MOVIE REVIEW — THOR: THE DARK WORLD

While Thor: The Dark World is not among my very favorites of the movies produced by Marvel—I’d place it in the second tier, alongside 2010’s Iron Man 2—I found it to be an enjoyable film, with great action, high drama, well-placed humor, and strong performances all around. I must admit, in the wake of last year’s The Avengers and last summer’s Superman reboot Man of Steel, this sequel to 2011’s Thor feels just a wee bit derivative. But for the most part, it manages to overcome that with charm and likable characters.

Taking place about two years after the first film, with the events of  The Avengers having occurred more recently, the plot involves the re-emergence of an ancient race of beings called the Dark Elves, led by Malekith (Christopher Eccleston). They are intent upon plunging the universe back into the total unending darkness that existed before the dawn of creation. Their previous attempt was thwarted thousands of years ago by the Asgardians, under the command of Bor, father of Odin (Anthony Hopkins) and grandfather of Thor (Chris Hemsworth). But when a long-lost weapon called the Aether is rediscovered—with human scientist Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) directly involved—the Dark Elves set out to seize this source of power that will enable them to carry out their plans. With Jane’s life in jeopardy, Thor springs into action, determined to stop Malekith and his minions and save the Earth woman he has come to love and every other living thing in the universe. 

Like The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World depicts an Earth city (in this case, London) being invaded and attacked by Forces From Beyond. There’s a lot of mayhem and destruction as a result, with innocent bystanders in great danger. But Thor is facing the threat alone this time, which is how it echoes Man of Steel. However, unlike Zack Snyder’s Superman film, which was unrelentingly grim, serious, and even brutal during the super-powered showdown, The Dark World never loses its sense of fun. There are moments of levity and laughter amongst the doom and destruction, mostly provided by Stellan Skarsgård as Jane Foster’s hapless and eccentric mentor, Dr. Erik Selvig, and by Kat Dennings’s Darcy, Jane’s sassy unpaid intern. This time around, Darcy gets an intern of her own, a British chap named Ian, and really, there’s no compelling reason for either of them to be in the film at all—but they’re so endearing, and there’s such a cute payoff involving them—that you don’t really mind.

As the central villain, I found Malekith to be underwritten and underdeveloped, which was the same problem I had with Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull in Captain America: The First Avenger (though I enjoyed that film very much). 

Introducing Malekith, leader of the Dark Elves.

Fortunately, the presence of Tom Hiddleston as Loki more than compensates for any disappointment I may have felt about Malekith. I think Hiddleston—who seems to truly relish his role—is Marvel’s secret weapon, and I would argue that he has become nearly as important to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Robert Downey Jr. Hiddleston’s Loki remains the most complex, multi-dimensional, multi-layered, and well-developed of all the villains in the Marvel films and I hope we continue to see him for years to come. 

Tom Hiddleston returns as Loki, Thor's devious half brother.

The Dark World does what a sequel is supposed to do: it maintains tight continuity with what has come before, but it propels things forward and doesn’t shy away from shaking up the status quo. (Let me put it this way: don’t assume that every character who appeared in the first film is going to make it out of this one without a scratch.) Nearly all of the returning supporting characters are further developed and have something important to contribute—particularly Idris Elba as Heimdall, Ray Stevenson as Volstagg, Rene Russo as Thor’s mother, Frigga, Hopkins as Odin, and Jaimie Alexander as Sif. 

In fact, there’s some key character stuff with Sif that is finally introduced here—I’d been waiting for it since the first film. It’s played somewhat subtly in The Dark World, but it’s there, and I was glad to see it. Hopefully it’s a hint of things to come in future films. 

Jaimie Alexander as Sif—more, please!

In the interest of saving you a few bucks, I can tell you that the 3D didn’t really add all that much to the viewing experience, so I recommend seeing the standard version. 

Oh—and as if you didn’t already know (it is a Marvel movie, after all)—stay to the very end of the closing credits. There are two extra bits, one during the end credits, and one after. The first one sets up future continuity, presumably that of next year’s Guardians of the Galaxy, while the second one includes a cute little punchline to something that happens earlier in the film. 

