15 June 2013

At the Movies

Last night I got to accompany Father Robert Barron to the movies along with some friends here in the seminary community. Given the hubbub surrounding Christopher Nolan's latest film Man of Steel, our choice was obvious.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much to enjoy.

The trouble with superheroes is that there's nothing at stake; only so many face-grinding, body-pummeling variations on the theme of indestructible beings at war are possible. The battles stretched interminably, while we yawned. The dialogue was wooden and strained; performances from Crowe and Lane were surprisingly one-dimensional. 



In my estimation, the best part of this movie was the trailer; the brief placement of the images of power (launching from the ground, breaking the sound barrier) alongside the simplicity of farm life and boyhood were really the only matters of interest for me, the only thing that savored of real delight. The rest was so much sound and spectacle. Nolan had better get back in the driver's seat...

Save your $12 and just watch the trailer.

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