One of the prides of Hollywood for this year was the re-brand of Siegel and Shuster’s original Superman, the crime fighting, family oriented country boy from outer space possessing an array of superpowers. The promise that was given to its fans was that we would see a side to the superhero that we had never seen before. And for sure, I admit, I did see this side come through. That is, the exploration of his birth parents’ origins in Krypton – the advanced yet desolate world annihilated apparently because of Kal-El’s escape to Planet Earth.
Spending about twenty minutes in this world establishing the conflicting politics of the foreign culture, I had an inkling that this was going to be different, that I was actually going to witness something humane (ironically speaking). Capturing the story through a series of flashbacks, we are provided with the major life-changing moments in Clark’s life that made him the selfless man we know him to be.
However, what I didn’t see coming was the film maker’s lack of trust with his audience that we would be content with the emotional and spiritual aspects of Clark’s life. As with any heroic films (or any other films for that matter), there is a villain. In this case, he is in the form of Clark’s father’s old rival, seeking the ‘key’ to making a new Krypton. We are then hit in the face with blow-by-blow action sequences that never seemed to find a conclusion. Entertainment through the breaking of windows, smashing of buildings…oh and the near-destruction of New York (I meant Metropolis), I find myself being treated like a child who is amazed by petty lights and sounds shows instead of something more deep, more spiritually challenging. The film constantly questions the extent of the superhero’s vulnerability as he is thrown about like a doll by a child in tantrum. From being curious and actually entertained, I became bored and could not wait for the film to actually finish.
Mind you, I do believe that Henry Cavill was an excellent actor to play the iconic character. Well-built and with enough scruff to make the ladies salivate and men envious, he has the qualities of the Superman we all grew up with. I can’t help but think, however, that the overall plot failed the fans, with the film maker resorting back to frivolous firework displays. I quite enjoyed Monster University, though…at least more than this film.