Overall, Thor: The Dark World is thoroughly entertaining—very  good, not great—but would have benefited from a more fully developed central villain. I think that would have helped make it stand out a little more amongst the ever-growing crowd of superhero movies. Nevertheless, Thor’s return is promised at the end of the film, and I’m looking forward to seeing where his cinematic adventures take him next.     

© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2013.

THE COLLEGE COLLECTION

Having listed my 15 all-time favorite albums last time, I’ve decided to remain in a musical vein for a little while longer. This time around, I’m going to reveal the songs I discovered and fell in love with during my college years at State University of New York at Stony Brook. 

For those of you who know me well, you may be surprised by some of the songs on this list. I’m the first to admit that I’ve been steeped in classic rock for the bulk of my life—mostly stuff that was released before I was even born, or when I was too young to really be aware of it. I spent most of my pre-college years listening primarily to the Beatles. But the Police actually managed to break through my defenses, as did Billy Joel—before he put out An Innocent Man and drove me away almost completely. Occasionally, my dear friend Nick Guarracino would introduce me to something contemporary and I’d get a kick out of it—“Word Up” by Cameo, for example, or “Hold Me Now” by Thompson Twins, or “Operation: Mindcrime” by Queensrÿche. But I didn’t venture too far from what was already familiar to me all that often. 

When I got to college, however, and I was surrounded by so many different people with so many different musical tastes, I found myself hearing a lot of stuff I’d never heard before—interesting songs with interesting sounds, many of them performed by new, up-and-coming artists. And I liked a lot of what I was hearing.

Recently, I put together a playlist on my iPod of these songs, arranged more or less in order of when I first encountered and embraced them. Here’s that playlist, along with some comments, anecdotes, and random memories.  

1. “Like the Weather” 10,000 Maniacs (1987)

As I recall, this was the very first “new” song that I took notice of when I got to college. It was fall 1987, I was a freshman getting settled into my dorm room, and I turned on the bulky boom box I had brought from home to see which radio stations I could pick up. To my dismay, I discovered that I was too far away—and too deep in a valley—to be able to pick up 92.3 WXRK, New York City’s classic-rock station at the time, and the home of Howard Stern, whom I had been listening to regularly for years. Trying to find a local station I could listen to, I stumbled upon “Like the Weather” and was immediately pulled in. At first, I mistakenly believed it was by ’Til Tuesday, who had scored a hit a couple of years earlier with “Voices Carry,” which I liked a whole lot (still do, in fact). I would rediscover 10,000 Maniacs about six years later, when they released the hit single “These Are Days.”     

2. “We’ll Be Together” Sting (1987)

I was a huge fan of Sting’s first solo album, The Dream of the Blue Turtles, and bought his follow-up, ... Nothing Like the Sun, as soon as it came out. I was still in the first semester of my freshman year. “We’ll Be Together” was the big hit single from that album, and I remember that I had gone across campus one night to tutor a girl in math (to give you an idea of how lousy she was at math, she had ME tutoring her). I was about to knock on her door, and I heard this song playing in her room. I smiled and thought, “Hey, I’ve got that album!” Made me feel like I was actually living in the present.       

3. “Touch of Grey” Grateful Dead (1987)

I had never been a Grateful Dead fan—I’m still not, really, though I do love their song “Box of Rain,” which I first heard in the series finale of the wonderful TV series Freaks and Geeks. “Touch of Grey” was catchy and fun, and I associate it primarily with that first semester of college, when I was living away from home for the first time, opening myself to new ideas and new experiences, and starting to find myself. 

4. “Rhythm of Love” Yes (1987)

The 1987 Yes album Big Generator got a lot of play on my dormitory hall during freshman year. This was the first song on the album, so I heard it a LOT. I liked it so much that I actually went to see Yes in concert later that school year at Nassau Coliseum. The show didn’t make me any more of a Yes fan than I was before, but I still like this song.  
  
