Man of Steel Appreciation

[Enterpriserules]

I personally love Man of Steel. It is my favorite version of Superman on film. I wrote an extensive review when it came out and talked at length about it in a podcast.

I wanted to start this tread to talk about the movie with other people positively. There are may forums online where people only tear it down and I thought it would be nice to have a place to talk about it with people who like it.

 

[Garak]

Best Superman movie that's been made so far, without a doubt.

 

[Enterpriserules]

I completely agree. I love that it is a journey and a true origin story. Literary his first experiences in the suit, with his powers and what to so with them and why.

 

[shapeshifter]

Totally.

Starting from the beginning, The planet and creatures inhabiting it were so awesome, I was totally blown away. The previous versions seem so sterile and bland in comparison. I loved that the Kryptonians where grown underwater in egg clusters like tadpoles. Completely alien, as they should be.

 

[Enterpriserules]

There is so much love and care that goes into this movie. Watching the birth of the icon is something I have been wanting for years. To see the why. In Donner's movie he goes to "Space School" for years and comes back the fully fledged character, but Snyder is showing us the whole process and as a lover of character driven stories, this is exactly what I wanted. I did not want a redo of Donner, I wanted something different, challenging and something that would help me see my favorite comic character in a way I had not before. It's n52 style or Earth One style, a much more modern take. Each generation gets a Superman that reflects the time they are in. This is ours. I like it. BTW the book, Superman: The High-Flying History of America’s Most Enduring Hero is amazing if you are a fan of the character or just want to know more about him and his history.

 

[Mage]

I see what people didn't like about it, I can see how it bothers some.

Not me. I loved it.

 

[davejames]

I wouldn't say it's my favorite Superman movie, but I still love the crap out of it. Cavill is absolutely perfect in the role, the more grounded approach works really well, and once Zod attacks and the movie turns into a gritty war movie/alien invasion movie, it suddenly picks up and has a tremendous sense of urgency all the way to the end.

More than anything though I think it does a better job of humanizing Superman and making him feel like a real person than anything else I've seen (in the Donner movies he was certainly likeable and awe-inspiring, but not exactly the most complex or three-dimensional character ever).

While I have my minor issues with the film like everybody else (flashbacks that kinda hurt the flow of the story, too much digital Supes, a bit too much destruction at the end), I still think overall it works a helluva lot better than people give it credit for.

 

[Enterpriserules]

I wouldn't say it's my favorite Superman movie, but I still love the crap out of it. Cavill is absolutely perfect in the role, the more grounded approach works really well, and once Zod attacks and the movie turns into a gritty war movie/alien invasion movie it's got just a tremendous sense of urgency all the way to the end.

More than anything though I think it does a better job of humanizing Superman and making him feel like a real person than anything else I've seen (in the Donner movies he was certainly likeable and awe-inspiring, but not exactly the most complex or three-dimensional character ever).

Yes to all of this! It is nice to see the Man of Steel be a real person and not just some, well, icon that is more of a big blue boy scout than a person with history and feelings. It is great that they showed just how relatable Clark is to us. He feels alone, isolated an d unsure of his place in the universe as we all do.

Plus there is the score that I think is brilliant. Great theme that does not pretend to be like Williams, yet is triumphant and epic all the same.

 

[Mudd]

Loved it. Loved the first Reeve movie, too - the sequels, not so much.

 

[Ometiklan]

Interesting timing. I just posted the following in the "Batman V Superman" thread:
___________________________________________
All the recent discussions and news about Batman V Superman got me interested in rewatching "Man of Steel" which I hadn't felt a real urge to do before. This was my third time, and the first since the theater, and I was surprised at how much I liked it.

I had liked it enough that i was one of the few (maybe 2?) movies I saw more than once in the theater that year, but after it had been out a while and having read commentary and discussions about it, I was so aware of the problems with the movie (mine were mostly the inconsistancies/issues with the attitudes of Superman's two dads) that I thought I wouldn't like it much this time around. But I was wrong.

I enjoyed the whole thing and the issues with Johnathan and Jor-El didn't really bother me at all this time. Before rewatching it this time, I had put it at about the same level as "The Dark Knight Rises" with a lot of excellent elements (characters, set pieces, cinematography, etc.) that just didn't come together to a great film. But now I think this is a overall good movie with some great bits and some weak bits. Maybe the best elements aren't as good as the best elements in "The Dark Knight Rises" but overall I think "Man of Steel" is a more "complete" movie. I am looking forward to B V S more now.

