MAN OF STEEL - Grading & Discussion

[Agent Richard07]

***SPOILERS AHEAD***

The latest incarnation of Superman hits the big screen.

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[Agent Richard07]

The movie opens tomorrow in some parts of the world and reviews from advance screenings are pouring in. Also, the official novelization written by Greg Cox will be released on June 18th. And if you're interested, give the Glyph Generator a try and see what your Kryptonian symbol would look like.

 

[Turtletrekker]

The CBR review is mostly positive.

 

[Samurai8472]

Okay round 2. Let's see if WB has found the right Superman movie this time.

Last time they tried WB/Singer went with a more familiar(Donner elements) and emotional movie

Now with Synder they're trying a new approach.

Something not too different from all those ludicrous ideas from the 90's "Superman" movie scripts.

-Suit's not traditional
-Kryptonian culture is different from Donner
-A black Perry White.


It's funny to remember Jon Peters in a TV special on "Superman" say that all those outlandish script pitches in the 90's had "No heart"

Now they're embracing some changes LOL

 

[Tosk]

I can't believe I still gotta wait two more weeks for this one.

 

[Trekker4747]

Man of Steel

My Grade: A-

-----------------------------------------

Got to go to a screening last Thursday for Man of Steel so, obviously, I took the opportunity and went. Suffered through drive-time traffic to go to a theater on the other end of the city, an area I wasn't greatly familiar with and got turned around getting home but, in the end, got to see this movie a week before most everyone else.

In a word: Decent.

Our story starts off on Krypton where Jor-El is trying to convince the council to take steps to save what they can of their people because Krypton is about to implode due to over-mining of the planet's core. The council is shooing Jor-El away when things are interrupted by General Zod who's angry with the path Krypton has taken and wants to use a device to raise Krypton in his own way using a genetic lineage stored in the device (the Codec?) It seems Krypton has had no natural births in centuries as each Kryptonian is selectively-bred through genetic engineering to fullfill a specific role in society perfectly. (Hmmmm...) That is except for one, Jor-El has just recently helped birth Krypton's first natural-born son in eons. As Krypton crumbles the baby is placed in a space capsule and sent into space, meanwhile Zod and his followers are eventually captured and banished to serve a sentence and what we all know is the Phantom Zone. Krypton implodes/blowsup.

The baby, Kal-El, eventually makes it to Earth and is adopted by a farm family, the Kents, and is raised as their son Clark. As an adult Clark lives a secluded nomadic life "off the grid" trying to find out who he is and what his place is in the world. Along this path he finds himself working in an Arctic research station where he meets a young intrepid reporter, Lois Lane, and eventually finds the answers to questions he has on who he is inside a millennia old space ship buried in Arctic ice. Things turn bad when General Zod and his fellow captors turn up at Earth demanding it hand over Kal-El when, really, Zod intends to turn Earth into a New Krypton once he regains possession of the Codec he assumes Kal-El has.

Intercut through the movie are moments from Clark's childhood, being taught by his father Jonathon Kent and his encounters with Pete Ross and Lana Lang in Smallville, as well are some scenes with Lois and her dealings in Metropolis with Editor-in-Don't Call Me-Chief Perry White. Lois being driven to find the man who had saved back at the research station during an attack.

Overall, it's a decent movie with a lot of good action scenes and some good character moments for everyone involved, as well as some nice surprises and changes in the lore most are probably used to when it comes to Superman (who doesn't even get his name until a one-off line half-way through.) Superman has some great battles with Zod and the other Kryptonian Criminals, some good interactions with Lois and the hologram projection of his father and there's some nice stuff in the flashbacks to a younger Clark with his father.

The movie also, however, feels scattershot. Instead of being a building story showing Clark's progression form child, to teen, to wandering adult to Superman it's all sort of shuffled up a bit. I think -like the 1978 movie- being more of a saga through Clark's life would've been more interesting but, granted, short on the action through a good portion of it.

Everyone does a good job in their performances I think Cavill turns in a good performance and look as Clark/Superman and Adams is great as a Lois Lane, we even get to see her stronger "Army Brat" side to some degree. Good job by the actor who played Zod -but, really, nothing beats Terrance Stamp- and Crow actually works as Superman's father, Jor-El.

Action was decent if sometimes a bit blurry and hard to follow with the Kryptonians moving at lightning speeds but my seats weren't great so that may have something to do with it. The movie also suffers a bit from the Abrams lens-flare effect.

But, how does it set up the road to a Justice League movie/ DC-CU? (Mild Spoilers)

Eh..... I dunno. The aftereffects of Iron Man set-up the MCU nicely in a universe somewhat grounded in "a" reality that, granted, slowly introduced the fantastical and made it into a big deal by the time The Avengers came along. Here? We already have the fantastical front and center and with everything that happens this movie, well, the grander scale of the DCU is certainly in play here. It'll be interesting to see how (if) future DC-CU movies follow up. In the wake of The Avengers there was talk with the amount of damage done to NYC in the wake of the alien attack. Here? It's much, much, grander. Be interesting to see how things are worked together but, right now, it doesn't seem like they'll have nearly the cohesive universe the MCU has.