5. “My Old School” Steely Dan (1973)

One of my hallmates during freshman year, Ken Strauss, was always playing stuff by Steely Dan, a band I’d never really listened to before, and this song in particular was in heavy rotation. I fell in love with it immediately. It’s my absolute favorite Steely Dan song, and I always smile when I hear it. Fortunately, Ken and I reestablished contact a few years ago, and I was able to thank him for introducing me to it.   

6. “Working in the Coal Mine” Devo (1981)

I didn’t get to see the animated film Heavy Metal when it was first released in 1981—it was an R-rated movie and I was only 12 years old at the time. But in my freshman year of college, someone living on my hall had a bootleg copy of the film on VHS and we all watched it quite frequently. I came to love a number of the songs from the movie, and fortunately, another guy on the hall had the soundtrack album on audio cassette. I borrowed that tape a lot, just to listen to this song and...   

7. “Reach Out” Cheap Trick (1981)

Probably my favorite song from Heavy Metal, and it plays during my favorite segment of the film: the “Captain Sternn” sequence, written and designed by comic-book artist extraordinaire Bernie Wrightson. 

I was never a huge fan of Cheap Trick, but I LOVE “Reach Out.”   

8. “Substitute” The Who (1966)

It was fall semester of my freshman year, late 1987, when I overheard someone on my hall playing the song “The Kids Are Alright” by the Who. To me, it sounded almost like an early Beatles track that I’d never heard before. Something just clicked in my head and suddenly, I felt that I needed to hear more stuff by the Who. Much more. I was already familiar with “Pinball Wizard,” but I really didn’t know much about the band or the extent of their catalogue. I then borrowed a bunch of Who stuff from a couple of guys living on my hall and immersed myself in it. Very soon after, I discovered “Substitute,” and it was love at first listen. It’s no longer my favorite Who song (that would be “Bargain”), but for a while, it sat at the very top of the list.       

9. “Pure and Easy” Pete Townshend (1972)

By the end of my freshman year of college, I was well on my way to becoming a major Who fanatic. During the summer of 1988, classic-rock station 92.3 WXRK in NYC aired a radio documentary about the Who, which I recorded and listened to repeatedly. In the midst of a segment focusing on the band members’ solo projects, this song was played, as it was the first song on Pete Townshend’s first solo album, Who Came First. I absolutely loved it. Still do. It’s one of Pete’s most beautiful songs, and upon hearing it for the first time, I knew that I would have to go out and buy all of his solo material, in addition to his work with the Who. 

10. “Handle With Care” Traveling Wilburys (1988)

A gem from the second half of my freshman year. It’s just so damn catchy. I still smile whenever I hear it. I remember that Roy Orbison died shortly after the first Traveling Wilburys album was released, and one day I was walking across campus listening to my Walkman and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I was able to pick up “The Howard Stern Show” on the radio. As I was walking by the Student Union, Howard was saying, and I’m paraphrasing only slightly, “Boy, that Roy Orbison is one unlucky bastard, huh? He gets this great resurgence to his career and then he drops dead!” Yep, that pretty much summed it up.     

11. “After the Fire (live)” Pete Townshend (1986)

Unable to embed video for this song; a link to it is provided below.

Going into my sophomore year, I was buying up whatever Pete Townshend solo albums I could find. One of those albums was Pete Townshend’s Deep End Live!, and I felt that this song was one of the real standouts. I was already familiar with the Roger Daltrey version, released on Daltrey’s 1985 album Under a Raging Moon, but I preferred Townshend’s gentler, mellower, less bombastic rendition. I remember that when I started dating my college girlfriend shortly after getting Deep End Live!, I would always sing this song to myself as I walked from my dorm all the way to the other side of the campus, where she lived.   

