Man of Steel (2013) - Revisited

Back when I saw this movie in 2013, I found it to be a disappointment. I enjoyed exactly two scenes in the entire movie: the Superman flight scene and his aerial rescue of Lois (preceding the Smallville fight sequence). I also liked Antje's performance as Faora. Other than that, the movie did not impress me.

 

I found Man of Steel (MoS) to be the polar opposite of the Richard Donner/Chris Reeve 1978 Superman: The Movie:

• Cavill's Clark Kent/Superman is almost 100% humor/smile free (except for the last shot at the Daily Planet)
• Like Clark, the movie itself has a grim tone, which would befit Batman or Punisher or Spawn better.
• The cinematography choices is also dark and is probably one of the main reasons this movie did not strike a chord with me
• Lois Lane already knows Superman's secret identity, even before they meet. Plus the chemistry between Henry Cavill and Amy Adams is non-existent.
  
• Hans Zimmer's soundtrack does not have a single romance track. John Williams' love theme is still one of his best works.
• The action sequences are way overdone. The movie starts with one (set on Krypton), the second is set in Smallville and the finale in Metropolis. Except the first one, the special effects in the the remaining ones appear unfinished multiple times. We can overlook the lack of humor and the characterizations, but the way these action sequences have been handled is puzzling.
  

 

 

Revisited MoS after a long time and finally came to terms with it. This is a modern take on Superman in the same vein as BBC Sherlock is on the 20th Century Victorian detective. The obvious difference is that while the BBC show also takes deviations, it is a very well made show with great casting choices (among other things). MoS still remains a mixed bag. Yes there are some positives, but the movie still suffers from a number of weak spot. Let us get started.

 

The opening prologue on Krypton feels unnecessary and serves only to remind us that Warner Bros had provided only one mandate to Zack Snyder: make the movie as action packed as possible. If further proof is required, look no further than the casting and characterization of Jor-El. Clearly, Snyder is a fan of Gladiator - in addition to Russell Crowe, we have Connie Nielsen as Hippolyta and Hans Zimmer providing another bombastic soundtrack. One final link would Joaquin Phoenix who played Joker.

Back to the prologue - a good example of a prologue well done would be the one at the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring. That was such a good beginning to the movie and the trilogy. The Krypton sequence on the other hand looks generic and Jor-El is a martial artist/scientist who can go toe to toe with General Zod (Michael Shannon) and ride dragon like beasts (reminded me of Avatar though). 

 

This entire sequence could have been done away with and the money would have been better spent on making the Smallville and Metropolis action sequences better. The city wide destruction and Superman snapping Zod's neck has been widely criticized and commented upon. I can understand that these were justified from a story point perspective, but the low quality of graphics in the fight sequences is something that Zack could have improved on.

 

 

To give Zack and the movie due credit, I liked the scene where Faora-Ul (Antje Trauje) gives special breathing gear to Lois Lane (Amy Adams) in the Kryptonian ship. Also Superman struggling to adjust to the Kryptonian atmosphere was another nice touch. I mention this point specifically for one main reason: When watching Avengers: Endgame, I was struck by how Tony Stark, Peter Parker, Dr Stephen Strange and other humans were able to adapt so quickly to the atmosphere on Titan and breath without the help of any special instrument/aid. So kudos to Zack and team.

 

The other aspects that the movie absolutely delivered are the flight scenes featuring Supes and the Kryptonian ships. The design of the alien ships is another strong point. 

 

The final and the best thing about the movie is Hans Zimmer's soundtrack. Following John Williams' iconic work is a daunting task. Hans delivers a great theme to both Supes and Zod. The movie would lose half its impact without the soundtrack. Superman's first flight scene and his aerial rescue of Lois are two examples. Some might complain that it is bit loud, but I nevertheless enjoy the soundtrack and think of it as a great companion piece to Williams.

 

I did find couple of loop holes in the plot:

• In Zack Snyder's Justice League, it is revealed that General Swanwick (Harry Lennix) is actually Martian Manhunter in disguise. The question is: why did Martian Manhunter not help Supes against the Kryptonian invasion? He could have helped and still maintained his secret identity. Related query: how come Supes did not see through Manhunter's disguise, considering that he would have some anatomical differences from regular human beings?
• Another thing to note is that probably half of Smallville know's Superman's secret identity. After being rescued by Supes, Lois arrives in a police car at Clark's home in Smallville and addresses Superman as “Clark” right within hearing distance of the cops. So what was the point of General Swanwick's 12 million dollar worth satellite to keep tabs on Supes. Plus, cannot Swanwick (as Martian Manhunter) just read Supes mind and know his true identity. 
  

