MAN OF STEEL: CFQ Spotlight Podcast 4:24

Superman (Henry Cavill) goes along with our silly earth games in MAN OF STEEL.
Superman (Henry Cavill) goes along with our silly earth games in MAN OF STEEL.

Like the clash of demigods fallen to earth after the destruction of their home world, it was going to be glorious. Because of scheduling issues, Cinefantastique Online’s Steve Biodrowski and Dan Persons started their discussion of Zack Snyder’s MAN OF STEEL early, to be joined by Lawrence French at the usual start time. But thanks to the Miracle of Technology, the part of the discussion that preceded Larry’s arrival was lost, much like the noble civilization extinguished too soon by worldwide calamity, only to bequeath its one, last son to our lowly planet, sent to help humanity realize the greatness within it. Or are we over-dramatizing this thing, not unlike the way a certain director did with this weekend’s box office hit?
Never you mind. Even lacking the lost audio, our exploration of MAN OF STEEL remains wide-ranging and revelatory, well worth a listen. Then: Steve delivers his snap judgements of THIS IS THE END and HATCHET III, and Dan lets you know what’s coming to theaters this week.

Man of Steel: alien anchor baby makes good

Superman soars - briefly. The film seldom does.
Superman soars - briefly. The film seldom does.

Nolan, Snyder, and Goyer ground Superman in reality. But when something is grounded, can you expect it to soar?

If you want to know all you need to know about MAN OF STEEL in just over three minutes, Hans Zimmer’s theme music is a perfect synecdoche – a small part that effectively stands for the whole. Beginning with a delicate piano motif, the cue soon swells larger, with rhythmic percussion and strings building to a powerful crescendo of undeniable power – which somehow never finds a soaring melody that will lift the music off the ground and send it into the stratosphere.
The problem, you see, is that producer Christopher Nolan, director Zack Snyder, and writer David S. Goyer have grounded the new Superman in reality. And when something is grounded, you can hardly expect it to soar.

ANGST AND ALIEN ANCHOR BABIES

Although most of elements are familiar (Krypton, the Daily Planet, Smallville, etc), MAN OF STEEL attempts a radical recreation that consists of discarding any reverence, any sense of comic book escapism, in favor of approaching the material as if it were something new – if by “new” you mean something that hews closely to the blockbuster superhero science fiction genre of the past few years, with a dour sense of angst that makes television’s SMALLVILLE look like a frat-boy comedy by comparison.

An alien ship gives Clark a clue to his true identity
An alien ship gives Clark a clue to his true identity

The approach pays appreciable dividends: it’s not as if anybody is going to miss the comic relief antics of SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE’s Otis and Miss Teschmacher, and it’s always nice to see a little dramatic weight added to the familiar framework. MAN OF STEEL is not just about super-heroics; it is about the alien Kal-El finding himself and his place on his adoptive world of Earth. In a sense, it is the ultimate story of an alien anchor baby who makes good, earning his place among the natives.

REALITY VS. FANTASY: THERE ARE NO WINNERS

There are, however, two problems with this approach. One is fundamental to the nature of the source material. The other is a failure of artistic vision – or, perhaps, never.
PROBLEM #1: No matter how much Snyder and company try (and they do), MAN OF STEEL can never truly ground the Superman story in a completely convincing sense of verisimilitude. This is not even a piece of hard science fiction; it is a fantasy in which some Kryptonian rebels are sentenced to the Phantom Zone, which conveniently saves them from the apocalypse that befalls their planet.

The Kryptonian rebels reappear with the inevitability of movie logic.
The Kryptonian rebels reappear with the inevitability of movie logic.

