Directed by Zack Snyder and released in 2013, Man of Steel was the first entry into the newly minted DC Universe and intended to be the first of many new Superman movies by Warner Brothers. However, after multiple flops – Batman vs. Superman, Justice League, Suicide Squad, etc. – America’s first superhero was effectively benched, and with Henry Cavill now pulled into so many new projects – The Witcher, Argylle, and Enola Holmes – we may have seen the last of Kal-El. With Warner proclaiming the Snyderverse over, should they have let Man of Steel play out?
Man of Steel plot synopsis
After producing Krypton’s first naturally born son (Kal-El) in centuries, Jor-El (Russell Crowe) races to get him off-world before it implodes due to over mining of the planetary core. Knowing that his race is doomed, Jor-El infuses a genetic codex in Kal-El and sends him to Earth with the hopes of one day seeing Krypton’s only son lead humans to a more promising future.
However, General Zod (Michael Shannon), the planet’s military leader, stages a coup and kills Jor-El for this, for which he is sentenced to the Phantom Zone.
Back on Earth, Kal-El has landed in Kansas and is adopted by farmers Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diana Lane), who raise him as their own.
When his adopted father is killed by a tornado, Clark, burdened by guilt, leaves the farm to find purpose.
Clark ultimately finds an abandoned Kryptonian ship and meets his real father, Jor-El, via AI that has been installed on the vessel, who gives Clark insight into his past. He also obtains his famous “S” branded suit, which means “hope” on his planet. Using his suit and newfound understanding of his abilities, Clark pushes his limits and leverages the sun’s power (which Kryptonians are energized by) to fly.
Meanwhile, General Zod and his crew have escaped the Phantom Zone and are heading to Earth to terraform the planet with technology salvaged from abandoned Kryptonian outposts. General Zod wants to build a new Krypton, one that is genetically pure, but for the Earth to be habitable for Kryptonians (comfortably), it will have to be destroyed and rebuilt.
Zod also knows that Kal-El is located on Earth and has the codex, and goes on a scorched earth marketing campaign to find him.
The two collide when Kal-el is forced to stop General Zod from obtaining the codex and, ultimately, destroying the entire planet.
Man of Steel was a solid entry
Despite sitting at 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, Man of Steel may have been Warner’s best swing at world-building for a DC property after the Dark Knight trilogy.
Snyder’s take on Superman created real stakes for every character. Jor-El’s love for his planet and his son are understandable – and most viewers would expect no less of themselves (if they were the Chief Council of a superior race of aliens with one true-born son on a planet that is about to self-destruct – lol).
General Zod’s motivations are relatable as well. What would you do if you watched your planet die along with everyone on it? If you had a chance to save your species would you hesitate? General Zod isn’t a villain as much as he is an anti-hero for Krypton, something we can all appreciate if it were our own planet.
Snyder sensed the need for change in Man of Steel, even if everyone else didn’t
Ever since Richard Donner’s take on Superman in 1979, comic book purists have demanded no less, but does that version of Superman work in the 21st century?
Short answer: No, it doesn’t – ask Brandon Routh. After his lead in Superman Returns, Routh struggled significantly in Hollywood. When the sequel to Superman Returns was canceled, Routh suffered from more bad luck as role after role was scrapped. Brandon ultimately found solace, he says, in playing a lot of World of Warcraft. Oof.
At least Cavill avoided that fate.
Filmmakers, ever aware of fanboy backlash, have worked tirelessly to appease them, but Superman as a superhero is nearly a century old now, and Snyder recognized this. Unfortunately, his modern take on Superman was ahead of its time, and critics and comic book purists made him pay for it.
What worked in Man of Steel
Zack Snyder is famously known for his stylized action scenes and low-tone color palettes, which complimented this version of Clark Kent. From otherworldly fight sequences to set building, Man of Steel successfully demonstrated the overwhelming power Kryptonians have over humans and cast a shadow over Clark Kent’s journey from alien to farmer, anonymous to infamous, from outlaw to savior.
Superman shouldn’t be invincible, no viewer can relate to that, and Snyder walked that line as best he could.
The casting was incredible, with heavy hitters like Henry Cavill, Kevin Costner, Russel Crowe, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, and Laurence Fishburne, the film was stacked with talent, and all delivered solid performances.
What didn’t work
Unlike many fans who loved this flick, film critics were divisive on Zack Snyder’s take on Superman and called it a “style over substance movie.” To be fair, that is Snyder’s MO. However, Snyder appears to have been aware of that, and Man of Steel seemed to go out of its way to flesh out the most important characters. From Zod’s desperate attempts to remake the world he witnessed collapse to the events that molded Clark Kent as a man, Snyder clearly knew he had to leave his comfort zone and build on the stories comics had told so well, albeit for a modern audience.
Many viewers had issues with the pacing in the first and second act, which is ironic because this is where the character building took place (something movie critics accused Snyder of avoiding).
However, the third act is essentially non-stop action, which should have pleased most fans, but yet again, this wasn’t the Superman they wanted – even if it was the one they needed (lol).
Taking issue with Superman’s actions in allowing Metropolis to be leveled (I’m still not sure how this could have been avoided, he’s only one man), and his later execution of Zod (again, what choices he had are not clear to me), many believed Snyder went too dark with the character, which is funny given how badly fans roasted Routh’s white bread take in 2006.
Everyone is a critic; unfortunately, however, the hate may have cost us our last shot at a solid Superman franchise for quite a while. With superhero fatigue ever more present in 2022, it’s hard to believe any studio takes a risk with a character that is clearly so hard to nail in the eyes of fans.
And with the remaining films in the Snyderverse bombing one after another, with the exception of Zack Snyder’s Justice League (HBO Max exclusive), we have to question whether the failure of the Snyderverse fell on Snyder or was the unfortunate result of Warner Brother’s desperate attempts to please the most die-hard fans.
Would we have been in a different place had they left Snyder to his own devices? Guess we’ll never know.
Stream it or skip it?
Despite receiving a lukewarm response from critics, Man of Steel is loved by many fans and was among the highest-grossing movies of 2013. It has also developed a cult following online and is absolutely worth streaming this weekend if you haven’t seen it, which you can now on HBO Max.
What did you think of Man of Steel? Don’t forget to leave your comments below!