(END Spoilers)

Overall I'd recommend it, but I still think there's still a great, awesome, grand, Superman movie waiting to be made, perhaps in a sequel to this one. Is it better than Returns? Oh hell yes. Is it everything a Superman movie can and should be? Not really. It seemed to lack some awe and heart and it lacked really seeing the people of Metropolis or even the world really seeing Superman and getting behind him. Heck, the Series Finale of Smallville played that a bit better.

No stinger after the credits (at least not in the preview I saw) nor is there a scene after title cards before the scrolling credits. Which, really? How is there NOT one in this day and age?

For what it's worth, I realize the disparity between the letter-grade and my "in a word" grade. The reason for that is because the movie failed to meet my expectations. I wanted to be BLOWN AWAY by this movie because, well, it's Superman! This movie didn't do that. But I know my expectations were really, really high and little could meet them. There's stuff lacking here and, well, I didn't leave the theater feeling the same way I did after last year's The Avengers. THAT movie blew me away.

All said, however, this IS a good movie! And I look forward to seeing it again this weekend, the Blu-Ray and any sequels DC-CU it may spawn. It's very good. Best Superman movie brought to screen in almost 30 years. But it should have been so much more, and I have "some" problems with plot elements and the consequences of what happens in the movie.

But, by all means, if you're a Superman fan go see this movie. It's worth an A- it being "Decent" is all on me and my expectations being too high which I wasn't going to fault the movie for in a grade.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

This is running at 72% "Fresh" at Rotten Tomatoes, with a 97% "want to see."

 

[Greg Cox]

The movie opens tomorrow in some parts of the world and reviews from advance screenings are pouring in. Also, the official novelization written by Greg Cox will be released on June 18th. And if you're interested, give the Glyph Generator a try and see what your Kryptonian symbol would look like.

Thanks for the plug. I can't believe the movie is finally almost here. It was last August, as I recall, when I flew out to Hollywood to start work on the book . . . .

 

[Agent Richard07]

Without having read Trekker's review just yet, here are some pre-movie thoughts…

- I skimmed over some reviews and one of them gives an outline of the movie that's pretty much what's in the trailer… A long origin piece build-up with some over-the-top hard to make out action at the end like in Transformers. Pretty much what I figured. Should be a fun ride anyway.

- Some comments make this movie sound like Superman's Batman Begins and that's not a bad thing. Sounds like the makings of a solid series.

- They are indeed taking some big risks and I'm surprised that they seem to be paying off. I'm thinking mainly about the costume. They made some drastic changes and it's not turning people off in any significant way. And they're doing all this on the heels of a Superman movie that flopped. Gutsy indeed.

- The costume origin we got on Lois & Clark with Ma Kent sewing up different ones for Clark to try on is still my favorite. Never liked the alien fabric/alien origin that much. It's not good if he needs replacements, unless the fortress can provide something.

- Cobie Smulders was my choice for Lois Lane on Smallville before Erica Durance was cast and I think she would have made a good Lois in Man of Steel. I like Amy Adams, but she never struck me as the ideal casting choice. I'm still looking forward to seeing how well she does though. She's looking more and more like a competent Lois and a better one than Kate Bosworth.

- Nice to see that they added the Whitney character from Smallville but I really wish they had put in Chloe Sullivan. Next time for sure.

- I read that they're approaching this movie not as the latest version of a comic book superhero, but as a fresh movie about what would happen if an alien "super man" were to come to Earth and reveal himself. That has me even more excited.

- I kind of miss the yellow "S" on the back of the cape. Kind of. I can accept that it probably doesn't work with this particular costume design.

- A CGI cape? That'll be interesting. I can see why they went for it. It flows better in the wind.

- I really liked Clark's heat vision from Smallville. It was actual heat vision with glowing eyes like heating elements and turbulent hot air in a directed stream. I like that a lot better than the laser eyes and hope it's incorporated into this version of Superman.

- Pa Kent and Jor-El both played Robin Hood. Neat.

- Just read that Cavill was an extra in Proof of Life where Russell Crowe encouraged him in his pursuit of acting.

- I hope to watch Superman Returns before I see this. I've only seen it once and I'd like to not only compare it to Man of Steel, but I'd also like to try and see where others feel it went wrong. I didn't think it was a bad movie or a failure. In fact, I liked some of its attempts to either humanize Superman or bring new elements to a Superman story. Giving him a kid and having him end up in the hospital come to mind.

- I don't know if we'll see kryptonite in this movie but if we do, I hope they really show how lethal it is. Weakness, nausea, pain, delerium, and some recovery time consistent with flu-like symptoms over a period of time would be nice. No mock stumbling around with a quick recovery after the k is out of sight. Just my own hopes and wishes. And if we don't see kryptonite this time around, I'll hold onto these thoughts for the next installment.

