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Name of the movie you are reviewing: Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel is a 2013 fantasy/sci-fi film directed by Zack Snyder. It's one of my favorite films of all time.
Review:
Warning: Spoilers throughout. Also, this review is straight up non-linear, kind of like Chris Nolan’s Memento. Good luck.
There are just those movies that you’ve watched at the right time in your life. Man of Steel is one of those for me. I was a Marvel fan before I got introduced to DCEU fans, who insisted that I was missing out big time for not having watched MoS. I didn’t know of the impact it would have on me.
In the beginning of Man of Steel we were introduced to the advanced world of Krypton, already reminding us that the film, while filled with notions about humanity, is far from grounded. But as we take a look around this alien world, their issues are similar to ours. Krypton is a reflection of what Earth will be if the officials would continue to ignore the scientists’ plea to have more concern about our environment.
The scene where Lara and Jor-El say goodbye to their infant son. Good god. Everytime I remember it I just get sad. Man of Steel didn’t pull back, it already touched my heart before the first act even ended. And the music, man. The movie was beautiful but everybody knows the soundtrack was one of the magic parts. It elevated this film, they are intertwined. When the singer sang the wordless lullaby in Goodbye My Son… yeah… it still makes me cry. Look at Jor-El and Lara’s sacrifice. I mean, it’s downright crazy to shoot their seconds-old baby through space, but they were doing it in the sliver of hope that it would save their son and remove him from a world that’s doomed to end. “Our hopes and dreams travel with you.” Even in memory, it’s still powerful to me.
I once read of a couple who lost their son and this movie kind of like became a balm to them. They were like Jor-El and Lara saying goodbye to their son, living in the stars. These are stories you listen to, and you get reminded of how a movie can mean to other people. I myself have lost my siblings due to miscarriage, so it’s a difficult subject for me, but reading that has helped me heal.
The aesthetics of this film is top-notch, but that’s what you can expect from Zack Snyder. I once read that it perfectly depicted Americana genre. I’m not American, but even I can see it. Especially Clark’s memories of Kansas. Man, watching this movie just feels like home. Man of Steel is far from the elegance of the script of Batman V Superman, but it was beautiful in its simplicity, and just full of heart. “You’re worried the truth will come out.” “No… the truth about you is beautiful.” And it was. It really was. Clark was sent to Earth because he was loved, very very much.
Speaking about quotes and Batman V Superman, I love that this film and the second installment are just inherently intertwined. Jor-El and Lara with the “They’ll kill him.” “How? He’ll be a god to them.” And they were both equally right! Then Clark telling Martha “I’m not going anywhere, Mom.” Spoiler alert, baby. You did, and Martha was right.
I’ve probably neglected talking about Zod for too long now. What is a superhero without its antagonist? As I’ve said before, a superhero movie is as good as its villain. And good gracious, Michael Shannon is amazing. Some people laughed at his “I will find him!” But baby it gives me chills. Oh, Zod. He was written with his motives clean-cut, and I appreciated that (Fear not, BVS Lex Luthor, for you are my favorite.) I just love the cruelty of having Clark feel alone for all his life, and here comes Zod broadcasting to the entire world “You are not alone.” Now that Clark meets the people he can call his, they were there to destroy his world he called home.
He was faced with the dilemma of choosing between them, even though he doesn’t want to… The choice Clark had to make, at even just the first movie! When he killed Zod... you can feel the emptiness he felt. I understand critics when they said the film needed better editing at some parts, because what I could have given to see Clark alone and feeling his grief for a few more seconds as he faced the reality that he was the very last of his race… It would have been perfect. In my imagination, Lois didn’t run to him so soon after he killed Zod, and comfort didn’t come right away. He was able to process onscreen just the terrible feeling of being the only one in the world. That would’ve made the ending line “Welcome to the Planet,” just ten times more lovely than it already is. But that’s just me.
Speaking of Lois, there was that line that I gloss over plenty of times before someone shone a humble light on it. “Thank you for believing in me.” “It didn't make much difference in the end.” “It did to me.” That was… just beautiful. It’s the little things. I sometimes say something similar to my friend (she’s my Lois, minus the romance) when she says she’s sorry she couldn’t do anything to help me more. I tell her just being there already means a lot to me. I love that there are those kinds of moments onscreen. Throughout the film, I loved that Lois and Clark developed this easy but nonetheless lovely relationship. Hey, as a side note: Lois is an amazing woman, thank you DCEU for making remarkable female characters that are just easy to love and look up to.
