Before I fell in love with Batman- thanks to Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale for that- I imagined myself as the Man Of Steel. Yes, with my chunky prescription glasses and my mild-mannered, introvert nature at school, I could have been Clark Kent. And when back home, I used to slip into a bright blue T-shirt with a big red S emblazoned on its chest and, with my one arm stretched and a spit curl on my forehead, I would zoom from one place to another.
Indeed, Superman, making a legendary comic book debut back in 1938, is the original Hero among heroes and it has to do with his larger-than-life origins, making even a referential presence in Salman Rushdie's magnum opus 'Midnight's Children'. Bruce Wayne was the orphaned millionaire vowing solemnly to fight crime; Peter Parker was the teen with raging hormones who got bitten by a radioactive spider. And as for the ragtag team of Avengers Assemble or the X-Men, they owe their origins to both history and mythology.
But Superman beats them all, when it comes to origins. The often-told story of how the idealistic father Jor-El sent his only son Kal-El away on a small rocket to Earth, moments before his home, the planet Krypton exploded, is nothing short of fascinating.
And right from those memorable Action Comics panels to the early TV series and movies and Richard Donner's 1978 Hollywood version- which is called sometimes the gold standard in superhero films- and its sequels down to the cheerful and humorous animated series on Cartoon Network, we have been handed the same S- bearing hero from Krypton and we have lapped up him gladly.
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Now, less than 24 hours from now, the highly anticipated reboot 'Man Of Steel' is all set to release amidst a lot of buzz and excitement. Marketed as a Warner Bros. summer blockbuster, this film already has a lot going for it. It has a new face above the red and blue outfit (even the outfit is no longer that red or blue). Henry Cavill makes for a gritty and masculine Superman who seems like a good change from the smile-happy blue-eyed Christopher Reeve and the confident-but-unremarkable Brandon Routh. It is produced by the dynamic Christopher Nolan, who gave us the extraordinary Batman reboot as well. And yes, other than the ambitious product tie-ins, this also promises to be a darker twist on the original Superman myth and already its trailers are making a lot of noise. It has all the makings of a blockbuster.
And then, one cannot help but feel a reservation. Everything might work in the favor of this summer release. That is everything, except for the director. Zack Snyder, an honest comic-book buff at heart, is the man who is in charge of this loaded ship and despite 5 feature film outings, he has still to prove that his comic book enthusiasm translates into good filmmaking. After a fairly promising debut- a remake of a George Romero horror film, Snyder has mostly stumbled- there was the mindless, juvenile yet shockingly popular '300' a film that chose to chroma-key the legendary Frank Miller comic book of the 300 Spartans against the Persians and ended up making a bloody mess out of it. There was yet another graphic novel adaptation but this time it was a clearly impossible task- 'Watchmen' the movie falls short of being as legendary and seminal as its source- the Alan Moore epic that is considered as a classic. Then came two further forgettable outings- a dull animated venture about fighting owls and 'Sucker Punch', a flimsy tale of trigger-happy ill-clad gals fighting monsters. Clearly, Snyder's abilities are dubious. And it still remains a question whether he can prove his worth with this Superman outing.
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And he alone is not to be doubted. The script itself seems problematic, as does the original intention of a reboot. The story, as penned by David Goyer, who also worked on 'Batman Begins', is about the Man of Steel and his origins but it seems to be pitting the hero against the villains who also flew out of Krypton. Obviously, that means that Snyder and Goyer are mixing the 1978 movie with its 1980 sequel which was essentially more of an awkward romance between Lois and Clark, than a superhero movie. But that also means that we will not get to see what Donner's film, comics and animated series have always offered to us. Superman's biggest nemesis is, and will be, Lex Luthor, the maeglomaniac-cum-millionaire who feels threatened by Superman's fame.
