Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $116,619,362
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $214,615,316
Gross Revenue: $402,915,316
Production Budget: $225 million
Director: Zack
Snyder
With the conclusion of Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy, Warner Bros.
was badly in need of a reliable cash cow to keep its DC Entertainment
subsidiary in any kind of competitive standing with Marvel Studios, so after
the failure of 2011’s Green Lantern,
there was a LOT riding on the success of Superman. From a developmental standpoint, fans and
analysts scrutinized every possible element of Man of Steel during pre-production, holding onto massive
expectations while praying that the same mistakes that doomed 2006’s Superman Returns wouldn’t be
repeated. There was some outrage that a
Brit like Henry Cavill had been cast as the decidedly American hero, and skepticism
understandably arose when Amy Adams and Laurence Fishburne won the roles of
icons like Lois Lane and Perry White, but alongside proven talents like Michael
Shannon, Diane Lane, and Kevin Costner, audiences were guaranteed strong
performances. A few warning flags were
raised concerning Warner Bros.’ limited and altogether secretive marketing efforts
leading into the Summer Movie Season, but in retrospect, it was a sly strategy
to avoid splitting attention with Iron
Man 3; after May 3rd, sweepstakes and partnerships went into
overdrive to amp awareness and anticipation, whether that involved associating
Superman with our heroes in the National Guard or launching the brilliant “How
Does Superman Shave?” cross-promotional Gillette campaign. With television spots highlighting some
hardcore action against a score from Hans Zimmer and rumors concerning cameos
and media Easter eggs, fans had to be excited and curious concerning all that Man of Steel had to offer, so with my
IMAX 3D ticket in-hand, I couldn’t wait to see one of my favorite superheroes
rebooted on the big screen.
Offering some new twists on a very well-established
story, Man of Steel opens on the
planet of Krypton, with renowned scientist Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife
Lara (Ayelet Zurer) preparing to launch their newborn son Kal-El to Earth with
a genetic codex of the entire Kryptonian race, so that he may survive the
planet’s imminent destruction. Though
rebel military leader General Zod (Michael Shannon) attempts to stop the launch
alongside his second-in-command, Faora (Antje Traue), seeking to retrieve the
codex in a vain attempt to save the planet; fortunately, he is captured for his
criminal actions and sentence to the Phantom Zone dimensional prison shortly
before the planet explodes. Fast forward
thirty-three years and the now-adult Kal-El is living on Earth as Clark Kent
(Henry Cavill), having been adopted and raised by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and
Martha Kent (Diane Lane). Confused and
ostracized by his superhuman abilities and alien origin, Clark has been
wandering for years, covering his tracks as a nomad who only pops-up now and
then to heroically help others.
Eventually, Clark comes across a crashed Kryptonian scout ship in the
Arctic, where he learns more about his origins and destiny, coincidentally
rescuing Daily Planet reporter Lois
Lane (Amy Adams), who is working on-scene and later resolves to learn more
about her superhuman hero alongside editor Perry White (Laurence Fishburne). Clark is soon called to action when Zod and
his troops arrive on Earth (having been freed when Krypton exploded and having
searched for Kal-El for years); Zod intends to use a terraforming engine to eradicate
humanity and transform Earth into a new alien home world, so he uses a
planet-wide broadcast to command that Kal-El return the genetic codex, else
Earth and its inhabitants will suffer.
Surrendering to the U.S. Military, Clark adopts the moniker “Superman”
and works to convince world leaders that he is not a threat, all the while
preparing to use his considerable power to stop Zod and his forces, thereby
saving the world he has come to love and call “home.”
