Fit Cavill in tights

After the disappointment of Superman Returns that gave very little of what audiences were really looking for, here comes another reboot that starts off a well-known superhero character story from scratch. And here is the kind of loud, bombastic action feature this definitive superhero really deserves.

Under the assured guidance of Zack Snyder (300, Watchmen as well as the highly underrated Sucker Punch and Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole), Man of Steel wastes no time in getting stuck in with spectacular action. Opening with the visually awe-inspiring planet Krypton that’s about to self-destruct, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) dodges bombs and bullets, fights off coup-leading General Zod (Michael Shannon), to send off his baby son Kal-El to Earth away from all the chaos. Krypton is soon destroyed, and baby Superman safely crash-lands on our planet to be discovered and adopted by the Kents, Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane).

Growing up as Clark Kent (Henry Cavill), he struggles to fit in with the rest of the world, difficulties he’s often faced as a child, shown to the audience in several flashback sequences. He’s faster, stronger, and just generally better than everyone else (x-ray vision, laser beams from his eyes etc), powers his adopted father fully accepts but is determined to keep hidden, ashe wisely sees that the rest of the world isn’t ready to embrace someone so different. Clark does eventually figure out his origins, his destiny, how he should be a hero blah blah blah (the rite of passage superhero talk remains the same), all of this explained to him by the memories of his real father who is now dead.

As can be expected for an origins story, there is a lot of set-up before the fun can really start. Having two important father figures is something Snyder plays around with; having two very strong actors, Costner in the flashbacks, Crowe in the present, give Clark the guidance he needs to become the saviour he’s destined to be, and find his place in the world. There are particularly effective scenes involving both fathers, ones that contribute to successfully shaping an emotional arc within the story.

When telling the story of Clark, a lot is said and done around the character, but the man himself has frustratingly very little to say. Cavill is very good at reacting appropriately to the tons of lectures he’s given by those who surround him, however he isn’t given much to expand on. He has no trouble looking serious at every turn, and although there is an element of pain and loneliness in his expression stemming from being an outsider, not enough time is spent on Cavill to truly dig deep into the titular role. That said, he absolutely rocks the newly-designed, red-underwear-less (and therefore, much better) suit, and he fully embodies the physical stature of the Man of Steel.

Enter Lois Lane (Amy Adams) and General Zod with his gang of powerful antagonists to really kick things off. Lois is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist investigatingthis mysterious and illusive superhero, and Zod lands on Earth to destroy it with his gigantic sci-fi spaceship. Both relatively important supporting players, but both thinly drawn. Adams is as likable as ever, and to her character’s credit, she does play an important part in taking down the bad guy, but she lacks her own personality to stand for herself. There is definite spark between her and Superman, one that perhaps needs to be explored further in the future. Shannon has never had problems playing psychopathic maniacs before, and he comfortably pulls it off, and he’s a villain of many intense words, full of big speeches and gestures, something that suits the actor well.

Most impressive however, is the film’s firm grasp on the huge action sequences. Once they get going, there is no stopping them, and the scale at which everything is executed is a grand, magnificent one. Despite having Snyder behind the cameras, there are no extreme slow-motion captures, one of the director’s previous trademarks. The final showdown isn’t without some incredibly repetitive ideas (characters fly into each other, they rebound into buildings which subsequently get destroyed and knocked down, presumably killing thousands and thousands along with it – but this being a 12A feature, it kindly overlooks the collateral damage), and is perhaps reminiscent of Michael Bay’s Transformers franchise, but the difference here is that it’s incredibly easy to follow every step of the various fights. Snyder closely follows the spectacle and captures the many, many flights of Superman perfectly.

Influenced by the success enjoyed by Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise, Snyder is little interested in humour, and has turned this into a deathly serious entry, with hardly any light-hearted touch. Which is just as well, because the film doesn’t have room for comedy. It’s better to leave things the way they are, rather than trying to make awkward one-liners fit, especially when they have absolutely no bearing on the story whatsoever. Clark is on a very serious quest to uncover his identity, and anything inappropriate would have been a needless diversion. All in all, he’s back, and safe to say, for good. A sequel is under works, and we’ll be glad to have him flying back to our screens.