Heroic Retrospective: ‘Man Of Steel’

This Friday, one of the most discussed and highly anticipated films of the year will finally be out in theaters as Warner Bros. Pictures’ Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice will bring the Last Son of Krypton and the Caped Crusader of Gotham City together for the first time on the big screen. But before we get to the second chapter of the DC Extended Universe that will start to flesh out their world and eventually bring together the Justice League, there was Man of Steel that came out in June 2013. Out of all the Superman movies that we have had in this generation, Man of Steel is by far the one that is still today being heavily discussed about as the reception was and still today is divided.

Heroic Hollywood had yet to be created back in 2013 and as the week has finally arrived for Batman v Superman, we wanted to take this opportunity to reflect on the film that set up the DCEU. To do that, we brought together many of our staff writers together and let each of them give their thoughts about the film, the birth of this interpretation of the Man of Tomorrow and more. While it has been three years, we do warn those who have yet to see Man of Steel that there will be spoilers brought up in some of the thoughts on the next pages.

“During the build-up toward Man of Steel, I had no anxieties about the casting, nor Zack Snyder’s direction. I never particularly liked any of Snyder’s films other than Watchmen, but the trailers for this new Superman movie were epic on a scale I’d never expected; they conveyed a legendary quality to Kal-El, and, paired with the Hans Zimmer score, it was almost inspirational. The film itself was a bit of a letdown; unlike the trailers, it didn’t seem to have a clear sense of what it wanted to be or what message it wanted to send. Clark Kent’s parents didn’t seem like great people, and Clark himself didn’t have as clearly defined a set of morals as I’d have liked. There’s the typical “grim dark” complaint against the film, and, while I do believe Superman looks better in blue daytime skies than rainy dark ones, that wasn’t personally an issue for me. Now, in Batman v Superman, Superman has the chance to have that clear characterization, as he faces up against his greatest foil: Batman. As strange as it sounds, I’m most excited for how much Batman v Superman will enrich Man of Steel for me.” Alex Ward

“Man of Steel. To say this film was polarizing is underselling it. I get why so many people had issues with it but I can’t deny I left the theater really excited about what I had just seen. Yes, there was tons of destruction, and while I hesitate to use the word “realistic” – I would expect a battle of this magnitude to have these levels of destruction. To me it makes sense. And yes, he probably could have stopped Zod without killing him (of course, he killed Zod in the comics at one point too so it’s not totally unprecedented). However, I feel it’s important to remember that he had been “Superman” for at most a couple days. He literally just got his suit and learned to fly. This was not a veteran super-hero and they showed that fantastically. I loved the non-linear storytelling used for his background rather than the straight origin story we typically get. I recently re-watched “Man of Steel” and I still think it is great. Bring on Batman V Superman!” Brent Clark

“I was first introduced to the comic book world when I saw Batman Begins in theaters. This introduced allowed me to a whole new world. I fell in love with D.C. Comics and the entire D.C. Universe. Fast forward to Man of Steel being released in 2013. This movie re-introduced me to Superman and I saw the D.C. universe in another light. I saw the world through the eyes of a God. The character of Superman seems larger than life and this was made instantly clear seeing him brought to life again on the big screen. Man of Steel combined heart, action and character development in a way that felt different from the Batman trilogy. It was more colorful, hopeful and passionate. This story humanized Superman in a way that was relatable, just as his character was trying to relate to humanity. Zack Snyder introduced me to another part of the D.C. Universe and I continue to be conflicted about Team Superman or Batman because I fell in love with them both.” – Chelsea Lewis

“Man of Steel is a film that I actually didn’t see until it was released on Blu-Ray and partially that was because of the mixed reaction it received when it was released. That being said when I finally got the opportunity to see it I was impressed with the performances from the cast, the visuals, the score, and the costume design. I really enjoyed the film, but realized that it had some issues when it came to the writing. I found that there were certain moments that didn’t quite work, especially in certain scenes with Jonathan Kent. Kevin Costner’s performance was great, but I found the use of his character to be a little heavy handed. All in all it’s a good film that could have been great if the script was given another revision or two. I look forward to seeing how Batman V. Superman builds off of this film and expands the universe they are building.” Christian Michael Stoic

“I love Superman. Always have. As a kid I dreamed of flying and having nearly limitless strength. As an adult, I’m inspired by his unfailing goodness and his indomitable desire to do right – even when it’s tough, even when no one else in the world agrees. So when Man of Steel presented a Superman who was brought up to resent his powers, to think only of himself, who reluctantly answers the call to action only when it personally affects him, and who causes destruction and death on a massive scale, I revolted. The film itself is a technical marvel – one of the most spectacular translations of comic book action to the giant screen – but it’s ultimately hollow and cruel. It betrays every ideal the last son of Krypton ever stood for, and in doing so fails to accomplish the one thing a Superman movie need do: show us Superman. With the impending release of Batman v Superman, I’d love to once again see a Superman who inspires us to dream, to be better than we are. If that’s not the Kryptonian we get on film, I’m happy at least that we have one on television.” – David Daut