All in all, MoS is a better Science Fiction movie than a Superhero movie featuring Supes. I think of it as an alternate universe take (similar to JL: Gods and Monsters). 

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Image Sources: Warner Bros., Legendary Pictures, Syncopy

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Hank Henshaw's true identity revealed as Martian Manhunter in Supergirl TV Show

The cat is finally out of the bag. Hank Henshaw is none other than the great Martian Manhunter (MM) in disguise.

I had guessed Hank's true identity in my review of the second episode (“Stronger Together”), when his eyes went red for the first time. MM/J'onn J'onzz is one of my favorite superheroes in the DC Universe. He also happens to be one of the most criminally under-appreciated as well.

As a longtime fan of the DC Comics and MM in particular, I express my heartfelt thanks to the writers (Greg Berlanti, Allison Adler, Andrew Kreisberg) and David Harewood for bringing MM to life in such an amazing and truly epic style.

At a time, when Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder have no clue about what to do with such iconic superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman in the DC Extended Universe movies, the treatment MM has received on the CBS show comes as a breath of fresh air.

The recently released trailer for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (BvS:DoJ) proves my point. The cinematography, the coloring, the acting (for the most part), the background score just look/sound terrible. The worst aspect is the CGI. I had remarked in my review of Man of Steel, that the movie suffered from really bad special effects work.

Snyder and Warner Bros. do not seem to have learnt any lessons. The CGI still look as bad as it did in the prequel. Shame on the studio and the director for such a low quality product.

Compare the quality of work on that trailer with the work done for Martian Manhunter in Supergirl. On a much lesser budget, the special effects look more convincing. The acting, direction and music are all superior as well. 

Here is the godforsaken trailer for BvS:DoJ

The only time I was interested in the 3 minutes long trailer were the scenes featuring Jesse Eisenberg. He brings some much needed fun into this movie, that otherwise either features unnecessarily heavy music or deadpan /lifeless acting by the other actors or just plainly terrible CGI.

Coming back to the CBS show - I was sure right from the moment that Hank's eyes went red that he was J'onn J'onzz/MM in disguise. Even though Wikipedia claimed that he is Cyborg Superman, I was still betting my money on Hank being MM. The simple reason being that Hank deduced the presence of Alex nearby using his telepathic powers. J'onn J'onzz has these powers and Cyborg Superman does not.

There were other clues sprinked throughout the show that supported my theory. For one thing, there was David Harewood's serious and self-controlled acting style. That was classic MM. In addition, he remarked in Episode # 5 (“How Does She Do It?”) that if he was following Supergirl, she would not even be aware of that fact. That alone more than proved my theory, since MM has the ability to shape shift, become invisible/intangible. And there was the scene at the airport, where Hank defuses the bomb all by himself. That also proved that he was MM as he would have have simply turned intangible should the bomb had gone off.

Before he revealed his identity in the episode (“Human for a Day”) Hank all but confirmed his identity in an earlier scene. When Jemm threatens that he will come after Hank's loved ones, Hank comments that he has none left in the universe.

And then came the insanely awesome scene, when Hank becomes Martian Manhunter: “I am the sole survivor of my planet. The Last Son of Mars.... My name is J'onn J'onzz.”

That was pure magic. Once again, hats off to the writers and David Harewood.

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But MM is not the only one to get such superb treatment. Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) herself got to shine in her fight scene with Red Tornado. This is the type of epic action that I expect from a Kyptonian superhero. Melissa's acting is greatly supported by the background score, direction and great special effects. Hats off to Melissa and the crew for delivering such a superb scene.

This is how you do justice to the DC Universe. Warner Bros. and Zack Snyder, please take note.

Now, if only that rumored adaptation of Blue Beetle would come true. In the proven hands of Greg Berlanti, I am sure that would be another winner.

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Image Sources: DC Comics, Berlanti Productions, Warner Bros. Television, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

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Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010) - Recap and Review

Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (JL: CoTE) is inspired by “Crisis on Earth-Three!” (written by Gardner Fox) and “JLA: Earth 2”, the graphic novel by Grant Morrison.

