MMH SPECIAL PRESENTATION: “Man of Steel” PROLOGUE I. MAN OF THOUGHT: Today is a good day, not because it’s the end of a long week or the beginning of a weekend, but because ALL of you choose to grant me the privilege of showing a part of myself, the best of myself, to you. As I’ve stated in recent days, “My greatest power is your heart.” It’s a shared experience; we want to know there are other people out there who have our best interests in mind, even when we do not. While we often strive to become our best selves in public, it’s another matter behind closed doors. When we feel nobody is watching, many of us regress to a primal state and choose to forget how far we’ve come as a people. Think on the many mindless hours spent alone, searching for instant gratification, that could’ve been spent acquiring knowledge and fulfilling your capacity for difference in the void of sameness. We make our own kryptonite. An age-old lesson comes to mind: what separates us from the animals is our ability to think; cognition takes us to places no other species can reach. We solve problems, express emotion, inspire the weary, heal the ill and, OF COURSE, lead the way. But how far can we truly go when we allow ignorance, the lack of wisdom, to get in the way of progress? These are difficult times, to be sure. Technology provides us with tools to build our future, while at the same time, the means to seal our fate. The only way to know what we are capable of is to test our limitations and measure our abilities, or aptitudes, for learning and adapting, against our previous results and the skills of others. II. APTITUDE TEST: There are those among us capable of doing one, or even a few tasks, very well, perhaps better than most; some of us can play music or write code or throw a ball or see truth or think critically with little or no difficulty. While there are those who can do some things well, there are others, a small number of people, who can do everything well. You know who you are. These are the people who must carry the greatest burden of responsibility because what others may see as challenging is but a mere chore to the TMA (Too Many Aptitudes) or polymath class; they are the closest we’ve come, thus far, to being superhuman. What is shameful is the fact many of these rare individuals are often deemed outcasts because they function differently than most; some may even cope with perceived learning disabilities because their minds absorb too much, too quickly (in a way most would consider impossible). And so, a true TMA or polymath won’t receive the guidance or freedom to cultivate his or her abilities, but rather the exact opposite, they will live a meager existence and likely end up, yes, on the fringe because they do not value material and betrayal — our answer to evolution. These are the minds who can help us achieve our potential, and they want to be of use, however, they must overcome more obstacles than others. It’s been in the news, quite recently, that human genes cannot be patented; for this reason, we must ALL become the contribution to society we wish to pass on through our children. It’s not only their future to deal with, but it’s the path we pave for them, is it not? No matter our gifts in life, great or small, we have it in us to become our best selves and offer our wisdom to the masses and our legacy to our descendants. Accordingly, cultivating and sharing knowledge, the universal truth, becomes our ability to do great things for others. THE STORY: The narrative of a child, sent to a chaotic world to bring about peace and hope, opens with his origin. In preference to rehashing, shot-for-shot, the Richard Donner version of 1978, or omitting it altogether, director Zack Snyder, writer David S. Goyer, and executive producer Christopher Nolan, reimagine the caped one’s mythology while still staying true to DC Comics’ enduring character. Yes, Krypton is on the verge of destruction, though, there is also a coup d’etat in play for control of their people’s future; a hidden codex contains the DNA, or blueprint, of their race, which hasn’t been able to naturally conceive a child in centuries. They rely on genesis chambers to grow children to full term; it’s become part of their struggle for survival during the progression of a hundred-thousand years. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and his wife, Lara (Ayelet Zurer), are something of royalty among their fellow Kryptonians; he possesses great wisdom, physical superiority and a mastery of telepathy as it’s applied to his own people and Krypton’s many creatures. Jor-El is master and servant to ALL beings while his understanding of the universe, and the force for good, is unparalleled. During an invasion by General Zod (Michael Shannon) and his loyal followers, Jor-El not only witnesses Zod’s murderous rampage, but also resists any attempt to subdue him with extreme prejudice as he makes his way to a tower where his natural-born son is to begin a journey to a distant planet. Young Kal-El is infused with the very codex General Zod seeks to ensure the survival of his own kind. When a ship carrying Kal-El successfully lifts off, his awestruck father is unceremoniously struck down by Zod. The father lives on through the hope of his son’s journey to a new