Wednesday 19 June 2013

Man of Steel


I'm going to go out on a limb here and declare this as the best film of the summer. I may even go further and declare this the best superhero film I've seen. This may come as a surprise because critics have not been kind to this film. It currently has a 56% splatter rate on rotten tomatoes, but an 8.1/10 on imdb, which goes to show that critics have completely lost their footing in reality.


One of the main complaints from critics is that the film lacks joy and humour. Man of Steel is directed by Zac Snyder and produced by Chris Nolan, director of the Dark Knight trilogy. Does anyone remember laughing in the Dark Knight films? I don't. And yet no one complained about the lack of humour in those dark films. I think what's happening is that critics have become so used to Marvel's take on superhero films they have come to expect the same from others. In the Marvel universe there is more colour, more humour, more opportunity for some light-hearted banter. With DC things are a little darker, more bleak. Batman's struggles were always as internal as they were external. We had to watch him fall before we could watch him rise. 


In Man of Steel Clark (Henry Cavill) is struggling to align the two sides of himself. He is both alien and human, alien in the sense that he is not of this world, but human in his morality, his connection to the Earth. He is however an outsider, always has been. He uses his abilities to help those in peril, but does so anonymously, hiding his true self in fear of how people will react. Clark may be practically indestructible but he has one very human desire: to be accepted. 


The film is not told in a linear form, rather it goes between present and past, creating an in-depth look at how Clark came to be the man he is today. Like the Dark Knight trilogy, it allows the audience some breathing space, doesn't throw in a lot of exposition and instead lets the story flow in its own way. This means that some questions pondered earlier in the film aren't answered until later, keeping audiences engaged. It sounds like a simple thing, but so few films do this, giving too much away too soon.


Cavill is perfect as Clark. He embodies the man of steel and brings a vulnerability to the role. Amy Adams is refreshing as Lois Lane. She is not overly sexualized and is allowed room to be a character and not just someone the hero has to save. Michael Shannon is at first a little overwhelming as General Zod, but it soon becomes natural to the character. He sure does love to yell a lot. Russell Crowe has a bigger role as Jor-El than I anticipated, and this is a good thing. Kevin Costner is well cast in the role of Jonathan Kent, showing both the fear and pride he feels for his son. 


The score is done by Hans Zimmer and deserves its own review because it's fantastic. With the epic fight scenes throughout the film the score adds tension and emotion, particularly in one scene near the end where, between you and me, there may have been some tears in my eyes. 


I really can't express enough how much you need to a) ignore the negative reviews and b) go see this film. As much as I love the Marvel films, I would be more than happy if superhero films of the future were to become more like Man of Steel. The beauty is that we can have both: the joy and humour of Marvel and the darker journeys of DC characters. It's a big bad universe out there, and there's plenty of room for all. 

Star Trek Into Darkness

You've done it again J.J Abrams.


I remember seeing, and being blown away by the 2009 Star Trek film. It was such a fun, fast-paced adventure ride. Years went by and no sequel appeared, which in Hollywood is a bit of an anomaly. Most of the time sequels are completely unwanted and unwelcome. For Star Trek however it felt like a void, a black hole, that perhaps it had been lost in a warp speed gone wrong. Four years later however Abrams gave us what we all wanted. The long awaited sequel: Star Trek Into Darkness.



The film practically picks up where we left off. Captain James Kirk (Chris Pine) and his crew are aboard the Enterprise, boldly going where they probably shouldn't. The film starts off in the middle of a rescue mission gone wrong. Spock (Zachary Quinto) is in danger. Kirk refuses to let his friend die. And so the Enterprise goes against regulations in order to save him. This doesn't go down well with their superior Pike (Bruce Greenwood). Kirk loses the Enterprise and Spock is transferred to another ship. However the arrival of John Harrison (Benedict Cumberbatch) spins everything out of control, and before long Kirk and Spock are back where they belong, on the Enterprise, chasing the enigmatic Harrison.


The big *spoiler* of course is that Harrison is actually the great nemesis Khan. He is smarter, faster, stronger, and extremely difficult to defeat. He has little care for humans and wants the return of his own people. Cumberbatch does a fantastic job in this role. Propelled into stardom from his work in BBC's Sherlock, Cumberbatch has proven himself to be a talented, engaging and charismatic actor.


The most important relationship in Star Trek is of course the bromance between Kirk and Spock. It is arguably the best bromance in film and TV (with Sherlock and Watson a close second). Both Pine and Quinto play their characters with such ease; the chemistry is natural and undeniable, leading one to wonder the types of fan fiction circling around the webesphere. Fans of the 1982 film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan will notice that an important scene in the film is reworked in Into Darkness putting Kirk is Spock's place.


What I really enjoy about this film is the way it follows on from the 2009 one. You could watch them back to back and it would feel like one epic film. Abrams stays true to the characters, allowing the space for connections to be made, whilst also sending the audience on a 132 minute thrill ride. We may have had to wait four years for this sequel, but it was well worth the wait. Let's just hope the next one comes sooner.