- Speaking of kryptonite, I keep thinking about the really dangerous kind… The gold stuff. I've had that on my mind over the last several months. Its presence in the story would feel like a serious danger to Superman and make him even more vulnerable. I'd be genuinely afraid for his well being if they skipped the green stuff and went to that.

- When this movie was announced, I had no interest in this thing, and as news and pictures started coming in, I was totally unimpressed. Little did I know that it would become one of my most anticipated movies of the year. Looking forward to Thursday night.

- And finally, is there a post-credit sequence?

 

[Agent Richard07]

The movie opens tomorrow in some parts of the world and reviews from advance screenings are pouring in. Also, the official novelization written by Greg Cox will be released on June 18th. And if you're interested, give the Glyph Generator a try and see what your Kryptonian symbol would look like.

Thanks for the plug. I can't believe the movie is finally almost here. It was last August, as I recall, when I flew out to Hollywood to start work on the book . . . .

Wow, doesn't sound like a lot of time to write it. Of course, I've never written a book.

 

[davejames]

Hmm, seems like the most common criticisms are about the overly serious tone and the nonstop, nearly mindnumbing action in the second half.

If you're ok with those two things in your summer movies, then you'll probably enjoy it. Which unfortunately, I usually don't (I usually like my superhero movies to at least be a little fun, and I tend to zone out during long, frenetic Transformers-style action scenes).

But I've also noticed that a lot of diehard Superman fans (of which I am one) seem to be loving the hell out of it, so there's always hope...

 

[Gojira]

Hmm, seems like the most common criticisms are about the overly serious tone and the nonstop, nearly mindnumbing action in the second half.

If you're ok with those two things in your summer movies, then you'll probably enjoy it. Which unfortunately, I usually don't (I usually like my superhero movies to at least be a little fun, and I tend to zone out during long, frenetic Transformers-style action scenes).

But I've also noticed that a lot of diehard Superman fans (of which I am one) seem to be loving the hell out of it, so there's always hope...

Yeah, as I said in the other thread...nothing in the negative reviews would suggest I won't like it.

 

[davejames]

- I kind of miss the yellow "S" on the back of the cape. Kind of. I can accept that it probably doesn't work with this particular costume design.

Same here. The cape always looks odd to me without the yellow S. Granted, the one on Reeve's cape was pretty cheap and ugly looking, but Lois & Clark showed that it was definitely possible to make look cool.

 

[Greg Cox]

The movie opens tomorrow in some parts of the world and reviews from advance screenings are pouring in. Also, the official novelization written by Greg Cox will be released on June 18th. And if you're interested, give the Glyph Generator a try and see what your Kryptonian symbol would look like.

Thanks for the plug. I can't believe the movie is finally almost here. It was last August, as I recall, when I flew out to Hollywood to start work on the book . . . .

Wow, doesn't sound like a lot of time to write it. Of course, I've never written a book.

Well, the screenwriter had already done most of the heavy lifting, of course.

 

[Gojira]

- I kind of miss the yellow "S" on the back of the cape. Kind of. I can accept that it probably doesn't work with this particular costume design.

Same here. The cape always looks odd to me without the yellow S. Granted, the one on Reeve's cape was pretty cheap and ugly looking, but Lois & Clark showed that it was definitely possible to make look cool.

In Superman Returns they didn't have it either. The yellow S would make the CGI cape too time consuming and more expensive.

 

[Bad Bishop]

I've surveyed some of the reviews. Consensus seems to be that it is spectacular, the cast is fine but the film might have benefited from more humor. I expect a $100 million opening weekend.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

In Superman Returns they didn't have it either. The yellow S would make the CGI cape too time consuming and more expensive.

You know, they might have said that but even if it were in some sense true at that time - really, really doubtful - it's not even a consideration now.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

The CBR review is mostly positive.

Elements of Jonathan Kent's fathering smack of character assassination so Jor-El can glow when Clark finally encounters an echo of him. Also, Jonathan does something to prove a point that is just so wrong-headed and out of character that it nearly drove me out of the theater.

I wonder what CBR means by this? Maybe when Daddy Kent went to suicide himself in the Tornado?

 

[Samurai8472]

- I kind of miss the yellow "S" on the back of the cape. Kind of. I can accept that it probably doesn't work with this particular costume design.

Same here. The cape always looks odd to me without the yellow S. Granted, the one on Reeve's cape was pretty cheap and ugly looking, but Lois & Clark showed that it was definitely possible to make look cool.

In Superman Returns they didn't have it either. The yellow S would make the CGI cape too time consuming and more expensive.

The 90's animated series had a similar reason. The \S/ is good on paper but difficult in motion for CGI and animation.

 

[Enterprise is Great]

From the CBR review:

Also, Jonathan does something to prove a point that is just so wrong-headed and out of character that it nearly drove me out of the theater.

Is it out of character for the way Jonathan is portrayed in Man of Steel or is it out of character for how the reviewer has seen Jonathan portrayed before? This is a reimagined version so he can have different behaviors than previous ones and not be out of character.