home. After Zod and his soldiers are captured and banished to the phantom zone, they are, in a turn of irony, protected from Krypton’s fate as they watch their world explode before their very eyes. General Zod’s only choice is to somehow find Kal-El and extract the codex from his body, dead or alive. Here on Earth, Kal-El is a Kansas boy by the name of Clark Kent; he’s an outcast because of his otherworldly abilities, triggered by our young sun, which cause him to lose focus due to sensory overload. He’s taught from an early age, by his human parents Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane), to keep his gifts a secret out of fear the government would take him away. When Clark is a teenager, he saves a busload of students, who oft repelled him as a reject, from a watery grave following a traffic accident. Jonathan must tell his alien child what he knows about his arrival to Earth years earlier; the basement of a barn houses the Kryptonian capsule that carried Clark/Kal-El to their fields in rural Kansas. They know not why he’s here, but they trust it’s for a greater purpose; he can do everything well, and has the ability to help this world in ways yet to be realized. As Clark grows into a man, he hides among the people, going from one odd job to the next, including work on a fishing boat, busing tables at an Alaskan bar and lugging stock for a cargo company. While we track the all-too-human Clark’s whereabouts in the world, we’re given the opportunity to observe different times throughout his life that tell of his journey to know himself and his place among a people he can’t seem to fully understand; he’s different and he’s always known it. We watch as he’s bullied at school, and later, when his earthly father rushes to save others during a tornado, only to be caught in the storm himself; knowing full well Clark could save him, Jonathan chooses to sacrifice himself to keep his ‘super’ son safe from the public eye. Now a grown man, Clark/Kal-El (Henry Cavill) crosses paths with a fiery journalist who’s following a story about an underground chamber discovered inside a massive glacier. Lois Lane (Amy Adams) is a reporter for the Daily Planet newspaper in Metropolis. Our hidden hero is handling the cargo being used to analyze whatever is buried underneath the surface; it’s encased in ice that’s been there for 18,000 years. When Lois skulks about at night to get the scoop she needs, Clark is spotted making his way toward the very cool site. She follows his lead while the burning question of his intentions compels her to uncover his truth; he soon warms to the discovery of a spaceship from his planet sent here thousands of years ago in search of a new home. Once inside, he uses a key retrieved at his Kansas farm to activate the vessel’s hard drive and the existential memory of Jor-El; he’s come to life as a hologram to show his only son where he comes from and what he’s capable of. Meanwhile, Lois stumbles upon the find and takes the information back to Metropolis, with one problem, editor-in-chief Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) won’t publish her story without better confirmation; he feels the world isn’t ready to believe we are not alone in the universe. Lois isn’t about to throw away the biggest story, uh, ever, which is why she begins to retrace the mysterious guardian’s steps until she ends up at the doorstep of widow, Martha Kent — and their boy isn’t far behind. After learning of his father’s fate, Lois agrees to sit on the story because, like Perry White, she’s not sure if the world is ready, either. Someone else is about to make up their minds for them. A powerful message is sent to the world’s communication devices: “Kal-El, you are not alone. Surrender or the people of Earth will suffer the consequences.” Now is the time to reveal himself to a place his lived for 33 years, but as a visitor. Donning the iconic “S” on his chest — which we come to find out means “hope” on his home world — Kal-El surrenders at a U.S. military base where he’s questioned again by Lois Lane until they’re both summoned to join General Zod aboard a ship looming over Earth in orbit. Zod tells of his plot to inhabit the Earth and use the missing codex to grow his species once more. Our super friend — whose power has been greatly reduced due to atmospheric changes aboard the spaceship — knows that in order to grow an entire species of people, human beings would first have to be exterminated; Zod’s proposing genocide and Kal-El won’t allow it. Even from the grave, Jor-El’s hand continues to intervene and present Zod with yet another challenge. Like father, like son: Kal-El responds to his fellow Kryptonians’ assault on his mother by unleashing the unbridled nature of his sun-induced abilities that has built up over three decades; it’s many against one, which still seems even after we witness the initial burst of raw strength demonstrated by a being now referred to as “the alien” or “Superman.” Iconic American symbols such as iHop, Sears and other brands are not spared as the battle in Kansas would have even “The Great & Powerful Oz” running for the fields. You’ll throw out what you know about gravity and physics after watching a locomotive engine being hurled threw the air like a frisbee. He may be