12. “Sea and Sand” The Who (1973)

I bought the Who’s Quadrophenia album very early in my sophomore year (fall 1988). Some time later, I don’t remember exactly when—it could have been during my junior year for all I know—I was sitting in a sociology class one day, bored out of my mind, and to keep myself from falling asleep, I started jotting down the lyrics to this song, just to see how far I could get before I reached a section where I didn’t know the words. I was surprised to find that I’d made it to the end of the song, and, after later checking what I’d written against the album, I found that I’d gotten everything correct. “Hmph, guess I really like this song,” I commented to myself. I was particularly pleased when, several years later, I taught myself how to play it on guitar.   

13. “Put it There” Paul McCartney (1989)

After a string of fairly weak and disappointing albums throughout the 1980s (the sole exception being 1982’s Tug of War), Paul McCartney rebounded nicely at the end of the decade with Flowers in the Dirt. This song was one of the strongest on that album, a nice little ditty that recalls “Blackbird” and “Mother’s Nature Son,” both off of the Beatles’ White Album. It’s about the bond between fathers and sons. Around that time, my dad was having health problems and he and I weren’t getting along all that well. I remember my college girlfriend, who had lost her own father in her early teens, telling me, “If anything happens to that man and you’re not speaking to him, you’ll never forgive yourself.” Then this song came along. I patched things up with him shortly after that.       

14. “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” Crosby, Stills & Nash (1969)

Not much to say about this one, other than the fact that I liked it as a kid and liked it even more in college, particularly in my sophomore and junior years. Probably because the 20th anniversary of Woodstock was happening around that time, and there was a lot of looking back and retrospecting about that historic event and the music that was played there, so this song was getting a lot of airplay—and it was used in what I feel is one of the funniest comedy bits that Howard Stern ever did.   

15. “Glamour Boys” Living Colour (1988)

I can’t remember exactly when or where I first heard this song, but I liked it so much that when Living Colour came to play at my college, I went to see them. Guess which song they didn’t perform that night.

16. “Roam” The B-52s (1989)

I already knew the B-52s from “Rock Lobster,” but that song was never a favorite of mine. When their album Cosmic Thing came out, “Love Shack” got most of the attention, but I much preferred “Roam,” which I found to be more catchy and fun. Kate Pierson (who, incidentally, looked beautiful in the video for this song), had a fantastic voice, and obviously, I wasn’t the only one who thought so, because around my senior year of college, several other musical acts asked her to do guest vocals on their songs. Worked for me, as you’ll see in the next two entries.       

17. “Candy” Iggy Pop (1990)

At the time this song was released, in the fall semester of my senior year, I knew next to nothing about Iggy Pop. I believe my first real exposure to him was when he appeared on Howard Stern’s legendary “Channel 9 Show”—and nearly walked off in a huff. Shortly after that, I heard this duet between Iggy and Kate Pierson and it became one of the very first—and very few—cassette singles that I ever bought.  

18. “Shiny Happy People” REM (1991)

And here’s the third part of the “Kate Pierson Trilogy.” I never really cared for REM, and I thought that Michael Stipe showed himself to be a flaming ass when, in an interview, he referred to the Beatles as “elevator music.” But I really enjoyed this song—it’s one of the other very few cassette singles that I ever bought—and I thought, “Well, maybe there’s something to REM after all.” Then, in another interview, Stipe was asked something along the lines of, “Do you have any regrets?” and he replied, “Shiny Happy People.” Clearly, he and I wouldn’t have much to talk about.   

19. “No Myth” Michael Penn (1989)

I remember first encountering this song on MTV. I was hanging out at my college girlfriend’s sister’s house one day, and the TV in the living room was on. I was laying on the couch, reading a comic book, and I heard the lyrics, “What if I were Romeo in black jeans.” I happened to look down and noticed that, hey, I was wearing black jeans! That got me to pay attention to the rest of the song, and I really liked what I heard. A few years ago, I had the pleasure of playing this song with my friends Clive, Keith, and Paroo, in our little band, Clive’s Rocking Attic Party (C.R.A.P. for short).  