“My second-favorite episode of the 1950s classic Adventures of Superman involves a criminal couple who try to evade justice by taking advantage of Superman’s refusal to kill. He eventually stops them by leaving them atop a mountain to die of natural causes. The episode ends with Clark Kent laughing in his office as he reads the headline about their deaths. I bring this up to illustrate a point—I don’t mind seeing Superman kill people. I kind of enjoy it, actually. But even if I didn’t, I would still love the end of Man of Steel. Some viewers felt Supes was portrayed as a cold-blooded killer who didn’t mind leveling a few buildings, but this is wildly inaccurate. He didn’t kill Zod until he had to, and the guilt was written all over his face. After Man of Steel, the world doesn’t know if Superman is a hero or a threat. What few realize is that Superman is likely asking the same question himself. If my assessment of Man of Steel is correct, Batman v Superman just might give us the most engaging cinematic character study of the Caped Crusader to date. I am very excited to see how these films tie together.” Kieran Hair

“Man of Steel is the attempt to Batman Begins the Superman franchise by treating the quintessential superhero as an alien invasion tale in the name of realism. This shifts the focus away from the purpose of Superman’s existence – as a paragon of “Truth, Justice and the American Way” both in-and-out of universe – and to the mere existence of Superman, which is necessarily a darker tale. Zack Snyder delivers an action-packed film that clearly apes producer/”godfather” Christopher Nolan. However, this didn’t make it a good Superman movie. Henry Cavill also makes for an uninspiring Clark Kent, augmenting the perception of it not being a good Superman movie. The film’s problem is its script which contains an unhealthy amount of David S. Goyer and not enough of the Nolans that balanced out the Dark Knight trilogy. The film remains divisive because the aspects people hate (too much destruction, deconstruction etc.) are the same aspects people like me love.” Sam Flynn

“When I first watched Man of Steel way back in 2013; I, like many countless others, was excited. It was a new take on the Superman character, and for some reason I was perhaps a bit skeptical (we all remember Superman Returns). However, after watching it, my conscience was relieved to know that Man of Steel wasn’t bad. It was pretty good, to be honest. Not perfect (it’s hard for anything to be perfect these days), but still a good movie. A lot of people diss the film because of Supes’ neck-breaking scene, and I always question people why they question this. Sure, I know for a fact Superman does not kill, but seeing Zod’s destruction and what he could potentially do, Clark made the toughest choice of his life. Granted it worked, and Metropolis commenced its recovery. All this has lead to Batman coming into the frame, but I’m still a bit worried about Batman v Superman. I have no shadow of a doubt it’s going to be one of the best comic book films yet. People, of course, will still diss it because of its numerous characters and the “spoiler” that is Doomsday. But, honestly, if Doomsday was a “spoiler”, do you really think they would have included him in any trailer(s)?” – Shay Conaghan

“Superman in the movies to me was always a goody-goody boy scout that did no wrong. Previous films portrayed him as a demi-God graciously saving the weak, and I have to admit, I was never a fan of that. Man of Steel changed all of that. From the mood, to the cinematography, Zack Snyder produced a world that was very real, and a hero that was very flawed. In its 10 year run, Smallville showed a very human Clark, but made his transition to Superman laughable, Man of Steel excelled at this with a fraction of the time. The film humanized Superman in the best way possible, and the controversial ending by far showed this. Zod knew what he was doing, and Superman didn’t want to do it. The visible tears and the scream of pain galvanized this film to me as the perfect depiction of the Superman I know from the comics.” Taylor Landine

“Superman was one – if not the – of the first superheroes I fell in love with as a child and he has had a special place in my life, whether it’s in the comics, film or television shows. I won’t deny that Man of Steel had some flaws, but no movie is perfect. This film is a powerful modern take on this iconic hero and his mythology. Some say that it “failed” in bringing the level of optimism and inspiration that other Superman interpretations has had, which I will always 100% disagree with. This was an ORIGIN story, I didn’t expect to go into this film and come out having the “classic” Superman that we have seen before. I also love the fact that it wasn’t all sunshine with this Superman in this world that he lives in. I found the complexity that Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill added to this to be quite compelling and why this film worked for me among other reasons too. I’m excited to be getting to revisit these characters and this world this week as we continue to see the birth of what I feel will be an amazing cinematic world for DC.” Andy Behbakht

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opens in theaters on March 25.

Andy Behbakht

Andy Behbakht

Andy Behbakht is an online entertainment journalist who has been covering television and movies since 2010. In addition, he is also a podcast producer.