faster than a locomotive, but not when it’s thrown at him from above. Following a fight that concluded as a stalemate between two superpowers, Kal-El is seen as an ally to the United States. General Zod recovers from his own atmospheric sickness and the wheels are once again turning inside his mind, and inside the world engine he’s about to land on Earth. Despite the challenge from Kal-El, the relentless commander gives the go ahead to begin a process called “terraforming.” The immense world engine actually begins to increase the planet’s mass while also changing its atmosphere and gravity; human beings haven’t much time before they’re to be supplanted by an advanced species led by a ruler who views morality as a weakness that has no place on the evolutionary chart. If only the strong shall survive, our guardian will have no choice but to match their might with his own. What follows is a supernatural turf war that forces us to re-imagine what is possible on the big screen. Evoking the terror of 9/11 in New York, skyscrapers collapse and people flee for their lives while brick, glass and dust emanate from every direction. This while our alien visitors go head-to-head in a sky that appears to be falling all around them. Perhaps our hero can’t go it alone; U.S. forces outfit an alien pod with some weaponry of their own and use it to stop part of the world engine. It’s a team effort, however, Kal-El must still do everything in his power to give General Zod the ending he wishes to bring upon himself while also saving the planet from a fate similar to that of his expired world. “Krypton had its chance,” exclaims its only remaining son. Perhaps it will live on as its last hope learns to be a “force for good” wherever he may go as a reporter, a guardian, and a welcome member of a place he can finally call home. It’s a new day for our greatest superhero. MMH STAR RATING: 4.5 out of 5 stars (90%) THE LESSON: We ALL have the ability to do great things for others when we better know ourselves. THE GOOD: This updated Superman is, for his first 33 years, an everyman — who quietly saves mortals from their manmade disasters — struggling to find his way in the world. Clark/Kal-El is a peaceful and intelligent outcast capable of things no earthly being ever thought possible and he’s deemed an oddity years before he chooses to show his true colors. The boy’s human parents do everything they can to shield him from society’s ignorance while also encouraging him to never stop searching for his purpose. It’s only later when his biological father, Jor-El, shows him ways to harness his many “aptitudes” is Kal-El able to find his place among a young and promising people. The time also flies by (pardon the pun). THE BAD: I fully expected to observe more of a chess match between Kal-El and General Zod during the battle for Earth’s future. Why not also showcase humankind’s capacity to outthink its otherworldly visitors? Our military minds can do more than carry out drone strikes. There’s always a trade off. As an alternative to a mental matchup, I received a visually-advanced sequence of events unlike anything ever achieved in the genre (see also THE NEUTRAL). It’s quite effortless to spot actors who are uncomfortable performing almost entirely in front of green screen. As technology continues to push what’s possible in cinema to new and unfathomable levels — depths or heights depending on your perspective — so must the method of acting to accommodate the breadth of CGI artistry. Doesn’t NYU offer Green Screen 101? If not, someone should add it to the school’s theater program and sign up a few of today’s stars who will undoubtedly lead many of tomorrow’s projects. THE NEUTRAL: Think big, now go bigger, bigger yet... your image still isn’t big enough to match the scale of this all-encompassing stage. It’s almost too “astronomical” to describe. To better explain, think of the Earth as a square of sidewalk and some of us can jump from one square to the next with ease, crack its surface, smooth it out again and use the sun to burn ants (that’s us) looking for food; the problem is the square isn’t big enough for everyone, which means one of its inhabitants must leave. Oh, by the way, those who can jump squares are also equipped with iPhones while the rest of us have mere antennae. Message received? If not, try this: imagine visiting 1813 with all of your 2013 gear (smart devices; tablets; iPods; ultra-books); you’d be revered and feared as a technologically-advanced being from a distant world. After all, Snyder and Nolan understand moviegoers need good reason to spend their dollars in theaters as opposed to streaming it at home or through even smaller, less theatrical mobile devices. STARRING: Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Russell Crowe, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane, Kevin Costner WHERE: Now playing in U.S. theaters nationwide. GENRE: Superhero, Man of Steel ALSO LOOK FOR: Laurence Fishburne as “Perry White.” FILM FACT: Zack Snyder is no stranger to CGI wizardry. In 2006, he directed “300” which was shot entirely against green screen. MPAA RATING: PG-13 RUNNING TIME: 2 hr. 23 min.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 00:40:28 +0000
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