20. “The Obvious Child” Paul Simon (1990)

I remember hearing this song for the first time towards the end of my senior year—spring 1991. I was working on a term paper in my dorm room early in the morning while listening to “The Howard Stern Show”—I had since moved out of the valley that I had lived in during my first three years and could now hear the show on a regular basis again—and Howard premiered the song at the end of the show. Stern mocked it, of course, commenting that Simon was still ripping off other cultures’ musical styles, as he had done on his much-acclaimed Graceland album. I shrugged off Howard’s remarks, as the song sounded great to my ears. I even went out and bought the album it came from, The Rhythm of the Saints. I always associate “The Obvious Child” with the very end of my college days, which is why I placed it last on my playlist. But memory’s a funny thing: I just checked the release date for the song, and apparently, it came out six months earlier, in October of 1990. Oh well—I’m pretty sure everything else I remember about it is accurate! 

© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2013.

MY 15 ALL-TIME FAVORITE ALBUMS

A few years back, before I started this blog, I made a list of my 15 all-time favorite albums and posted it on Facebook. These are albums where there’s no skipping over any tracks to get to the “good” stuff, because it’s ALL good. 

Having taken another look at that list recently, I found that it needed some updating, and what better place to put the revised version than right here at GGG?

Just FYI, I imposed stricter regulations on myself this time. With a few notable exceptions, musical acts were allowed no more than one entry. That said, I allowed separate entries for members of a group on the list who also had a solo career. Also, I expanded the scope to include motion-picture soundtracks. 

And awaaay we go . . . !     

1. WHO’S NEXT  by The Who (1971). 

One of the greatest and most consistent-sounding rock albums ever recorded. ’Nuff said. 

2. RUBBER SOUL  by The Beatles (UK version, 1965). 

The first CD I ever got. A fantastic album, and it features “In My Life,” which was my wedding song. 

3. REVOLVER  by The Beatles (UK version, 1966). 

This is really tied with RUBBER SOUL, as I love both albums pretty much equally.  

4. EMPTY GLASS  by Pete Townshend (1980). 

Pete’s solo masterpiece, as far as I’m concerned. 

5. BRIAN WILSON PRESENTS SMiLE  by Brian Wilson (2004). 

I’d waited for this aborted Beach Boys album since I first read about its supposed forthcoming release in 1988. Sixteen years later, it finally came out, not by the Beach Boys as originally planned, but great nonetheless. I couldn’t stop playing it for months (much to my wife’s chagrin). 

6. QUADROPHENIA  by The Who (1973). 

I first bought this album early in my sophomore year of college, shortly after becoming a Who fan, and I soon found myself torn between it and TOMMY. In recent years, I’ve given QUADROPHENIA the edge because it’s more down to earth and reaches me on a more emotional level.

7. CROSBY, STILLS & NASH  by . . . well, you know (1969). 

A fantastic debut and their strongest work together. True, their second album had Neil Young on it, but I prefer this one as a complete listening experience.

8. PET SOUNDS  by The Beach Boys (1966). 

I bought this album because Paul McCartney raved about it. He was right.

9. RUMOURS  by Fleetwood Mac (1977). 

Some really great soul-baring, gut-wrenching songs about lost love and the anger and bitterness that follows. 

10. SYNCHRONICITY  by The Police (1983). 

Their most solid, consistent album, in my opinion—and I like the quirky stuff on it (“Miss Gradenko,” “Mother”) as much as the commercial stuff that became hits. I have my buddy Nick to thank for getting me into these guys—thanks, Nick!!!!

11. THE NYLON CURTAIN  by Billy Joel (1982). 

This was Billy’s “Beatles” album, and in my opinion, he’s never topped it.

12. THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (Original Soundtrack)  by John Williams (1980). 

One of Williams’s greatest film scores, and certainly the best work he did for the Star Wars series. There’s tight continuity with the music from the original film, and his individual themes for Darth Vader, Yoda, and Han and Leia’s blossoming romance are simply perfect. 

13. THE DREAM OF THE BLUE TURTLES  by Sting (1985). 

A great solo debut. I wish his subsequent releases were as uniformly strong as this one. 

