The film has other problems. Even though I always found something a bit off about the original Lois Lane, I have to admit that Margot Kidder got the part just right. She was perky, she was audacious, and it was always fun watching her trying to figure out Superman's identity. In contrast, Amy Adams may overall be the better actress but here she often appears uninterested. Further, "Man of Steel" represents the first time that composer Hans Zimmer has come up with something monotonous and repetitive, a far cry from John Williams' sublime score. The Daily Planet's offices are also a disappointment as they look nothing like we would expect from a working newspaper and they give the impression that the filmmakers were able to save some money by borrowing an existing office. Additionally, if there was ever a character that should have benefited greatly from today's digital effects, that should be Superman, but that is seldom the case in this movie. When the earlier entries came along, I used to wonder whether their special effects, which seemed incredible at the time, could ever advance to a point where the flying protagonist could be shown interacting more directly with his background The technology is clearly there in "Man of Steel" but it is often wasted on such cartoony shots as those with Superman being chased by giant Matrix-like tentacles.
"Man of Steel"'s biggest sin, however, comes on what should have been its crowning moment: the anxiously awaited confrontation between Superman and Zod. The problems in this sequence derive from the quickness of the Kryptonians' every motion and from how convoluted the action is, seldom allowing us to appreciate the proceedings. Case in point: it took me a second viewing to figure out that Zod's female assistant was actually killed in a plane crash, but the news of her demise didn't matter all that much since I never became emotionally involved. There's an additional caveat here: much of the fun and suspense in the older movies came from the reaction to the unbelievable events by the extras who populated the story (think of the secretaries rushing to their window to see Superman flying by) or by placing them in peril as well. This is seldom the case in "Man of Steel" where there hardly ever seem to be any individuals in the middle of the action (not even the IHOP product placement scene seems to have any customers).
Sadly, the future for Superman doesn't look all that hopeful. I can't see any reason for teaming him with Batman except to try to copy the success of "The Avengers". We have to remember, though, that Superman belongs to the same studio that once tried to put Nicolas Cage in this particular role; that gave the Batman films to Joel Schumacher, the Terminator films to the "Charlie's Angels" director and now "Man of Steel" to the guy who made "300". Somebody there ought to start treating Superman as the Holy Grail of comic books that it is. God bless Richard Donner, the only director who has been able so far to make one of these movies the right way (or two, if you consider the fact that he made most of "II"). He's currently in his eighties so it is hard to see him being pulled out of retirement, but he sure is looking more and more like a genius with the release of every new Superman film.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7s7vGnqmempWnwW%2BvzqZmn5miYrOtwc2gZJynoqeytLzOp5uepqSofK6tzWamn2WjqbKmuIyfnJ6sXaSzbq%2FLmrA%3D