Meanwhile, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) has sent his son Kal-El (Henry Cavill to Earth), where he tries to keep a low profile. Coincidentally, just as the cat is start to come out of Schrodinger’s box, the Kryptonian rebels, led by General Zod (Michael Shannon) show up; with all the planets in all the galaxies, it took only thirty-three years to cross countless light years of space and find their way to Earth at exactly the crucial turning point in Kal-El’s life. And needless to say, although their ship was intended as a prison, it has more than enough alien weaponry to make INDEPENDENCE DAY look like a trip to Disneyland.
In case I have not made my point clear, let me spell it out: this is a movie in which certain generic elements, whether or not they are believable or scientifically plausible, must play out in a certain way, because that is the movie we paid to see. Call it movie logic, dream logic, or comic book logic, it’s gotta happen, and there’s no way it will ever seem really “real.”
PROBLEM #2: “Grounding a story in reality” is a gambit. You lose some of the fun of indulging in a safe, enjoyable fantasy. What you get in return is the gravitas that comes from playing the previously safe formula as if their are now serious stakes involved, with life-and-death situations no longer pitched at the level of kids playing shoot-em-up in the backyard but more akin to a real-life tragedy witnessed on television or – worse yet – up close in person.
I’m not sure this path is the right one for the Man of Steel. It works for Batman in the Christopher Nolan films because Batman is, after all, the Dark Knight – it literally says right in his nickname that his proper tone is dark. This approach also works for James Bond in the Daniel Craig films, because 007 is a spy doing dirty work in a dangerous world; jettisoning the escapism and camp brings the character to a fuller realization of what he should be.
This approach does not necessarily work for Superman, who was always a boy scout fighting for truth, justice, and the American way. Superman is a fantasy, an ideal – not a reality or anything even approaching reality, unlike Batman and Bond, who are mortals (even if extraordinarily well-equipped and skilled mortals).
However, giving Nolan, Snyder, and Goyer their due, their approach could have worked – if they had stayed true to it. But they refuse to go all the way. Where do they stop short? Collateral freakin’ damage – that’s where.
Superman (Henry Cavill) prepares to confront Zod amid the ruins of Metropolis.

When Superman throws down with Zod on the streets of Smallville, he doesn’t seem particularly concerned with the damage he is causing, and the film simply assumes that it is only property damage, as if there were no chance their might be human beings in the buildings that are being pierced and punctured by a pair of superhuman Kryptonians blasting through like cannonballs.
In the later battle in Metropolis, the sheer scale of destruction suggests the inevitability of casualties, but these do not weigh heavily on Superman’s mind, nor do the filmmakers expect us to care much, either (until it becomes a plot point, and then it’s a big deal only because it forces Superman to get his hands a little dirty). In fact, this is so far off the radar that, in spite of some lip-service threats from the villains (“for every one you save, we will kill a million”), Zod and company never actually use hostages under a death threat to blackmail Superman into surrendering.
You have to give the script credit for kinda, sorta almost giving us a reason why Lois has to be on the plane flying into danger.
You have to give the script credit for kinda, sorta almost giving us a reason why Lois has to be on the plane flying into danger.

Up until then, we are in the familiar movie-movie world, in which the only lives that matter are those of the audience identification figures – in this case, Lois Lane (Amy Adams) who despite being rather resourceful and not particularly helpless, manages to fall out of an airplane, so that everyone else on board can die in a crash while she is saved from a precipitous fall by the inevitable arrival of the Man of Steel.
By the way, did I mention that the airplane is carrying a weapon that will destroy Zod’s ship, but there is one of those unexpected last-minute hurdles that are supposed to juice up the suspense. This is a particularly lazy one: the Kryptonian control stick (essentially an alien flash drive) that is supposed to slide into a slot, doesn’t, but exactly what’s wrong is never explained, and the solution to the problem is hardly more sophisticated than banging on a TV set.
In short, it’s a moment that is there because it was expected to be there, not because anybody cared enough to come up with something interesting. Which would be fine in a comic book movie with its tongue in its cheek, asking us all to sit back and have fun. It’s not so fine in a film that is asking to be taken very seriously.

THE RULES OF SUPERPOWERS: THERE ARE NO RULES

Jor-El tells his wife – and by extension, us – that the radiation of Earth’s young yellow Sun will be absorbed by Kal-El, making him strong as he grows up in this alien environment; he also tells us that Earth’s atmosphere is a little more nourishing that Krypton’s.
So, fine, Kal-El sucks up solar energy for thirty-three years, and it makes him really super. Then he steps aboard Zod’s spaceship and immediately loses his powers because he is breathing Kryptonian air (which we are now told will not support Earth life).
Uh, huh? So the sun didn’t really have much to do with it after all?