14. DARK SIDE OF THE MOON  by Pink Floyd (1973). 

A complete and satisfying listening experience from beginning to end that really transports you to another place. I used to love going to see the laser light show version at the Hayden Planetarium in New York City—the last time went to see it it was one of my first dates with my wife. (Incidentally, it totally works when you play the whole album against the first half of The Wizard of Oz!) 

15. RAM  by Paul & Linda McCartney (1971). 

Critically lambasted upon its release, this has gotten much deserved reappraisal in recent years and is now recognized as one of Paul’s finest solo efforts. “The Back Seat of My Car” is one of my all-time favorite McCartney songs, as is “Too Many People,” which subtly but pointedly criticizes John and Yoko, who, in my opinion, had it coming.      

HONORABLE MENTION:
SUNFLOWER  by The Beach Boys (1970). 

A tragically underrated album that ranks right up there with PET SOUNDS as one of their best. Dennis Wilson should have thrived as a major creative force in the band after this album, and had it not been a major sales flop, perhaps Brian Wilson would not have fallen quite as far as he did after its release. The only real weakness of the album is the sequencing of the songs—which, in this age of iTunes and CD burning, is easily addressed. 

I now open the floor to all comments and inevitable criticisms . . . !

© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2013.

MOVIE REVIEW: MAN OF STEEL

When I walked out of a preview screening of Superman Returns seven years ago, I was pumped up with enthusiasm and very much looking forward to seeing where director Bryan Singer would take the series next. I thought Singer’s movie had a lot of heart and soul, it looked fantastic, and while it didn’t fully live up to its potential, there was certainly the hope and expectation that Singer would really nail it the second time around. Of course, with the film “underperforming,” that second time didn’t happen, so instead, we now get Man of Steel, which reboots the series from the beginning.  

My feeling is that if you take the best elements of Superman Returns (and yes, I still feel that there were good things about that movie, though I do now acknowledge its many flaws) and combine them with the best elements of Man of Steel, you’d have a damn near perfect Superman film. On its own, Man of Steel is good, not great. A fully satisfying Superman film remains an elusive thing indeed. 

In their zeal to make a clean departure from all of the previous Superman movies and start over again, producer Christopher Nolan, screenwriter David S. Goyer, and director Zack Snyder break from tradition in certain areas, introduce several bold and interesting ideas, and in some instances, directly challenge what most people know about the classic comic-book character.

And yet, probably the most surprising thing about this new film is the fact that so many elements of the older movies are present, if slightly reworked. 

In fact, boiled down to a one-sentence description, Man of Steel is basically 1978’s Superman: The Movie and 1981’s Superman II smushed together into one film. 

It begins on the doomed planet Krypton, with leading scientist Jor-El warning the ruling council that the planet will soon explode. The council members don’t believe him. Jor-El and his wife Lara place their infant son Kal-El into a rocket and send him to Earth as Krypton enters its death throes. At the same time, Krypton’s military leader General Zod and his followers are put on trial for insurrection and sentenced to imprisonment in the Phantom Zone. Kal-El lands in Smallville, Kansas, and is found by Jonathan and Martha Kent, who name him Clark and raise him as their son. Growing up, Clark discovers that he has amazing superhuman powers and questions his identity. Jonathan assures Clark that he was sent here “for a reason.” Eventually, Clark learns about his Kryptonian heritage from a holographic recreation of Jor-El, who assures his son that the people of Earth are basically good and that he can serve as the light that will show them the way. Then Zod and his people escape the Phantom Zone and threaten Earth. Only Kal-El, having now become Superman, can stop them.

Sound familiar? 

That’s not meant as a knock against the film. Unlike Superman Returns, which strived to graft itself onto the original movie directed by Richard Donner (and, to a lesser extent, Superman II), Man of Steel has its own feel, its own style, and its own sensibilities, even though it’s telling a story we’ve more or less seen before.  

I actually conducted an e-mail interview with Snyder several months ago, when I was still serving as an editor for Scholastic News, and he told me, “Man of Steel is a [mixture] of many Superman story lines. We really tried to [use] the whole Superman mythology.” That is definitely the case. 

