Monday, June 17, 2013

Superman Re-booted.

A world in shreds, tearing itself apart. Civil war and unrest as well as geological destruction taking place. Planet Krypton is about to be destroyed and the characters of Jor-El (Superman's biological father) & General Zod are set in a blink of an eye. The Man of Steel begins with the origins of 'Superman' or 'Clark Kent' or 'Kal-El' and almost instantly goes from how he was born to who he is today. The non-linear story-line combined with Nolan's typically characterized complex narrative structure of film-making makes the 'Man of Steel' an interesting watch by keeping you on the edge as you keep discovering new aspects of Clark Kent.

Christopher Nolan's morally ambiguous characterization comes into play with General Zod played by Michael Shannon, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Revolutionary Road and is also part of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire. But not necessarily with Clark Kent aka Superman who epitomizes goodness.

Superman is rebooted with this film in a more modern context. Although the Superman costume does look a little different sans the red underwear on the outside its more than just a costume. Most of all the 'S' for superman symbolizes hope and is the symbol of the house of 'El' (Superman's family). It's actually just shy of genius how David S. Goyer (the writer) has successfully melded modern mentality and the archaic design style of Superman into a cohesive thought. Everything that is has a reason and there are almost no flaws left in the plot.

Zach Snyder definitely proves that he has an innate aptitude for dealing with superheroes as real people with real problems as shown in the Watchmen. In the Man of Steel, Superman actually earns the name of SUPER - MAN. Because in the end even if you are of alien origin, its your beliefs that make you the man that you are.