As the movie's title indicates, there are alternate earths, each with its own version of our DC Comics heroes and villains. Of course, in other realities, the roles are reversed.

In one such alternate universe, Lex Luthor and Joker are the good guys in charge of the Justice League. The villains are bad guy versions of our regular Justice League members. We have Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Power Ring and Johnny Quick. These super villains are members of “Crime Syndicate”.

In one such encounters between the heroes and villains, the Joker sacrifices himself in order to save Lex Luthor's life. Lex travels to our Earth and requests our set of Justice Leaguers to help save his planet. The rest of the movie is about how our regular heroes fight their evil counterparts and save the alternate Earth.

This is a movie that gives equal  importance to all Justice League members. This means in addition to Supes, Bats and Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern, we get a good look at the most (criminally) underused Justice League member of all time: J'onn J'onzz, better known as the Martian Manhunter (MM).

MM is one of the coolest and the most powerful heroes among the entire lineup of DC Comics characters.

To give an idea of the insane arsenal of powers that MM possesses, I have also mentioned another Comic Book character who has the same power:
1. Intangibility (Kitty Pryde)
2. Shape-shifting (Mystique)
3. Super-strength (Superman)
4. Telepathy (Professor X)
5. Flight (Wonder Woman/Rogue)
6. Martian Vision/Optic Blasts (Cyclops)
7. Telekinesis (Jean Grey)
8. Invisibility

It is almost impossible to best him in a physical confrontation and deserves top billing in any DC Comics adaptation (animated or real life). But fate has dealt the Martian a cruel hand and he still lingers on the sidelines, waiting for his spot in the limelight.

MM has not got much of exposure except for a few rare animated movies like this and the Justice League series that ran from 2001 to 2006. Phil Morris played J'onn J'onzz with a healthy dose of humor, intelligence and the requisite air of mystery in Smallville. His MM had an excellent chemistry with Tom Welling's Clark Kent and this remains one of my favorite parts from the TV show.

Getting back to the movie under review, MM gets enough moments to showcase his amazing powers. Credit to Dwayne McDuffie for his script that helps MM get his much deserved screentime.

Obviously, any DC Comics adaptation cannot do without the Batman and this movie is no exception. The Dark Knight and his evil doppelganger, Owlman arguably have the best written parts. Owlman is a nihilist and his motto is “Nothing matters”. He means to destroy Earth-Prime and with that, all life that exists on various alternate universes (including our Earth).

Other Crime Syndicate members that get to leave an impression are Superwoman and Johnny Quick, the alternate versions of Wonder Woman and The Flash. Another common feature to these three characters is that they get to bash around Batman quite a bit. The Caped Crusader gets even with a couple of them and I will leave it to the readers to enjoy these surprises for themselves.

Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery have co-directed this movie that stars the voice talents of Mark Harmon as Superman, William Baldwin as Batman, James Woods as Owlman, Vanessa Marshall as Wonder Woman, Gina Torres as Superwoman and others.

The direction and voice acting is the kind of work that makes DC Animation stand heads and shoulders over their competitors. Lauren Montgomery has also helmed Justice League: Doom, Superman/Batman: Apocalypse, Green Lantern: First Flight and Wonder Woman. Sam Liu has Superman/Batman: Public Enemies and The Batman vs. Dracula to his credits. Goes without saying that these are some of my favorite DC Comics adaptations.

The acting ensemble does a good job. I personally liked James Woods (Owlman), William Baldwin (Batman) and Jonathan Adams (Martian Manhunter).

The animation quality ranks among the best in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. Hats off to the animators and other artists who have worked on the movie. The output is top-notch.

The action/fight sequences in this movie are just amazing. There are a bunch of them and each and every one of them have been lovingly choreographed and executed.

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Like the other alternate universe movie, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, this one too features familiar characters in a different perspective. I particularly liked Harley Quinn and Jimmy Olsen of the alternate Earth. Jimmy is referred to as Ultraman's Pal, in an obvious reference to “Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen”, the famous comic book series that ran from 1954 to 1974.

This is DC Comics at its peak, right on par with the Christopher Reeve movies and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy.

Needless to say, a must watch for fans of DC Comics.

Check out the trailer below:

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Image Sources: Warner Premiere, DC Movies Wiki

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