Rafael Hurtado
The planet Krypton has gone into chaos due to internal conflicts among its inhabitants. Jor-El (Russell Crowe) and Lara (Ayelet Zurer) are forced to send their only son Kal-El (Henry Cavill) to Earth in order to save it, and at the same time, ensure the survival of their species in another galaxy.
Kal’s spaceship lands in a town called Smallville, where he is adopted by Jonathan (Kevin Costner) and Martha (Diane Lane) Kent. Shocked by the gradual discovery of his superhuman powers, Kal (now called Clark), with the help of his alleged parents, devotes his adolescence to understanding the reason and origin of his existence.
The investigation of his alien origins brings him to meet Lois Lane (Amy Adams) who urges him to continue the search for his own identity. At the same time, his father’s old rival, General Kryptonian Zod (Michael Shanon), invades Earth with a thirst for revenge and destruction.
In this new and much awaited version of the classic Superman story, attention is given to extended dialogues that, though are shown only through intelligent holograms, manifest the close relationship forming between Clark and his father Jor-El. The putative fatherhood of Jonathan Kent is shown as patient and heroic through bitter conversations and fatal sacrifices. Though we are used to seeing innocence and fragility in the “man of steel” through his maturing years (thanks to the series Smallville), the film leaves little room for the imagination to project itself on Clark’s life, full of challenges during his childhood and adolescent years.
The struggles, digital animation, costumes and Kryptonian armor are at the height of a great science fiction, such as those produced by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception). In the end, the career of Clark Kent as reporter for the Daily Planet takes shape, side by side with Lois Lane, so that Superman can keep his eyes fixed upwards and his feet on the ground.
Rafael Hurtado, PhD. Humanities Department. Universidad Panamericana-Guadalajara (Mexico)