So the nitpicks that bugged me this time most:
- Superman destroyed that guy's log truck and no one heard anything from the parking lot?
- The whole "atmospherics" stuff is still annoying and makes less sense that the straightforward yellow sun/red sun approach; hopefully they recon it to just stick with the sunlight in future movies.
- What is with virtual Jor-El being able to talk to Superman in Zod's ship after Superman punched a hole in the side? Either vJor-El is using telepathy or the ship has shields like in Star Trek to seal a hull breach, neither of which is indicated at all in the movie.
- Could have used a little more time between Clark and Martha once he returned home; just a discussion on what he now felt was his place in the universe/on Earth.
- Would have preferred the Kryptonians taking longer to get used to the yellow sun environment; should have had their exo/battle suits "protect" them from the effects of the sun/atmosphere totally. The only reason they should have survived their first fight with Superman would be because of the advanced tech; and then ironically as superman starts winning the fights and destroying their armor, they get exposed and learn the benefits of the yellow sun.
- Even though they were all superpowered, I would have shown them still taking damage from each other. Tear the cape and uniform, break some armor, bloody lips and bruises all around. Have them heal fast if you want, but there should some impact of a Superman powered fist on an equally powered Kryptonian.

Awesome stuff:
- I liked Lois quickly tracking down Clark.
- The fights between Superman and the other Kryptonians in Smallville, I loved how they were (mostly) fighting at full speed the whole time. That is how superpowered people should fight. There should be no downtime (except for injuries) and no time between intent and impact.

____________________________________________
A couple additional nitpics to add:
- Why did it take so long to evacuate the Daily Planet? Giant alien ship arrives, starts destroying the city. Why do you wait until a few fighter jets crash before you evacuate?
- If the A-10 rounds didn't stop the Kryptonians, why would we expect soldiers with M-16s/M-4s to do better? They should have scaled up from the soldiers to the chainguns, then to Mavericks (or other missiles). Makes no sense to go down the scale.

Looking at the more nitpics than awesomes I have listed, I should make it clear that I really do like the movie a lot and could add a lot more to the pluses column:
- Henry Cavill, the opening sequence on Krypton, Clark's wanderings/savings and the resulting "myth", Faora

 

[ManOnTheWave]

This was a strange movie for me. It felt like it was cobbled together from two movies made by two different people, and from scene to scene I loved the movie or hated it with no in between.

However, in the spirit of the thread:

It has a great cast. From beginning to end it's full of good actors.

Much the way people joked about Hemsworth becoming Thor, Henry Cavill put in an insane amount of work to achieve the physique of a Greek god.

Lois Lane: in this movie she's actually a journalist pursuing a story, not an excuse for a damsel to find distress.

Superman has a childhood, and is actually shaped and divided by having two fathers. Superman never really struck me as conflicted before in any way that was not contrived, but this worked for me.

 

[Enterpriserules]

Lucas just said in an interview he did at the Tribeca Film Festival that he does not understand why people feel the need to tear down what they don't like. If you don't like it, okay fine, go on with your day, why would you feel the needs to spend so much energy ripping it apart.

I am so glad to see people enjoying the thread, because there is too much negativity out there, why not enjoy the positive and let go of the stuff you don't like.

I loved that Lois Lane was a kick ass reporter and that meant she knew who Clark was. I also love the way Clark works with the military and they are equals for him, he needs their help and they are shown in a positive light. Does not happen all that much these days.

 

[Mudd]

Yeah, both the Adams and Kidder versions of Lois have curiosity and initiative, but Adams's Lois also has a functioning brain.

 

[Enterpriserules]

^ So true. It's like she is a real reporter

 

[Captaindemotion]

For me, the best thing about it was the casting. Cavill, obviously, but also Adams, Crowe, Shannon and Lane. Oh, and Costner, though if he was meant to be 47, he must've had a hard paper round growing up. But nary a bad performance there.

Snyder's direction was, for me, more mature and assured than hitherto, even if I didn't like all of the action scenes. I do find Zimmer repetitive as a composer but I did like his score for this film. The movie obviously looked great - from Krypton, to the flying scenes to Kansas.

I don't think it's a perfect movie by any means but this isn't the thread for that. What I will say, however, is that, as oppose to Superman Returns, which I also liked without loving, MOS left me much keener to see more of this new world and to see what happened next for this new incarnation of Superman. That was before I even knew of DC's expanded universe plans, which obviously make that anticipation even greater.

 

[Enterpriserules]

I do like this cast. It was such a plus for the film.

I love the movie, but it's not perfect, but I am with you in that I really can't wait to see what happens in the new DCU.

 

[hux]

I disliked quite a lot about the film but since this thread is a love fest

It had Toby from the West Wing in it and that made me happy

 

[Enterpriserules]

There you go man. Way to get in the spirit.

 

[Greg Cox]

Dare I mention there's a novelization?

 

[Enterpriserules]

Oh Greg, I have it and read it!