On the
evidence of Man Of Steel there is no
reason to believe director Zach Snyder has done any growing up. His dark modern
take on the Superman franchise is so concerned with its own immensity that
amongst the onslaught of CGI spectacle and mushy mid-west Americana anything
relatable is lost.
We
begin a little earlier than previous films with Krypton on the brink of
destruction and the Machiavellian General Zodd (the great stone faced Michael
Shannon) attempting to save his race by purging the lesser bloodlines. The new
born Kal-El -soon to be Clark Kent- is sent to Earth by father Jor-El (Russell
Crowe in full Shakespearian mode) with the hopes of his people hidden on board.
From here we skip to a brooding older Kent (Henry Cavill) trying to find his
way and keep his abilities somewhat under-wraps
while a series of flashbacks build his mythology before a scorned Zodd returns
to exact revenge.
Dark Knight scribe David S Goyer takes
up writing duties with Chris Nolan’s Syncopy productions pulling some strings
in an attempt to continue the gritty universe of Nolan’s hugely successful
Batman series. Sadly the end product feels miles away from Gotham city. As far
as event cinema goes Man Of Steel commits
a cardinal sin of sorts, as unlike the slick Noir of Nolan’s films, it just
doesn’t look all that good. A metallic colour pallet of greys and blues
combined with some shaky Bourne style camerawork- both of which are blurred
considerably by the post produced 3D- results in a finale so difficult to
decipher it might make Michael Bay blush.
Snyder
simply fails to provide any humanity to anchor these scenes. One of Superman’s charms was the earnest rapport
he has with his adoptive race but the only real glimpse we get of this-with
Lois Lane (the ever-affable Amy Adams) in a military interrogation room- lasts
for little more than a minute. A lighter touch just wouldn’t fit with the execs
over in Warner Bros and their gritty DC dream. The moneymen seem desperate to
kick-start a Justice League series and while Snyder’s film is far from
deserving of spawning such a project, if and when the big bucks come in there
will be little left to stop them. Sighs all round. 