Zod (Michael Shannon) learns to use heat vision rather quickly.
Zod (Michael Shannon) learns to use heat vision rather quickly.

Also, Zod and his minions (including Antje Trau as Faora) are instantaneously as strong as Superman. Not only that, they immediately know how to use their new superpowers as if they were born with them.
So I guess, soaking up solar radiation and testing his powers for thirty-three years did give the Man of Steel much of an edge.
This becomes particularly amusing when Zod brags that he, unlike Kal-El, has trained as a warrior all his life, as if this will give him an advantage in their fight to the finish. I’m not sure how training in weapons or even in hand-to-hand combat is going to prepare you for flying at super-speed and tossing opponents through buildings. Knowing how to block a right cross while delivering an upper-cut simply is not going to help you much when your opponent flies into with the speed of a bullet and the power of a locomotive.

KAL-EL: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE GOD – OR AT LEAST THE SON OF…

Despite these mis-steps, and an overabundance of action for attention-deficit viewers, MAN OF STEEL understands the mythic proportions of the Superman story. As much as the film tries to portray Kal-El as a man trying to find his way, he is much more than that – not just a superman but a savior of mankind, someone who will not solve all our problems but will set a shining example to be followed.
The Christ parallels have always been there (the son sent down from the heavens), but MAN OF STEEL pushes them further than before, specifically making Kal-El thirty-three (the age at which Jesus started his public ministry) and even placing him in a church when he has a crucial decision to make, a stain-glass window of Jesus behind him, as he weighs the wisdom of sacrificing himself.
Cavill is an excellent Kal-El – totally different from Christopher Reeve, somber without projecting self-pity, serious and thoughtful (and unfortunately, without the clear demarcation between the Clark Kent and Superman personas). For a character who seems strong enough to carry any burden, Cavill somehow manages to convey the weight pressing on his character’s shoulders, especially when Zod’s relentless hostility, which allows no room for surrender, forces a life-or-death choice upon the formerly innocent Kryptonian.

Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) has a heart to heart with Clark about his alien origin.
Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) has a heart to heart with Clark about his alien origin.

The rest of the cast is almost equally good, especially Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent. The other stand-out role, of course, is Zod, which Shannon embodies with power and authority but without the operatic grandeur that such a large-than-life malevolent force should convey.
As Lois, Adams ditches Margot Kidder’s wackiness in favor of a cool professionalism that does not preclude a certain hint of romantic interest in her “rescuer” (as she initially calls him, before learning his identity). Hopefully, any sequels will explore the romantic repartee between Lois and Clark.

CONCLUSION

Russel Crowe briefly wonders whether he wandered into a Star Wars movie.
Russel Crowe briefly wonders whether he wandered into a Star Wars movie.

MAN OF STEEL contains more than enough supersonic action to fill not only a superhero movie but also an alien invasion movie and a planetary romance as well (there is something Barsoomian about Krypton, with Jor-El riding a winged, reptilian steed). The special effects are often outstanding; although the high-speed blur is somewhat over-used, diminishing the effect of the fights, the scenes still pack more punch than the battle from SUPERMAN 2 (1981), which too often had an almost Peter Pan-look to its aerial altercations.
More impressive than the bang-boom-bash, however, is the way that the flashback structure (we initially skip Clark’s early years, glimpsing them in bits and pieces later) allows for occasional quiet, dramatic moments that help make sense of the action, providing a clear sense of the formative experiences that have brought the character to the moment when he must finally stand up and bring those past lessons to fruition.
In moments like these, the grounded reality pays off; the action seems a bit more than spectacle – more a test of character on a spectacular level.
Now if only the film had found a way to add this gravitas without allowing the gravity to pull its hero so close to Earth. Superman needs to soar – like a bird, like a plane – breaking not just the law of gravity but also the sense of mundane reality. If you sense something missing in MAN OF STEEL, it is this: a Sense of Wonder.
Update: In the first draft, I neglected to mention that the post-production 3D conversion works very well. The look is almost natural – i.e., not distracting – during the quieter scenes. And of course, it magnifies the impact of the special effects sequences to magnificent proportions.
[rating=3]
On the CFQ Scale of zero to five stars
New Man of Steel PosterMAN OF STEEL (Warner Brothers: June 14, 2013). Produced by Christopher Nolan. Directed by Zack Snyder. Written by David S. Goyer, from a story by Nolan & Goyer, based on characters created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Raged PG-13. Running time: 143 minutes. Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni, Kevin Costner, Ayelet Zurer, Laurence Fishburne.