Between the pulse-pounding action, the surprisingly
deep characterization of Superman himself, and the high-caliber performances of
the ensemble cast, Man of Steel is a
deeply immersive and downright entertaining experience for both hardcore fans
and casual audiences. Superman has
always been perceived as something of a goody-goody, but thanks to the
narrative’s focus on spectacularly rendered action sequences, this powerful
cultural icon finally comes across as gritty and someone not to be crossed
unless you want to get thrown into the upper-atmosphere…his lack of concern for
collateral damage was a bit disconcerting, but he still embodied the hero we
have come to love over the years. Some
critics have been unfairly critical of Cavill’s subdued performance, but I
think that it fit perfectly with the characterization and tone of the
film. This Superman was haunted and
isolated by his alien nature, and yet he still learned to rise above it and become
a symbol of hope, and covering that evolution represents a decidedly humanized
take on the character that has never been seen on the big screen…so bravo to
Snyder and Nolan. And beyond the capable
acting of its lead character, Man of
Steel also benefits greatly from supporting performances that perfectly capture
the essence of the classic characters:
Amy Adams absolutely nailed the personality of Lois Lane while Diane
Lane was remarkably effective as Martha Kent, but I was most entertained by
Russell Crowe's regal take on Jor-El and Antje Traue's venomous and altogether
threatening embodiment of the villainous Faora.
Unfortunately, while I could easily rave-on for another twenty
paragraphs about the elements of Man of
Steel that I loved, I do have to acknowledge some weaknesses within the
script and pacing that prevent this DC Comics adaptation from embodying the
runaway critical hit that many had predicted.
Being a hardcore Superman fanatic, I have to fight
the urge to relentlessly dissect and nitpick every element of Man of Steel that did not match-up with
established canon, but beyond even that fandom, I do have to point-out a few
missteps and screenwriting faux pas that can limit the appeal for larger
audiences. While I respect just how many
elements of mythos David S. Goyer had to cram within a 143 minute origin story,
I cannot help but feel that certain critical arcs went underdeveloped or
altogether wedged-in while other less important elements received undue
attention and screen time. For instance,
even though it was beautifully rendered, the prologue of Krypton's destruction
ran far too long, and I don't understand why there were consistent cuts away
from the climactic battle to show Perry White and other anonymous Daily Planet staffers fleeing
destruction...time would have been better spent creating better context around
the romance of Lois and Clark or Clark's own sense of protectiveness towards
Earth, two dynamics which are presented but in no way earned by the
script. Finally, I cannot get over the
fact that I was decidedly bothered by this particular interpretation of
Jonathan Kent; don't get me wrong, Kevin Costner gave a great performance and I
understand how certain choices fit with the overall theme, but I feel like a
few departures could have been handled with greater delicacy (case-in-point,
Jonathan's conversation with Clark after he rescues a school bus has triggered
all-out war on the blogosphere). True, a
majority of the weaknesses within the script in regards to character dynamic
are inconsequential to fans familiar with Superman's back story, but the
altogether muddled storytelling prevents the uninitiated audience from fully
enjoying Man of Steel beyond its
flashy visuals and explosive action.
As any box office analyst could have predicted, Man of Steel utterly decimated all
competition, hauling in $116.6 million to earn the distinction of highest
opening ever in June and the second all-time debut for a non-sequel behind The Hunger Games. Add-in foreign numbers and Man of Steel has already grossed a hefty
$400 million in ticket receipts, more than enough to counter the massive $225
million production budget and signal a lucrative new franchise for Warner Bros.
Pictures. It was a little disappointing
to see the 64.6% week-to-week drop-off, but you cannot fault that kind of
decline in the face of lukewarm critical reception and massive
audience-splitting competition in the form of Monster’s University and World
War Z. Execs certainly aren’t
wasting any time in regards to next steps, as rumors are swirling that Man of Steel 2 could hit as early as
Summer 2014, followed by a Batman/Superman crossover; at the very least,
despite a few imperfections, this Superman movie still qualifies as a massive
success that will set the stage for a future shared DC Cinematic Universe and hopefully
culminate in a “Justice League” film.
Bottom line, whether you are someone deeply-versed in Kryptonian
mythology, or just happened to wear a red cape at one point in your childhood
while running around the backyard, you cannot go wrong with Man of Steel.
Overall
Recommendation: High
