Man of Steel - quick review (1 Viewer)

[Gary Seven]

Neither do I.

I find it interesting that there is a constant comparison between MOS and Superman II. While the basic plot may be somewhat the same, the worlds in which they live is clearly different, with Superman II existing in a more comic book, cartoony world than MOS. Since the approaches are radically different, as well as the behavior and actions of characters involved, comparisons, in my view, become moot.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

If you read his article, he really has just two issues with this "good science fiction story".


One is Zod's death, which as the catalyst for his vow to never kill again, I'm ok with. So we agree to disagree.
The second is the level of destruction, which I do agree with, however, I feel (and hope) they will deal with that in the next film. This is a Superman who is still learning as opposed to knowing it all after a 12 year journey into the cosmos so if the theme continues to the next film, there will be consequences from that level of destruction. If they do simply gloss over it or ignore it completely, then I agree, huge missed opportunity that would further weaken THIS film. I guess we shall see.

As a comic book writer his issues with what was done with the Superman character align with those who know Superman only through the movies. And that is a proportionately much larger audience and represents the majority view of the character, for better or worse.

 

[Gary Seven]

Not quite. His only two issues are those that I mentioned.

If what you say is true in regards to the majority and their perception of Superman, and probably it is, then "their" Superman is still the Silver age Superman where he is indeed SUPERman. Now my "expertise" (LOL That is funny) with Superman is indeed more Silver Age and Golden Age related because of my age but I am aware of the changes done since 1986 where he became superMAN. This switch where the emphasis is placed on the man aligns with MOS.

Being a "good science fiction story" is indeed a big plus and for me is better than being a "good comic book story". Whether it is a good Superman story, well that's what this discussion is all about. I'm glad that there is all this debate because that means Superman does still strike a chord with the populace, which means more to come in one form or another.

 

[Simon Massey]

GaryThe similarities of plot to Superman II are largely irrelevant and the change in tone to a more science fiction type story is also welcome. i think its the filmmaking choices of the makers that are in question here. In their effort to give us what was perceived to be missing from Superman Returns - action - they forgot for the final half what they actually championed early on - to bring us a story that was grounded in what it would really be like if such a person existed and how we would react.I brought up the comparison with Superman II to illustrate that arguing Superman needs time to adapt and learn is moot when it comes to the destruction and that the way they handle these scenes doesn't just exemplify what Superman is all about, but makes you feel for him. The comparisons of behaviours and actions is relevant in how it impacts a viewers response to the film, rather than just a comparison of whether Superman should or shouldn't do something. I will accept any change to the mythos if it still makes me care about the characters. I agree that Superman II does exist in a more comic book and cartoony world than MoS - don't you find it odd that such a film takes the consequences of the destruction far more seriously than MoS amidst all the cartoony aspects as you call it?And with that I will shut up as I'm sure I've said enough. I am glad the film will do well enough to prompt another one and hopefully Snyder will improve this one because there are things I did like. I know a lot of friends who are casual film viewers and loved the film so it has clearly struck a chord with some.

 

[Corey II]

I'm pretty sure this hasn't been mentioned before, but I personally think Brad Bird would have been a much better choice of a director to helm a new Superman franchise. I just happened to pop in the Ghost Protocol blu-ray yesterday and noticed how superior that movie is to Man of Steel. Anyway, one could only wonder what it would have been like if Brad had directed Superman.

Anyway, let The Iron Giant and The Incredibles jokes begin.

 

[dpippel]

I agree that Bird would have been a much more inspired choice for MoS than Snyder. BUT, at least we didn't get Tim Burton.

 

[Sam Favate]

I'm pretty sure this hasn't been mentioned before, but I personally think Brad Bird would have been a much better choice of a director to helm a new Superman franchise. I just happened to pop in the Ghost Protocol blu-ray yesterday and noticed how superior that movie is to Man of Steel. Anyway, one could only wonder what it would have been like if Brad had directed Superman.