Man of Steel 58% rotten on tomato-meter

Man of Steel Superman with soldiers
Film critics escort Man of Steel to the "rotten" jail.

Two days ago I noted that MAN OF STEEL had an impressive 84% rating among critics at Rotten Tomatoes. Since then, more reviews have come in, and the rating has plummeted to 58%, moving the film out of the “fresh” category into the “rotten” designation. Statistically, it is not immensely surprising that the early average rating would be somewhat volatile – it takes a while for enough reviews to be averaged together to give a broad consensus – but it is remarkable that almost all of the trend has been in the negative direction, creating a 26% drop in two days.
Perhaps later reviewers have been over-reacting against the early positive reviews. Perhaps more traditional fans of Superman are getting a glimpse of the rebooted version and not liking what they see. Personally, I found MAN OF STEEL to be a mixed bag, but on balance the strengths outweigh the weaknesses. No doubt the film will still be a superhero at the box office, but what initially looked like a triumph that would silence naysayers and skeptics, now seems to be a bit more polarizing.

Here’s What’s Going On 06/13/2013: A Glimpse Inside MAN OF STEEL

Zack Snyder digs shooting on location… Henry Cavill loves his super-suit… Michael Shannon really appreciates Henry Cavill… We look into the creation of the eagerly-awaited reboot of the Superman franchise.
From the luxurious Cinefantastique Online studios in NYC, Dan Persons brings you up-to-date on what’s happening in the world of genre media.

FULL-SIZE VIDEO BELOW

Here's What's Going On 06/12/2013: Pics from the Next HOBBIT Film

THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG gets new elves and rampaging orcs… Steel yourself for more MAN OF STEEL… Let’s go looking for the ALIEN UPRISING…
From the luxurious Cinefantastique Online studios in NYC, Dan Persons brings you up-to-date on what’s happening in the world of genre media.

bilbo with sword pointed down
Martin Freeman as Bilbo

female elf
Evangeline Lilly as Tauriel, a new character created for the film.

gandalf
Ian McKellen as Gandalf

legolas
Orlando Bloom as Legolas

monster
Azog, the Orc chieftan

hobbit desolation
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG
THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG

Man of Steel featurette

This promotional featurette from the Warner Brothers Superman reboot includes interviews with Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Laurence Fishburne, Russell Crowe, Kevin Costner, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, producer Charles Roven, screenwriter David S. Goyer, and director Zack Snyder. It’s standard fare for this type of thing – an extended commercial posing as a documentary – but it does provide a glimpse into the approach that the filmmakers took to the enduring icon, attempting to ground the Man of Steel in something resembling a recognizable reality.

Man of Steel featurette

Man of Steel promotional artwork

MAN OF STEEL promo art of Superman flying

Man of Steel currently 84% on the Tomato-meter (updated)

MAN OF STEEL Superman artworkEarly reviews and audience reactions to MAN OF STEEL, the reboot of Warner Brothers’ Superman franchise, have been overwhelmingly positive: critics rate the film at 84%; audiences rate the film at 97%.
Says Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter:

To the oft-asked question of whether or not the world is really starving for yet another superhero origin story, Man of Steel simply responds by serving up what could be as much spectacle and action — minute-by-minute, frame-by-frame — as any movie anyone could think of. Zack Snyder’s huge, backstory-heavy extravaganza is a rehab job that perhaps didn’t cry out to be done but proves so overwhelmingly insistent in its size and strength that it’s hard not to give in.

Variety’s Scott Foundas, on the other hand, was considerably more critical, calling the film a humorless and relentlessly noisy drag.
Update: As of Wednesday, June 11, the tomato-meter rating had dropped to 66% – still fresh but not overwhelmingly so.

