Man of Steel Not Quite Shiny

The new version of Superman will fulfill his true destiny: create a Justice League franchise that will put those smug Avengers in their place.

Whether he really does this in Man of Steel.....not quite, but it's trying to be different than Marvel, and maybe riskier, too. That explains how the movie ended. Whether that will work out in the long run remains to be seen.

Man of Steel is much better than Superman Returns because it wants to recreate one of America's greatest icons by using familiar details and mixing new ones to fit current times. That was a better approach that making Superman Returns the semi-sequel to Superman II, complete with Lois having a child that is MUCH more than he looks. I'm guessing the writers of that movie were expecting a sequel to tie up loose ends. That was one of many mistakes.

In the 2013 version of Superman, we get the usual origin story, but with a bit more meat. I kind of wish there was a prequel with Kal-El vs. Zod over the fate of Krypton, plus what the planet was doing before its final destruction. Then you have Henry Cavill as Clark Kent/Kal-El, coming to terms with his powers as a child and an adult. It seemed to be confusing, though. It should have been more chronological, especially with one friend who seems to be connected with Clark no matter what. I still thought Cavill played Superman as a hero-in-training, trying to figure out how Earth would accept or fear him, and how he should use his powers to benefit mankind.

I will say Russell Crowe's diving skills were better than in Les Miserables. It made sense for his hologram to tell Clark who he really was, and fill him in on Krypton and Zod. Afterwards, it was overkill, and too much of a plot convenience.

What would be considered unthinkable...allowing Lois Lane to be more familiar with Superman's true identity than ever before...actually works here. She's supposed to be this brilliant reporter, and expecting her not to catch on by connecting the dots is now hard to believe. Remember, in the original cut of Superman II, Lois does figure it out twice. You can't keep her ignorant just because she's a girl.
That being said, Amy Adams is very good as the resilient Lois Lane, much better than Kate Bosworth. It was still odd seeing Lois so deep in the battle between Superman and Zod. Seeing so many differences in the usual Superman myth may be the reason why critics aren't happy with this movie, but customers have been so far.

When Michael Shannon appears as Zod, he was chewing the scenery as much as Sting was in Dune, especially with that "I will find him" remark. He settled down after a while, but he was still a bit too hammy. His explanation of how he got out of the, er, strange-looking cocoons in the Phantom Zone made a lot of sense.

What really drags down Man of Steel is Zach Snyder's apparent need to create more collateral damage than The Avengers. Sure, in that movie stuff got wrecked, but the dialogue kept things interesting.
OK, so what about how it ended?
Some people may say the ending goes against everything the Man of Steel believes in, from his creation in 1938 to now. Snyder made the call, I think, because in this movie, Superman is learning what a superhero is, and what he thinks is right or wrong. A lot of people may disagree with his final decision, but at the spirit of the moment, it made sense.
Also, I think DC wants a movie philosophy where the heroes will make decisions that may not be popular with everyone, but you know why they made them. The template is the Christopher Nolan version of Batman, and it would be applied here because Nolan co-wrote this movie.

So, I'd give Man of Steel two and a half capes out of four. It took some risks to create a new Superman 'verse, but way too much collateral damage towards the end.

Les Miz Scores as Musical Adaptation of the Book

As many fans of the classic musical Les Miserables were waiting for the movie to arrive, there were whispers that maybe this would wind up as a disappointment. Most were confident Hugh Jackman would be a very credible Jean Valjean, but could Russell Crowe become a great Javert as Roger Allam? Could Anne Hathaway, who had to deal with a Devil who wore Prada, possibly be Fantine? That's like stealing The Dark Knight Rises as Catwoman.
Lily Kane as Cosette? Borat as Thenardier?

YES...to all of that and more.

True, it's not exactly like the musical that's familiar to those who saw it on Broadway, or in concert form on PBS every pledge drive. Director Tom Hooper turned the musical into an adaptation of the story, with help from the original writers. That's why you notice one song has been moved, another was left out, another was split into two parts,some extra lyrics that people never heard before, and, to some, the real Jean Valjean--aka Colm Wilkinson--mysteriously turned into the compassionate Bishop of Digne. This was done with the participation of Alain Boublil, Jean-Marc Natel and Herbert Kretzmer. It's still their musical.

Others have complained about so many close-ups, or that the actors' singing voices aren't pitch perfect. Well, it's the movies, where you always have to be ready for your close-up. Also, they are doing their roles as if it's straight acting while singing. That's why Valjean, who is still shaken by the compassion the Bishop gave him despite stealing silver, doesn't sing "What have I done?" perfectly. He doesn't have to. He's acting and singing in the moment. They all are.

It's also a jolt when we see Jackman, gaunt and bearded, suddenly become a factory owner who fails to help one of his workers, leading him to his true redemption. He is great as Valjean, and reminds me a bit of Wilkinson.

Now to Hathaway, who will be Best Supporting Actress for everything in 2013. Her big solo, "I Dreamed a Dream", is moved after "Lovely Ladies" because the movie decides she has to make that one big fall from unemployed factory worker to debased prostitute before the classic song about how she was deserted by a man she once loved, leaving her with child. Her big song is shown all in closeup because she feels shame for what she has done, and what she has lost. The last thing she would do is stand and make her statement. Seeing her breaks your heart, and it shows why this version of Les Miz should get its due from more people.

Russell Crowe can sing, usually rock and roll. He does fine as Javert, strutting along with his total certainty that he is never wrong about the law. However, I didn't like his version of "Stars". It didn't have that heft I've seen from the PBS versions. If he wants to try another musical, maybe Jackman can get him in Oklahoma or something like that. I did like their fight during "The Confrontation".

When I heard Sasha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter were going to be the sleazy and amoral Thenardiers, I really hoped they would pull it off. After all, Tim Burton proved they can handle musicals, thanks to Sweeney Todd. The best way to look at them is ask "How could they play the Thenardiers, if they can't be Alun Armstrong and Jenny Galloway?"

The answer is simple: be out and out sleazy, and they do become that. The movie also adds something interesting: we see that young Cosette grew up with young Eponine, who was treated a whole lot better and went along with their scams. That's a slight nod to Cinderella, with Valjean as the fairy godfather ready to get Cosette out of there.

Speaking of Cosette, I liked Amanda Seyfried in that role. She was a lot better than Katie Hall from the 25th anniversary version, but her voice kept reminding me of Jeanette MacDonald. Samantha Barks, who played Eponine in the 2010 concert, is also good, although they cut part of "On My Own."

Also, this movie found a good Marius in Eddie Redmayne, especially when he sings "Empty Chairs and Empty Tables." Nick Jonas should be shoved into the nearest theater, watch this movie, and be told THAT is how Marius should be done. Michael Ball is even better, but still.....

There's also an original song called "Suddenly", where Valjean realizes his responsibility to raise Cossette. It's not bad, but it stalled the momentum from when he gets Cossette to when Javert goes looking for both of them. There's also a surprising twist of coincidence which I hope is in the book.

For those who was disappointed "Les Miserables, the movie" isn't "Les Miserables the musical on film," give it another chance. It's a very good adaptation of the musical for film, with the original writers helping out. It's Les Miserables, the genuine musical article. At least it'll be more successful than Rock of Ages.