Oh, good god, yes. Bird would have made a terrific movie.

 

[mattCR]

My gut tells me if this had someone like Brad Bird this would have been a very different, but definitely more 'fun' film.

 

[Dave H]

I'm a Superman fan (especially of I and II), but I was disappointed in Man of Steel. Don't get me wrong, I am glad they rebooted it and made it something different than Donner's stuff as well as modifying it for the times. However, there was just far, far too much redundant action and fighting sequences. That last 45 minutes in particular, ugh. I also felt the story telling was a bit incongruent. In some ways, I can see how they slightly tried to mirror Batman Begins with present and past scenes, but didn't pull it off nearly as successful. However, just nothing really grabbed me about this movie in terms of the chraracters. It seems the focus on purely on making it dark and creating as much destruction as possible.

 

[Corey II]

You know, when you think about it, Superman really shouldn't be murdering anybody in his first movie out the gate. Even his first movie in a reboot series.


Just a thought.

 

[Corey II]

Some people would say he shouldn't be killing at all. But if you're going to go down that road which is clearly what Snyder and Goyer did, I don't think Zod is the villain for the task. If any villain is going to take Kal-El to the point of contemplating murder let alone actually committing it, I think it should be Darkseid.

Of course, one can only hope the Lord of Apokolips will eventually make his way to the silverscreen.

 

[Tino]

Boxoffice update from boxoffice guru:

After a hefty sophomore slide, the super hero tentpole Man of Steel stabilized in its third round falling an acceptable 50% to an estimated $20.8M. A decent hold given the arrival of two new action titles, the Warner Bros. pic has now amassed an impressive $248.7M and still has a good shot at reaching $300M, especially with the lucrative holiday week coming. Worldwide it broke $500M on its way to possibly $750M or more. The weekend saw a healthy $52.2M offshore boosting the overseas take to $271.7M for General Zod and the global gross to $520.4M with Japan and Brazil still to come.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Killing and murder aren't the same things. Kal-El killed Zod, but he did not murder him. When a cop kills an armed suspect to prevent him from continuing a killing spree it isn't murder. It's the same scenario in principle.

 

[dpippel]

Since Clark Kent/Kal-El is technically a civilian then technically speaking yes, didn't he murder Zod? He is not a sworn law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty. He's an alien living on Earth, although I'm sure that Earth-bound law enforcement would make an exception in this case.

 

[Brandon Conway]

Since Clark Kent/Kal-El is technically a civilian then technically speaking yes, didn't he murder Zod? He is not a sworn law enforcement officer acting in the line of duty. He's an alien living on Earth, although I'm sure that Earth-bound law enforcement would make an exception in this case.

Technically he's assisting the military in their operation, and legally is under their authority to use lethal force if necessary.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Technically, Clark is an illegal alien.

 

[dpippel]

Technically he's assisting the military in their operation, and legally is under their authority to use lethal force if necessary.

Legally under their authority? I don't seem to remember that point being made in the film so it must be inferred. Then there are all of the possible civilian casualties caused by his fight with the Kryptonians in both Smallville and Metropolis? Does he share some responsibility for their deaths? Just spinning my wheels here.

 

[TravisR]

Then there are all of the possible civilian casualties caused by his fight with the Kryptonians in both Smallville and Metropolis? Does he share some responsibility for their deaths? Just spinning my wheels here.

The resulting lawsuits would be Superman's real Kryptonite.

 

[Brett Meyer]

I saw this in IMAX 2D and found it good but not great. Most of my complaints have been listed already -- lack of characterization, clunky plotting, bombast over heart, etc. My hope is that the next film can dispence with the background and go into the foreground. Here's hoping the main villain is Darkseid with a chance of a trilogy to resolve that story.

 

[Brandon Conway]

The resulting lawsuits would be Superman's real Kryptonite.

The resulting lawsuits of most action films would be unreal. Can you imagine the litigation in the aftermath of Die Hard or Terminator 2?