Man of Steel: Trailer #5

There is nothing wrong with your television set – or you computer, iPod, laptop, whatever. The is fifth trailer from MAN OF STEEL, and it is supposed to look like an interrupted transmission.
Warner Brothers releases the PG-13 science-fiction film on June 14. Producer: Christopher Nolan. Director: Zack Snyder. Writer: David S. Goyer. Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni.
Watch a larger version of the video below, or click through the YouTube link.

Man of Steel: Trailer #4

The fourth trailer from MAN OF STEEL. Warner Brothers releases the PG-13 science-fiction film on June 14. Producer: Christopher Nolan. Director: Zack Snyder. Writer: David S. Goyer. Cast: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Kevin Costner, Diane Lane, Russell Crowe, Laurence Fishburne, Antje Traue, Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff, Christopher Meloni.

Man of Steel photo gallery

Man of Steel superman in actionThis week, Warner Brothers released enough photos from the upcoming MAN OF STEEL to fill the Fortress of Solitude and more. The studio is clearly hoping to erase any lingering memory of the disappointing (though not truly awful) SUPERMAN RETURNS in favor of reaching back to epic scope and grandeur that fans still associate with SUPERMAN: THE MOVIE (1978). Will the creative combo of producer Christopher Nolan, director Zack Snyder, and screenwriter David S. Goyer take the famous character created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster and reboot him for a new generation of film-goers? Here’s hoping!
MAN OF STEEL opens nationwide on June 14.
MAN OF STEEL producer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder
MAN OF STEEL Russell Crow with Ayelet Zurer as Lara Lor-Van
MAN OF STEEL Antje Traue as Faora and Michael Shannon as Zod
MAN OF STEEL Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as Ma and Pa Kent
MAN OF STEEL Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Amy Adams as Lois Lane
MAN OF STEEL
MAN OF STEEL Henry Cavil as a bearded Clark Kent
MAN OF STEEL Henry Cavill as Clark Kent, on the family farm
Man of Steel Superman with soldiers
MAN OF STEEL Henry Cavill, Zack Snyder, Kevin Costner
MAN OF STEEL Clark Kent in the Fortress of Solitutde
MAN OF STEEL Russell Crow, Henry Cavill
MAN OF STEEL Superman above Earth
MAN OF STEEL Superman at super speed
MAN OF STEEL Superman flying
Man of Steel Superman surrounded by helicopers
MAN OF STEEL Superman backed by the military
MAN OF STEEL Zod on the attack
MAN OF STEEL Zod almost seems to be Hulking out
MAN OF STEEL Zod commands
MAN OF STEEL Amy Adams, Henry Cavill, Antje Traue
MAN OF STEEL Antje Traue as Faora
MAN OF STEEL Faora is not happy
MAN OF STEEL Michael Shannon as Zod
MAN OF STEEL Jor-El before the council
MAN OF STEEL Russell Crow as Jor-El
MAN OF STEEL Russell Crow as Jor-El watches the destruction of Krypton
MAN OF STEEL Amy Adams as Lois Lane
MAN OF STEEL Amy Adams steps into Perry White's office
MAN OF STEEL Amy Adams and Christopher Meloni
MAN OF STEEL Laurence Fishburne as Perry White
MAN OF STEEL Laurence Fishburne as Perry White, Rebecca Buller as Jenny (!) Olsen
MAN OF STEEL a father-son talk beteen Jonathan Kent and Clark
MAN OF STEEL Jonathan Kent (Kevin Costner) reveals the spaceship that brought Kal-El (Dylan Sprayberry) to Earth
MAN OF STEEL the young Clark Kent (Dylan Sprayberry) rescues a bus
MAN OF STEEL Cooper Timberline as the even younger Clark Kent
MAN OF STEEL Harry Lennix, Richard Schiff
MAN OF STEEL Zack Snyder shows video playback to Henry Cavill
Here is some older, previously released artwork from MAN OF STEEL:
MAN OF STEEL Superman artwork
MAN OF STEEL promo art of Superman flying
MAN OF STEEL Superman in handcuffs
MAN OF STEEL promo art Michael Shannon as Zod
MAN OF STEEL promo art Russell Crowe as Jor-El