If it had not been for Lex Luthor, the Kryptonian villains could not have come at all to Earth, right? It has always been Luthor who has used his wealth and influence to try and weed out Man Of Steel. And he is a compelling bad guy, nursing a grudge and desperate to win back his origina position. Gene Hackman played it memorably in Richard Donner's movie as well as the sequels, his performance wrapped up in the wig of campy enjoyment-yet he even removes it away to show his nasty side. And even Kevin Spacey made a stellar tribute with a Luthor who was creepy. Does this year's reboot has a Luthor? Regrettably, no.
Instead, there is the Krypton villain General Zod who seems to be pitted against Superman. And somehow, this means that Superman seems to be heading the territory of Thor. Like Thor, he is now against an alien from his own planet. And this gives Snyder and his actors plenty of excuses to indulge in some relentless battle of brawn, rather than battle of wits, as it happens between Superman and Luthor.
And then there is the dubious intention. In an age when superheroes are getting bigger and bigger, Snyder and Nolan seem to be more interested in cutting down the original charm and nailing Superman as a serious guy. It is all okay to address the concerns of alienation and loneliness- the prime issues that most supernatural heroes face but one should never forget having fun. It would work well for Batman, because he is after all a darker hero, more of a vigilante than a supernatural Messiah and Nolan delivered the much-needed realism and darkness to the series. But Superman is a different story. Here is a man who is confident, a man who can easily make tough metal bend, a man who can even make the Leaning Tower straight. To make things deliberately portentious is almost like robbing him of his characteristic charm. And Snyder should have known better.
Sure, it is fine to focus on issues but that requires an altogether separate project. A TV series called 'Lois and Clark' was a breezy look at the sparks between Lois Lane and Clark Kent. She tries to decipher his mystery, while he struggles to keep it hidden. Another TV series, 'Smallville' was mostly about Clark Kent's early days, learning to handle his powers at a young age. While it will be surely refreshing to see a slightly steelier Man Of Steel, the fear remains that it may end up becoming too serious.
So, will 'Man Of Steel' work? Will it really soar in the clouds and become a seminal blockbuster? Or will it go down as yet another messed up superhero origins flick, like Ang Lee's 'Hulk' or that terrible 'X-Men Origins- Wolverine'? We don't know yet. But yeah, one thing is sure. The beautiful and talented Amy Adams is just perfect as Lois Lane.
Indeed, Superman, making a legendary comic book debut back in 1938, is the original Hero among heroes and it has to do with his larger-than-life origins, making even a referential presence in Salman Rushdie's magnum opus 'Midnight's Children'. Bruce Wayne was the orphaned millionaire vowing solemnly to fight crime; Peter Parker was the teen with raging hormones who got bitten by a radioactive spider. And as for the ragtag team of Avengers Assemble or the X-Men, they owe their origins to both history and mythology.
But Superman beats them all, when it comes to origins. The often-told story of how the idealistic father Jor-El sent his only son Kal-El away on a small rocket to Earth, moments before his home, the planet Krypton exploded, is nothing short of fascinating.
And right from those memorable Action Comics panels to the early TV series and movies and Richard Donner's 1978 Hollywood version- which is called sometimes the gold standard in superhero films- and its sequels down to the cheerful and humorous animated series on Cartoon Network, we have been handed the same S- bearing hero from Krypton and we have lapped up him gladly.
.jpg)
Now, less than 24 hours from now, the highly anticipated reboot 'Man Of Steel' is all set to release amidst a lot of buzz and excitement. Marketed as a Warner Bros. summer blockbuster, this film already has a lot going for it. It has a new face above the red and blue outfit (even the outfit is no longer that red or blue). Henry Cavill makes for a gritty and masculine Superman who seems like a good change from the smile-happy blue-eyed Christopher Reeve and the confident-but-unremarkable Brandon Routh. It is produced by the dynamic Christopher Nolan, who gave us the extraordinary Batman reboot as well. And yes, other than the ambitious product tie-ins, this also promises to be a darker twist on the original Superman myth and already its trailers are making a lot of noise. It has all the makings of a blockbuster.