It might be curious that throughout this review, I talk about practically everyone, but the titular character. Clark Kent. Kal. Superman. Just thinking about him makes me smile. Just thinking about him lifts my heart. Seeing him smile gives me joy. I know he’s just fictional, but he means a lot to me. Maybe it’s because in my pursuit to forget who I am, I put myself in his shoes because I want to be an inch of a man that he is. I love that he’s just a man, trying to do the right thing (*cough*, quoting BVS.) In that scene where Lois goes to Jonathan Kent’s grave and she tells Clark, “The only way you could disappear is to stop helping altogether, and I sense that’s not an option for you,” just what a beautiful way to encapsulate what Clark Kent is as a character. He’s not a god, even though people come to worship him as one. He’s Clark Kent, Martha’s son, who had the power to help and he didn’t even hesitate to do so, despite the consequences.
That’s what Jor-El means with what he said before Superman made that momentous leap of faith. “You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.” He was an example of the person we can be. Clark was just as human as we are, in heart, and perhaps in that notion we can also be a good person, like he is. Just like in BVS (sigh, I really can’t stop bringing that up), where they put the sigil of Superman on the floor with a spray paint on it saying, “If you seek his monument, look around you.” In that sense, we are all Superman, as Superman is human like all of us.
I watched this film at one of the difficult parts of my life. I was struggling because of personal reasons, and at the disappointment that ensued because of the person I became. I know it’s stupid, but it has led me to drinking and even contemplating of smoking just to curb my dark thoughts. I didn’t know what to do to help with my panic attacks or how to get through a day when you wake up just not wanting to be alive. Superman and this film became my crutch. He’s a symbol of hope and I had none of that in those times. I’m at a better place now, but I won’t forget how just putting this film on TV would help me sleep, listening to the soundtrack eased the weight in my chest. Putting on a Superman t-shirt made me feel like I was strong.
Which brings me to this: Man of Steel means many things to many people. For immigrants, they see themselves in Superman. That’s not my story to tell, but theirs. Superman for me is strength, not physical but of heart and spirit. We see him down and sad plenty of times, but that’s because he feels the same things we do. But in that regard, he still pushes through and tries his best to do the right thing, however difficult it is. I once saw a person saying people shouldn’t complain that Clark doesn’t smile when he does these heroic things—what matters more is that his heart is in the right place, and actions will follow.
Just something to think about.
P.S., I probably missed a lot of things in this review! Namely Clark's good deeds even before donning the cape, the fact that Arthur (Aquaman) and Clark already "interacted" in this film and hundreds of other things but this is already a behemoth of a review. So forgive me if I missed a favorite scene of yours ^^
Would you recommend this to other users? Absolutely. I mean, come on, it's Superman. Don't think too hard about the critics and the public's opinion; watch it for yourself if you haven't yet.
Rating(1-5):
Man of Steel is a 2013 fantasy/sci-fi film directed by Zack Snyder. It's one of my favorite films of all time.
Review:
Warning: Spoilers throughout. Also, this review is straight up non-linear, kind of like Chris Nolan’s Memento. Good luck.
There are just those movies that you’ve watched at the right time in your life. Man of Steel is one of those for me. I was a Marvel fan before I got introduced to DCEU fans, who insisted that I was missing out big time for not having watched MoS. I didn’t know of the impact it would have on me.
In the beginning of Man of Steel we were introduced to the advanced world of Krypton, already reminding us that the film, while filled with notions about humanity, is far from grounded. But as we take a look around this alien world, their issues are similar to ours. Krypton is a reflection of what Earth will be if the officials would continue to ignore the scientists’ plea to have more concern about our environment.
The scene where Lara and Jor-El say goodbye to their infant son. Good god. Everytime I remember it I just get sad. Man of Steel didn’t pull back, it already touched my heart before the first act even ended. And the music, man. The movie was beautiful but everybody knows the soundtrack was one of the magic parts. It elevated this film, they are intertwined. When the singer sang the wordless lullaby in Goodbye My Son… yeah… it still makes me cry. Look at Jor-El and Lara’s sacrifice. I mean, it’s downright crazy to shoot their seconds-old baby through space, but they were doing it in the sliver of hope that it would save their son and remove him from a world that’s doomed to end. “Our hopes and dreams travel with you.” Even in memory, it’s still powerful to me.
I once read of a couple who lost their son and this movie kind of like became a balm to them. They were like Jor-El and Lara saying goodbye to their son, living in the stars. These are stories you listen to, and you get reminded of how a movie can mean to other people. I myself have lost my siblings due to miscarriage, so it’s a difficult subject for me, but reading that has helped me heal.
The aesthetics of this film is top-notch, but that’s what you can expect from Zack Snyder. I once read that it perfectly depicted Americana genre. I’m not American, but even I can see it. Especially Clark’s memories of Kansas. Man, watching this movie just feels like home. Man of Steel is far from the elegance of the script of Batman V Superman, but it was beautiful in its simplicity, and just full of heart. “You’re worried the truth will come out.” “No… the truth about you is beautiful.” And it was. It really was. Clark was sent to Earth because he was loved, very very much.
