'Man of Steel' must escape Reeve's shadow

Christopher Reeve

Ruth recently wrote a marvelous and deeply personal post about what Superman means to her, which you absolutely must read. Yesterday, I was chatting with an old friend about movies in general and we spent a few minutes on the upcoming Superman flick Man of Steel (another movie title that's missing the 'the'), so I've had the big blue Boy Scout on my mind recently. Ruth's love for Superman is partly based in the concept of the character, but I think it's safe to say that a large part of that love is also the result of Christopher Reeve's iconic portrayal over the course of four movies. 

This is entirely understandable and perfectly natural. Reeve had the looks, but more importantly, under Richard Donner's able direction, he was the embodiment of not only the selfless champion of all that's good and right, but he nailed the dual identity aspect between Supes and Clark Kent so well that one could almost believe that a pair of glasses was indeed enough of a disguise. Reeve and Donner's vision of the Man of Steel has been the standard-bearer for superhero films in general for many years and it has inspired millions of moviegoers just like Ruth. It certainly inspired me. 

Dean Cain
(w/Teri Hatcher)

Subsequent live-action incarnations of the character, however, have had a hard time living up to Reeve's portrayal. The 90s TV show Lois and Clark is fondly remembered by some, but lacked the grandeur of the movies, favoring a more soap opera-like approach. The successive TV show, Smallville, had more of a sense of grandeur and scope, but the fact that it was conceived as Clark Kent before he actually dons the blue tights makes it inherently on a level below the movies. (Plus, some would argue, it lasted far too long.) And the 2006 film Superman Returns was criticized for, among other things, paying too much homage to the Reeve/Donner template. The cartoon incarnations of Superman, in both Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League probably come closest to establishing its own identity. If Man of Steel is to be not only a box office success, but a lasting, memorable experience, perhaps this is where it should take its cue from.

Brandon Routh

The potential is there. Producer Christopher Nolan redefined Batman for the 21st century after almost a decade of the Tim Burton/Joel Schumacher films, injecting the franchise with a grittier, real-world feel that gave his Batman trilogy the feel of crime drama, comparable to the films of Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese. Combined with the sensibilities of director Zack Snyder, whose visual pizzazz in films like 300 and Watchmen is a far cry from the comparatively traditional look of Donner, Man of Steel is bound to have a different visual identity, and if this trailer is any indication, I'd say that's a safe bet indeed.

Henry Cavill

The big test, though, will be with the star. Henry Cavill has been in a few other things, but nothing on this scale. How will he pull off the dual identity aspect? What will his chemistry with Amy Adams (as Lois Lane) be like? Will his fight scenes be convincing? The trick will be staying true to the spirit of Superman without overtly evoking Reeve. Unlike Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, Cavill doesn't bear a resemblance to Reeve, on screen or off, which is encouraging. As much as I, and millions of others worldwide, love and revere the memory of Reeve, Cavill's performance as Superman needs to be something not only new, but compelling enough to stand on its own, and that's what I'll be looking for in this new movie.

There have been enough superhero films ever since Reeve and Donner's milestone to fend off a dozen alien invasions and an entire battalion of super-villains, but Superman remains the one character in the genre that all others look up to, and for generations, Reeve's version has been the defining portrayal of that character... but that needs to change. Hopefully Cavill's incarnation, as realized by Nolan and Snyder, will provide that change.

Thoughts?

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Related:
Superman
Man of Steel
Batman
The Dark Knight Rises