There are additional clear references to Donner’s work in this film. For example, the fact that Superman’s stylized “S” is actually a Kryptonian symbol—and that we first see it being worn by Jor-El at the beginning of the film. 

Longtime Superman fans will undoubtedly pick up on nods to the 12-issue DC Comics mini-series Superman: Birthright, which featured an expanded version of the character’s origin. Man of Steel’s depiction of Clark’s somewhat complex relationship with his adoptive father Jonathan Kent is clearly derived from this comic-book story. The long-running “pre-Superman” TV series Smallville also seems to have been a major source of inspiration, particularly where Clark’s relationship with Lois Lane is concerned. And bits and pieces are taken from the memorable run of Superman comics produced in the late 1980s by writer/artist John Byrne—most significantly, a key moment that happens toward the end of the film echoes a pivotal story that Byrne did. I suspect it will generate a lot of discussion and controversy, and I’m very curious to see what the reaction will be. (For the record, I’m not really opposed to the moment itself, but I think Snyder and company could have and should have done a better job building towards it in the film. Unfortunately, I can’t go into it any further without spoiling it, so I’ll move on.) 

The film certainly looks great. Its depiction of the planet Krypton is fresh and intriguing, with innovative architecture and technology and nicely designed alien life forms. The fight scenes—beginning in Smallville and carrying over into Metropolis—are long, intense, and brutal. They’re a far, far cry from Superman’s now seemingly quaint confrontation with the three Phantom Zone criminals in Superman II. Metropolis is left looking like it’s been though five simultaneous 9/11’s.   

Where the film stumbles most is in the character department. It gets a lot right, but then doesn’t. Early in the film, the adult Clark, not yet Superman but already using his powers to help people, anonymously saves the lives of a bunch of workers at a burning oil rig. His clothes left in tatters, he steals some new ones out of a parked car. That’s right—he steals them, without leaving anything behind as a form of payment. Come on, even Bill Bixby’s Dr. David Banner would clip whatever cash he had in his pocket to a clothesline whenever he needed to swipe a new shirt or pair of pants. Above all else, Superman—even if he’s not yet Superman—should be a role model.

As noted earlier, Jonathan Kent’s relationship with Clark is more layered and complicated in this film, taking a cue from the Birthright series. Jonathan fears that the world is not ready for someone with Clark’s powers and abilities, and if they’re discovered, the boy will be taken away. So Jonathan insists that Clark not ever use those powers in public, even in matters of life and death. I found the ultimate resolution of this particular story thread hard to swallow, even troubling. 

I was very surprised to see Jor-El portrayed as a kick-ass fighter who was highly skilled with both firearms and hand-to-hand combat. Wasn’t this guy a lab-dwelling scientist?    

And there’s a character named Jenny—she works at the Daily Planet and speculation is that she was intended to be a female version of Jimmy Olsen (though her last name is never given). She’s put in major jeopardy during the battle in Metropolis. I think we’re supposed to care about what happens to her, but she’s such a cypher, so thoroughly a non-entity, that I don’t think anyone does. I know I didn’t, and I was wondering why the camera kept cutting back to her and her situation. The movie’s about two-and-a-half hours long, it didn’t really need this extraneous stuff. (Though it did give Laurence Fishburne, as Daily Planet editor-in-chief Perry White, something to do in the midst of the action. Whatever. Just didn’t work for me.)   

But there’s plenty of good stuff. For one thing, when Superman successfully takes flight for the first time, we see absolute joy and wonder on his face and he breaks out into a broad smile—something that was completely missing in Superman Returns, in which Brandon Routh looked glum and troubled most of the time. (I don’t blame Routh. I thought he was excellent as both Superman and Clark. It was the script and the direction that let him down, and unfortunately, his career suffered greatly because of it.) And the film does stress that down to his core, Clark/Superman is just a good, decent, caring person, and while watching, you can’t help but think, “Boy, we need someone like him more than ever.” 

