Snyder Cut Week: Man of Steel (2013)

    Hey everyone welcome back to Silver Screen Spectacle! HAPPY SNYDER CUT WEEK! Sorry, as you can tell I’m excited to get the movie I’ve wanted to see since leaving BvS in 2016. To celebrate this amazing week, I’m going to be covering four films leading up to the release of the Snyder Cut. These four films are Man of Steel, Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman, and the theatrical cut of Justice League. We’re starting off today with Man of Steel, which has been incredibly divisive since it released.

    I adore this film. I cannot explain why, but the way Snyder sees these heroes as modern-day Greek myths just resonate with me. I’ve always loved this movie, but I had some issues with it, not anymore this is a masterpiece and one of the greatest comic book movies ever. Henry Cavill is an amazing Clark Kent/ Superman. He nails the emotional moments and the action sequences. This is a Superman who’s just starting and conflicted on how to handle things and it’s the most interesting I’ve ever found him. Amy Adams is the best Lois Lane we’ve ever seen, as she does more than just be a damsel in distress. She is capable and witty and has amazing chemistry with Cavil. Russell Crowe is fantastic as Jor-El. The opposite similarities between him and Kevin Costner’s Jonathan Kent are one of my favorite parts of this movie. Diane Lane is delightful as Martha Kent and gets a few moments to shine. 

    Now as for the film’s villains. Michael Shannon is phenomenal as Zod. He is a villain I can understand and relate to while also being extremely intimidating. Antje Traue is a great physical threat as Faora, Zod’s second in command. Both of them are extremely compelling. As for the directing, Zack Snyder’s style is perfect for this movie. The action sequences have real stakes but are also a lot of fun to watch. The script is perfect to me, with every single character getting a moment to shine. As for visual effects, they still hold up flawlessly today. This is a gorgeous-looking film from start to finish. 

    Now I am going to try not to ramble, but I would like to defend two aspects of this movie. First is the massive destruction during the action sequences. If you actually watch the choreography of the fights, you can see 95% of the destruction is not Superman’s fault, and he saves everyone he can. Also, this is a Superman who has never fought before, so he’s going to make mistakes. The second thing I want to defend is Zod’s death. So I never had a problem with this and have always gotten surprised that so many people did. What else was he supposed to do? Zod says he will never stop and that this fight ends with one of them dead. Clark pleads for him to stop and it destroys him to do it. There was no way to send him back to the phantom zone, which is worse than killing him by the way. No prison could hold Zod the only choice was for Superman to kill him or let him go. Superman chooses humanity and snaps the only living Kryptonians neck. This was a massive sacrifice and a beautiful moment.

    So overall I love Man of Steel and would upgrade my score to a 10/10. So guys, that’s it for this first edition of my Snyder Cut prep. As always, if you enjoyed it, give it a share and I’ll see you next time.