Tags
Why I have mixed feelings about last year’s “Man of steel”…
We all love superman. It is not only an epic. It is a mark of generations of newborn people in all over the world. The Man of Steel is our symbol not only of hope and humanity, but also our inner voice which tells us that we CAN do anything when we really want it. It is not a coincidence that this is my first review on this website after so many years of watching, reading and rating movies. It is a purposeful act of self establishment. And as a fan of Superman I shall judge “Man of Steel” with my heart. Not as a critic, measuring the views and income of this movie. Not as an film adorer, putting the film characteristics above the content of the particular movie. Yes, I am a true follower of Superman since his origin so many years ago, when the superpowers and the heroism were common more to gods or real people, than to imaginary characters. Our society has come to an age in which our ideals are embodied in new personalities – the superheroes. We are proud to prove and we do not fear to admit that we love superheroes. No matter how alien or imaginary they are. And on this pantheon of great new legends there is the “Grand Daddy” of them all – Superman. The alien who lost all which he had even before he realized it. The man of steel who is like a god compared to the humans, but is at the same time afraid of showing himself to the public. This man has been brought to life again by Zach Snyder this year. It has been long time since the first footage of this movie was presented to us. And now I’ve finally seen it. But is it the real, shining, bright example which we needed to see not only as a moviegoers, but as a contemporary society? I’m trying to find the right words to approach what I saw without being too long. But I fail. Mr. Snyder, Mr. Goyer, why was General Zod your best character in this production? Why has this good original material which you had been turned into scattered and predictable character design and plot? I’m not mad at what you did, but at how you did it. With all the creative power which you have (Mr. Snyder I even liked your “Sucker punch”, it was whole and finished), this is at least on 60% of what you could have brought to our senses. You had every fan of Superman at the beginning of the movie. With the wonderful soundtrack of this movie you had all the power to capture us forever. And you had a good cast too. Why did the Man of Steel look so shallow? Why didn’t I feel his internal pain from the beginning? Why was I distracted by the elaborate Kpypton world when after that you cut the umbilical cord with such a huge time gap. And the growth of Kal-El was presented in a shortcut way which left us emotionally distanced from Superman. Clark’s endeavors were not a journey, but rather a given result. His discoveries of his origin were “ready”, not processed, doubted, discussed. And why did you make Louis Lane’s character so superficial and following? Did you forget your work on “Watchmen”, on “300”‘s characters? Where was the Script writer when the Kent family evolved together as a family? We get to see only 4-5 steps of growing as an alien on Earth and receiving the warmth and moral of a hardworking family. I think that if we got to see more of Jonathan and Martha as human beings we will be much more addicted to Clark’s internal moral codes. Which is ultimately our own human moral values bible. I loved the thought that Clark is Superman ONLY on earth and due to our planet’s conditions. And that he is Superman only because of the instilled consciousness by Jonathan and Martha. I respect your back story about his genes from Jor-El. And about the sad story of Krypton. I enjoyed Jor-El’s extended presence in the film. But was he the main motivator of Clark’s actions? How is it possible that General Zod and his subordinates evoke my sympathy more than Clark and the earthlings? In the third and final fight when Zod lost everything Michael Shannon acts perfectly. Even the non-fans at the theater were touched by this monster alien. And I felt really unsatisfied, because Clark was superficial and his actions were expected. And in the end he was embraced by Louis as a child. Is Superman always the hopeful child to you? I truly respect your new point of view, Mr. Snyder. You and your team did put a lot of work in this project. But please when you do the sequel remember that Superman is like no other epic hero. He is the HEART of our pantheon of heroes. He is the center of all branches and roots. He is not the peak, he is the base. Let him grow slower and more in contradictory details. Don’t just rush him into adventure and action. And if you let him live more in between other humans, we will feel at ease more around this alien. Yes, I know that this movie is good and well-thought. You will say that. And it is true, I liked it overall. But this comes more from the fact that Superman is our hero, our legend, our shining star after which we will live our lives in attempts to do the right thing for ourselves, for our families, for our society and for the future of all things in the never ending flow of time.