And I really like what was done with General Zod in this film. As much as I enjoyed Terence Stamp in the role, you have to admit, his Zod was very thin as a character. All we really knew about him was that he wanted to rule, he wanted everyone to kneel before him, and he wanted revenge on Jor-El and intended to take it by conquering—or killing—his son. That was it. I found this new version of Zod to be far more developed and  multi-dimensional. He’s passionate and angry and right on the edge of insanity, but he also has an actual point of view and you get a real sense of what’s motivating him. And I love how the film shows Zod struggling to cope with his new powers on Earth. 

No matter the issues I have with the script, I have few if any qualms about the casting. 

Henry Cavill fills the Superman suit very well, though I must add that I really am not enamored of the suit itself. Too dark. Too busy. And I miss the red trunks. (On the plus side, I love the “S” symbol on his chest—it’s the right size and the style hearkens back to the Golden Age of comics.)  As with Routh, my only real criticism with regard to Cavill is something that’s completely beyond his control—in this film, he never gets a chance to show whether he has the versatility to pull off the dual role of Superman and Clark Kent. As Christopher Reeve demonstrated so brilliantly, they’re really two separate characters. But due to the nature of this story, Clark Kent—the mild-mannered reporter incarnation, at least—is not a major factor. So there’s not a whole lot of variation in Cavill’s performance when he’s wearing the suit and when he isn’t.

As Lois Lane, Amy Adams is just as good as we all knew she would be when her casting was first announced. (Makes you wonder why Bryan Singer didn’t consider her for Superman Returns—her star was already on the rise at the time, and even back then, she was clearly far better suited for the role than Kate Bosworth was.) This Lois is gutsy, intelligent, wise, and downright adorable (she is being played by Amy Adams, after all).

Michael Shannon brings a menacing energy and intensity to General Zod—and yet, there’s a certain tragic quality to him, as well. As I mentioned above, I really enjoyed this new take on the character and Shannon’s performance is a big reason for that.

Kevin Costner is terrific as Jonathan Kent. He’s really one of the highlights of the film, despite my misgivings about how his storyline is resolved.

And it should come as no surprise that the wonderful Diane Lane simply nails the role of Jonathan’s wife (and Clark’s adoptive mother), Martha Kent. She’s a sensitive, caring, and loving mother who’s there to help and support her son, no matter what. (Incidentally, it wasn’t all that long ago that I felt that Diane Lane was perfect for the role of Lois Lane.) 

As the first actor to play Jor-El in a movie since Marlon Brando, Russell Crowe has some pretty big shoes to fill. But he acquits himself quite nicely, bringing a strength and dignity and presence all his own (along with the aforementioned ability to kick ass in a throwdown).

And Laurence Fishburne is very good as Perry White—again, that should come as no real surprise. His interactions with Adams’s Lois are fun to watch. 

The rest of the cast, which includes Christopher Meloni (as Colonel Nathan Hardy, who doesn’t know whether to trust Superman), Richard Schiff (as scientist Dr. Emil Hamilton), and Antje Traue (as Faora, General Zod’s right hand woman—think Ursa from the Donner films) are all uniformly good.

So yes, there’s quite a few things to like about Man of Steel—but I do have to mention that the score isn’t one of them. I do sympathize with composer Hans Zimmer. He was in the unenviable position of coming up with music for a Superman film that would be a complete and total departure from the indelible, iconic, downright perfect score created by John Williams. In that, he succeeded. The music for this film is completely unmemorable. There’s no main theme. There’s no real hook. There’s just a lot of thrumming and pounding and percussion. It’s not evocative. I don’t know if I ever would have been fully satisfied with anything other than Williams’s material, but I do know that Zimmer’s work for this film did not resonate with me at all.

As the film enters its opening weekend, news has leaked that a sequel has already been fast-tracked, with the director and screenwriter definitely returning. As I was seven years ago, I’m curious to see what comes next. My hope is that with the filmmakers having now remade Superman: The Movie and Superman II in one shot, we’ll finally get the Superman III that we should’ve gotten 30 years ago. 

© All text copyright Glenn Greenberg, 2013.