more interesting. Henry Cavill gives a great performance as Superman. He has a great presence and physique that makes him believable as the character. The film has some fantastic action scenes. The third act of the film is packed with exciting battles between Superman and Zod that are visually amazing. Zack Snyder did an excellent job with the fight scenes in the film.
Those good qualities help Man of Steel shine as an impressive action film. However, the film is divisive for a reason. That reason is the way that Superman's morality is depicted. Christopher Reeve's take on Superman made audiences adore the character, because of what a charming, loving person he was. The Superman in Man of Steel is not as lovable. Superman is supposed to be the definitive example of a pure-hearted superhero. However, the Superman of Man of Steel isn't as heartfelt and uplifting as the character is normally supposed to be.
A big problem with the film is the film's take on Jonathan Kent. Jonathan Kent is supposed to be a wholesome gentleman that serves a great father to Clark Kent. The Jonathan Kent in Man of Steel is not a great father. In fact, he's not even a likable person. The film has a scene where a young Clark saves his fellow classmates from a bus accident. You would expect Jonathan to be proud of his son for saving a bunch of kids, but instead, he's upset. Jonathan doesn't want people to know that Clark has powers, because he's afraid that people would come after his son if they knew the truth. This might make Jonathan sound like a sympathetic, caring father. However, the way he talks to Clark about what happened makes him look very unlikable.
In Superman: The Movie, Jonathan had this inspirational line: "One thing I do know is that you are here for a reason."
Man of Steel has this dialogue exchange that makes Jonathan look really unlikable:
Clark: "What was I supposed to do? Just let them die?"
Jonathan: "Maybe."
When I first saw this scene, I was offended and disgusted. Jonathan had no right to tell Clark that he should have let kids die to protect his secret. That makes Jonathan a terrible parent and role-model.
If that wasn't bad enough, Jonathan's death scene in the film is terrible. In Superman: The Movie, Jonathan died from a heart attack. It was an emotional scene where there's nothing that Clark could have done to save his father. Man of Steel, on the other hand, has a scene where Jonathan loses his life in a tornado. What makes this scene bad is that Clark could have easily saved his father's life. However, Jonathan instructs Clark to let him die in order to keep onlookers from learning about his powers. Clark actually listens to Jonathan. Instead of saving his father, he just stands around while looking upset. The real Superman would have never let somebody die to protect his secret identity.
Speaking of Superman looking upset, the Superman of this film is not a happy person. If you look at pictures of Superman from Superman: The Movie and pictures of Superman from Man of Steel, you'll notice a lot of differences. The biggest difference is that Christopher Reeve's Superman smiles a lot. He's a very upbeat, optimistic person. Henry Cavill's Superman, on the other hand, does a large amount of moping around. He spends so much time making angry faces that he feels more like the Hulk than Superman. This is not Henry Cavill's fault. Henry Cavill's a very talented actor that wanted to capture the heart of Superman. However, the way that he was made to act made Superman look a lot less friendly than he's supposed to be.
Like Batman, Superman's known for being a character that refuses to kill. The Christopher Reeve films understood this aspect of the character. However, Man of Steel messes this element up. When Superman's fighting Zod and his sidekicks, he's not being careful about the safety of civilians. Thanks to how reckless Superman is during the fight scenes, the city suffers through an insane amount of damage. It makes sense that a lot of destruction would come about because of the fight between such strong, super-powered people. However, the real Superman is very careful to lure his enemies away from populated areas. The Superman in Man of Steel lacks the carefulness to keep the people of the city safe.
Lastly, there's the film's controversial climax. Zod is a very powerful villain, so how does Superman defeat him? He snaps his neck. Yes, Superman murders the villain of the film. In the Christopher Reeve version, Superman gets rid of Zod, Ursa and Non's powers, so he can defeat them and have them arrested. That version was able to defeat Zod without having to make Superman break his important no-kill rule. I understand that a lot of superheroes are willing to kill in cases of extreme emergencies, but Superman is not one of those characters. Granted, Superman does feel bad after snapping Zod's neck. This could have led to a scene where Superman vows to never kill again. Instead, Superman just screams.
Man of Steel does work very well as an exciting action film between a superpowered hero and villain. However, it fails when it comes to giving a film that captures the inspirational heart and optimism that makes Superman so enduring. If you want a well-acted, action-packed film, I can recommend Man of Steel. However, if you want to watch a film that captures the heart of Superman, I recommend running away from this film faster than a speeding bullet.