And then, one cannot help but feel a reservation. Everything might work in the favor of this summer release. That is everything, except for the director. Zack Snyder, an honest comic-book buff at heart, is the man who is in charge of this loaded ship and despite 5 feature film outings, he has still to prove that his comic book enthusiasm translates into good filmmaking. After a fairly promising debut- a remake of a George Romero horror film, Snyder has mostly stumbled- there was the mindless, juvenile yet shockingly popular '300' a film that chose to chroma-key the legendary Frank Miller comic book of the 300 Spartans against the Persians and ended up making a bloody mess out of it. There was yet another graphic novel adaptation but this time it was a clearly impossible task- 'Watchmen' the movie falls short of being as legendary and seminal as its source- the Alan Moore epic that is considered as a classic. Then came two further forgettable outings- a dull animated venture about fighting owls and 'Sucker Punch', a flimsy tale of trigger-happy ill-clad gals fighting monsters. Clearly, Snyder's abilities are dubious. And it still remains a question whether he can prove his worth with this Superman outing.
.jpg)
.jpg)
And he alone is not to be doubted. The script itself seems problematic, as does the original intention of a reboot. The story, as penned by David Goyer, who also worked on 'Batman Begins', is about the Man of Steel and his origins but it seems to be pitting the hero against the villains who also flew out of Krypton. Obviously, that means that Snyder and Goyer are mixing the 1978 movie with its 1980 sequel which was essentially more of an awkward romance between Lois and Clark, than a superhero movie. But that also means that we will not get to see what Donner's film, comics and animated series have always offered to us. Superman's biggest nemesis is, and will be, Lex Luthor, the maeglomaniac-cum-millionaire who feels threatened by Superman's fame.
If it had not been for Lex Luthor, the Kryptonian villains could not have come at all to Earth, right? It has always been Luthor who has used his wealth and influence to try and weed out Man Of Steel. And he is a compelling bad guy, nursing a grudge and desperate to win back his origina position. Gene Hackman played it memorably in Richard Donner's movie as well as the sequels, his performance wrapped up in the wig of campy enjoyment-yet he even removes it away to show his nasty side. And even Kevin Spacey made a stellar tribute with a Luthor who was creepy. Does this year's reboot has a Luthor? Regrettably, no.
Instead, there is the Krypton villain General Zod who seems to be pitted against Superman. And somehow, this means that Superman seems to be heading the territory of Thor. Like Thor, he is now against an alien from his own planet. And this gives Snyder and his actors plenty of excuses to indulge in some relentless battle of brawn, rather than battle of wits, as it happens between Superman and Luthor.
And then there is the dubious intention. In an age when superheroes are getting bigger and bigger, Snyder and Nolan seem to be more interested in cutting down the original charm and nailing Superman as a serious guy. It is all okay to address the concerns of alienation and loneliness- the prime issues that most supernatural heroes face but one should never forget having fun. It would work well for Batman, because he is after all a darker hero, more of a vigilante than a supernatural Messiah and Nolan delivered the much-needed realism and darkness to the series. But Superman is a different story. Here is a man who is confident, a man who can easily make tough metal bend, a man who can even make the Leaning Tower straight. To make things deliberately portentious is almost like robbing him of his characteristic charm. And Snyder should have known better.
Sure, it is fine to focus on issues but that requires an altogether separate project. A TV series called 'Lois and Clark' was a breezy look at the sparks between Lois Lane and Clark Kent. She tries to decipher his mystery, while he struggles to keep it hidden. Another TV series, 'Smallville' was mostly about Clark Kent's early days, learning to handle his powers at a young age. While it will be surely refreshing to see a slightly steelier Man Of Steel, the fear remains that it may end up becoming too serious.
So, will 'Man Of Steel' work? Will it really soar in the clouds and become a seminal blockbuster? Or will it go down as yet another messed up superhero origins flick, like Ang Lee's 'Hulk' or that terrible 'X-Men Origins- Wolverine'? We don't know yet. But yeah, one thing is sure. The beautiful and talented Amy Adams is just perfect as Lois Lane.
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