With "Zack Snyder's Justice League" coming out next week, it's time I review the two previous films of his proposed five-film saga that hopefully has a chance to be resurrected. Although the first film to the DCEU made plenty of money during its run and on home media, it was a very polarizing film for both fans and critics with some thinking Snyder's vision is brilliant while others thinking that it ruined the idea of Superman. Which side is the correct one? Well, let's start off at the story. As Krypton meets its impending doom as its core explodes, Jor-El send his newborn son and the key to save his people onto Earth so he can make his own choices and freedom. Years and years pass as Kal-El/Clark Kent is struggling to learn who he is and whether or not he should reveal his gifts and abilities to the planet. Despite a nosy reporter named Lois Lane almost catching his story, the world learns of alien life as fellow Krptonians, General Zod and his followers demand that Kal-El surrender himself to them as he seeks the key that can repopulate their people, while also planning to turn Earth into the new Krypton, despite Clark's love for Earth and their people. I think the story itself is quite good for being both the origin for Superman and a stand-alone introduction to the DCEU as it mostly focuses on Clark's humanity and self-discovery with not much action being shown until the third act. While the film itself is criticized for being way too long, I wasn't bored at all as I felt that things were quite well paced. It also helps that the film offers some nice themes of freedom and choice vs. destiny and duty. The tone is where things get complicated as a lot of people hated the lack of fun, hope, or humour involved in the film. True, this isn't the typical Marvel movie with countless one-liners and charismatic characters, but that was the point. This film doesn't depict the Superman we know from the comics yet, but rather one who is inexperienced and growing as a hero and a person. It's a great breath of fresh air for the character and story as it's not just a perfect boy scout who knows the right thing to do.
Henry Cavill as Superman is great casting for this depiction of the comic character. Yes, he's not acting super cheerful and optimistic in the film, but Cavill really works at bringing this larger-than-life character down to earth as he questions when he should reveal himself to the world or what is the right thing to do. However, Micheal Shannon as Zod outshines Cavill as the compelling antagonist. While he can be over-the-top at times, Shannon knows how to both make a threatening aura and a man who's sole creation is to protect his people and planet, even if it means destroying Earth to succeed in it. Amy Adams as Lois Lane is underwhelming as the love interest. They did the best they can in updating the character for the modern era and Adams does do the part fine, but I just can't get compelled by her, perhaps due to how the story has her be involved quite heavily in the third act. The side characters on the other hand are fantastically performed. From Kevin Costner's Jonathan Kent, Diane Lane's Martha Kent, Laurence Fishbourne as Perry White, Ayetlet Zurer as Faora, Harry Lennix as General Swanwick, and Kurt Russell as Jor-El, the side cast is stunning in their performances and characters. There are minor characters such as the military figures and scientists from both Earth and Krypton, the Daily Planet employees, Pete Ross, as well as Kal-El's mother, but their roles are so minor and forgettable that they should have cut out to improve the runtime for the majority of viewers. Regardless, all of the actors are great and while there are a few characters I can't get into, they are overshadowed by the ones I do like, with Cavill and Shannon offering the best performances of the film.
Zack Snyder is a divisive director as many critics claim that he only cares for action and visuals rather than actual stories and characters with depth. However, as I just went over with the story and characters, Snyder clearly cares for the story and characters and his trademark visuals and action only enhances the film to its highest potential. While it's not his most colourful film in his catalogue or one that has his most exaggerated direction, Snyder does a good job at trying to portray a realistic world having their encounters with Superman and Zod. The cinematography by Amir Mokri is good, but is a double-edged sword in execution. What works about it is that it really tries at making this film feel so realistic with its use of handheld camera movements and zoom-ins and outs, as if an outsider is witnessing these events firsthand. However, it can be pretty silly and annoying at times to see these zoom lens shots and lens flairs when the scene feels like no person could truly film it, with examples being the Krypton sequence or Clark entering Zod's ship. Despite this issue, Mokri's work is effective for the direction Snyder is going for. The score by Hans Zimmer might be his best contributions to the superhero genre with the music attached to Clark's first flight being both awesome and beautiful. Zimmer hits the dramatic and epic feel that the film is going for with both instrumental and choir tracks setting the mood and atmosphere for each scene. The visual effects still hold up great, even almost a decade later. While the final fight between Superman and Zod can get hectic with the effects, the CGI is extremely polished, which makes sense given the film's budget and Snyder's calculative direction. The action sequences are both the film's highlights and its source of controversy. While the film is light on action for the first two acts, the third act pays off your patience with some of the most kinetic and epic brawls of the DCEU. Yeah, it's mainly just people punching and throwing each other into buildings and stuff, but you can just feel the impact of each hit and it's just cool seeing people on the same level of power being at odds with one another. However, there are criticisms with the third act action sequences. For one, people hate that Superman costs so much destruction in both Smallville and Metropolis and that he wouldn't be so reckless in these fights. Not only is this complaint invalid due to how the comics and animated films depict his fights to be similar in scale, but it's not Superman's fault when aliens of equal strength are throwing him all over the place. The other and most divisive complaint is the moment where Superman is forced to kill Zod. People will try to complain about how there were different options or methods, but the film makes it clear that Zod was going to kill more and more people if Superman won't stop him. On top of this, this film isn't supposed to be the end of Clark's arc to become the hopeful and justice-fuelled hero from the comics. This was a first step in a multi-film journey that, yes, ends poorly with Zod's death, but it's the idea that he will enforce the no-killing rule from now on (save for that terrorist in the beginning of "BVS").
"Man of Steel" is retroactively not only a great Superman film, but probably the best DCEU film to date. While I'm not a fan of Lois and a few other characters, along with the awkward zoom-ins and lens flairs, that's honestly all the issues the film has. The story is an interesting and different approach to the Superman mythos, the tone is appropriate for the story and character journey, Cavill as Superman offers a humble performance that humanizes the indestructible figure, Shannon kills it as the violent and determined Zod, the side characters are enjoyable and very well-acted in their respective scenes, Mokri's cinematography works at having a grounded yet cinematic approach as if scenes were live footage, Zimmer's score is one of the best and memorable he has composed, the visual effects are still extremely good and barely come across as dated or bad, the action sequences are fun to watch that truly capture the nature of Superman as a combatant, and Snyder's direction is brilliantly captured by his vision to make the most legendary comic-book character modernized into the real world and having said world be bystanders to what is to come. Love him or hate him, Snyder knew exactly what he was doing for this film and it remains as his best film to date as a result.
Verdict: 9/10. Nearly one of the best superhero films, if some characters or Snyder motifs can be tuned down or cut down. Otherwise, it's frankly the best Superman film, besting out the 1978 classic.
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