Speaking about quotes and Batman V Superman, I love that this film and the second installment are just inherently intertwined. Jor-El and Lara with the “They’ll kill him.” “How? He’ll be a god to them.” And they were both equally right! Then Clark telling Martha “I’m not going anywhere, Mom.” Spoiler alert, baby. You did, and Martha was right.
I’ve probably neglected talking about Zod for too long now. What is a superhero without its antagonist? As I’ve said before, a superhero movie is as good as its villain. And good gracious, Michael Shannon is amazing. Some people laughed at his “I will find him!” But baby it gives me chills. Oh, Zod. He was written with his motives clean-cut, and I appreciated that (Fear not, BVS Lex Luthor, for you are my favorite.) I just love the cruelty of having Clark feel alone for all his life, and here comes Zod broadcasting to the entire world “You are not alone.” Now that Clark meets the people he can call his, they were there to destroy his world he called home.
He was faced with the dilemma of choosing between them, even though he doesn’t want to… The choice Clark had to make, at even just the first movie! When he killed Zod... you can feel the emptiness he felt. I understand critics when they said the film needed better editing at some parts, because what I could have given to see Clark alone and feeling his grief for a few more seconds as he faced the reality that he was the very last of his race… It would have been perfect. In my imagination, Lois didn’t run to him so soon after he killed Zod, and comfort didn’t come right away. He was able to process onscreen just the terrible feeling of being the only one in the world. That would’ve made the ending line “Welcome to the Planet,” just ten times more lovely than it already is. But that’s just me.
Speaking of Lois, there was that line that I gloss over plenty of times before someone shone a humble light on it. “Thank you for believing in me.” “It didn't make much difference in the end.” “It did to me.” That was… just beautiful. It’s the little things. I sometimes say something similar to my friend (she’s my Lois, minus the romance) when she says she’s sorry she couldn’t do anything to help me more. I tell her just being there already means a lot to me. I love that there are those kinds of moments onscreen. Throughout the film, I loved that Lois and Clark developed this easy but nonetheless lovely relationship. Hey, as a side note: Lois is an amazing woman, thank you DCEU for making remarkable female characters that are just easy to love and look up to.
It might be curious that throughout this review, I talk about practically everyone, but the titular character. Clark Kent. Kal. Superman. Just thinking about him makes me smile. Just thinking about him lifts my heart. Seeing him smile gives me joy. I know he’s just fictional, but he means a lot to me. Maybe it’s because in my pursuit to forget who I am, I put myself in his shoes because I want to be an inch of a man that he is. I love that he’s just a man, trying to do the right thing (*cough*, quoting BVS.) In that scene where Lois goes to Jonathan Kent’s grave and she tells Clark, “The only way you could disappear is to stop helping altogether, and I sense that’s not an option for you,” just what a beautiful way to encapsulate what Clark Kent is as a character. He’s not a god, even though people come to worship him as one. He’s Clark Kent, Martha’s son, who had the power to help and he didn’t even hesitate to do so, despite the consequences.
That’s what Jor-El means with what he said before Superman made that momentous leap of faith. “You will give the people of Earth an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun, Kal. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.” He was an example of the person we can be. Clark was just as human as we are, in heart, and perhaps in that notion we can also be a good person, like he is. Just like in BVS (sigh, I really can’t stop bringing that up), where they put the sigil of Superman on the floor with a spray paint on it saying, “If you seek his monument, look around you.” In that sense, we are all Superman, as Superman is human like all of us.
I watched this film at one of the difficult parts of my life. I was struggling because of personal reasons, and at the disappointment that ensued because of the person I became. I know it’s stupid, but it has led me to drinking and even contemplating of smoking just to curb my dark thoughts. I didn’t know what to do to help with my panic attacks or how to get through a day when you wake up just not wanting to be alive. Superman and this film became my crutch. He’s a symbol of hope and I had none of that in those times. I’m at a better place now, but I won’t forget how just putting this film on TV would help me sleep, listening to the soundtrack eased the weight in my chest. Putting on a Superman t-shirt made me feel like I was strong.
Which brings me to this: Man of Steel means many things to many people. For immigrants, they see themselves in Superman. That’s not my story to tell, but theirs. Superman for me is strength, not physical but of heart and spirit. We see him down and sad plenty of times, but that’s because he feels the same things we do. But in that regard, he still pushes through and tries his best to do the right thing, however difficult it is. I once saw a person saying people shouldn’t complain that Clark doesn’t smile when he does these heroic things—what matters more is that his heart is in the right place, and actions will follow.
Just something to think about.
P.S., I probably missed a lot of things in this review! Namely Clark's good deeds even before donning the cape, the fact that Arthur (Aquaman) and Clark already "interacted" in this film and hundreds of other things but this is already a behemoth of a review. So forgive me if I missed a favorite scene of yours ^^
Would you recommend this to other users? Absolutely. I mean, come on, it's Superman. Don't think too hard about the critics and the public's opinion; watch it for yourself if you haven't yet.
Rating(1-5):
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