MAN OF STEEL - Grading & Discussion

[tomalak301]

Went to see the new Superman movie today and really enjoyed it. I really liked the story and the action wasn't as bad as some of the critics have said, but my main problem with the film was some of the corny acting and dialog. Some quotes were really cringeworthy, especially Michael Shannon as Zod. I thought the best two actors in this film were Kent's Parents, played by Costner and Lane. As for Cavil as Clark, he did a pretty good job with what he was given. He's no Christopher Reeve, but he is a worthy actor for the Superman Character.

B

 

[davejames]

I'd be interested in seeing a sequel to see where it goes from here...but I have doubts about how this film's going to fare...I predict a steep drop next weekend from bad WOM. This is not Joe Sixpack's Superman.

Well it's received an A- Cinemascore from audiences, so hopefully that won't be the case.

 

[JarodRussell]

Are the headlines already having fun with it?

Man of Steel kicks Iron Man's ass.

Steel harder than Iron.

Kent Irons Stark.

 

[Agent Richard07]

One thing about the tornado scene that really stood out was Jonathan not being swept away in the funnel. Last we saw of him, he was just standing there as it passed over. Shouldn't the force of the wind have picked him and a few cars up?

And as for Superman killing Zod, he did the same thing in Superman II, didn't he?

 

[Control Voice]

Really loved this film, warts and all.
However, is there another Kryptonian about?
There was an open canister in the artic scout ship Clark visited.

 

[Agent Richard07]

^ Kara.

 

[EnsignRicky]

It was okay.

 

[Captaindemotion]

And as for Superman killing Zod, he did the same thing in Superman II, didn't he?

Eh - no.

 

[The Old Mixer]

Frankly, Superman II was very vague about what happened to the Phantom Zone villains at the end. A deleted scene had them being hauled away by the law, but the theatrical version left you wondering.

Are the headlines already having fun with it?

Man of Steel kicks Iron Man's ass.

Steel harder than Iron.

Kent Irons Stark.

How so? It looks like IM3 did a $174 million opening weekend domestically. People are projecting around $130 million for this one, aren't they?

The Pa Kent thing...I totally get what they were trying to do, but it just didn't work well the way that they did it. There must have been a better way to realize the concept. Ultimately, it comes down to Pa expecting his son to show the restraint not to save him, when he was only in that situation because he didn't have the restraint not to save a dog....

 

[Trekker4747]

And as for Superman killing Zod, he did the same thing in Superman II, didn't he?

Eh - no.

Well, we don't know. But Zod, Ursa and Non all fell down a crevasse in the Fortress of Solitude after the Red Sun radiation de-powered them. Now in the Donner Cut I believe we see them being escorted away by the police (and even in the TV cut of the movie) but in the original, "official" version of the movie the fall down the crevasse never to be seen again. It's probably "safe" to assume they were killed considering, but...

 

[Captaindemotion]

^ Not the same as breaking someone's neck though, is it?

 

[The Old Mixer]

^If they were killed in that film, though, it was brushed off much more lightly. I don't think killing them was the intent, though...the film was just being deliberately lazy/vague on the point.

 

[Trekker4747]

^ Not the same as breaking someone's neck though, is it?

No, but again, breaking Zod's neck meant something to Superman. He was anguished when it happened and it he was at the very limits of himself when it happened. It wasn't like he went up to Zod, broke his neck, and went "NBD, I'll go make out with Lois now." He was at his BRINK when he did it, did it, and then broke down and wept, angry with himself in what he was brought to. That's a bit more powerful than the Kryptonian Criminals falling down a crevasse and then Superman going to whip up some memory-erasing Chap-Stick to kiss Lois with later or whatever the hell happened there.

 

[Mr Light]

Excellent film with very few complaints. Henril Cavill was a great Superman, and I was greatly relieved to see he was the polite and pleasant Modern Age Superman and not the snarky disrespectful New 52 version.

Oh and I really liked Jor El as a helpful computer program

The first super-fight with Faora and ?Non? was absolutely amazing. I actually preferred it to the final Zod fight. Actually we needed one more big fight, I think.

The one bit that really bugged me was how Supes almost instantly lost his powers on the spaceship, all that 33 years of built up invulnerability gone like that, then it just came right back again.

I also loved when Lois gets out of the polite car and instantly starts shouting "CLARK! CLARK!" at Superman right in front of the cop

Apparently there was a Booster Gold reference, where was it?

I have no problem with Superman killing Zod. What else was he gonna do? You can't imprison him. He's just gonna kill and kill when he wakes up again. It would have been nice to have thrown him back into the Phantom Zone or suspended animation, but in the context of the movie I don't see how Supes would have known how to do that, with the Jor El program destroyed.

 

[Vyse]

Had very mixed feelings about MoS. The action scenes were great, and the flashbacks to Clark's childhood with the Kents were very good. The whole back story with the Codex was very weak to me. The Kryptonian stuff in general seemed very weak.

 

[P0sitr0nic]

I think they may play back to the killing Zod as the reason Superman never kills.

It would be the perfect catalyst for the decision.

 

[RAMA]

Ah this doesnt really hold water....during the tornadoes in the last few weeks, people in "tornado country" routinely did the WRONG things, including hitting the highways instead of taking deep cover. This is not really much of a criticism.

You may not think so, but I'm guessing you've never lived in a rural area of Tornado Alley. I have. I've been through numerous tornadoes out in the country. The incident you're referring to was people in Oklahoma City following the poorly considered advice of a weatherman in the face of an F5 tornado. It was a somewhat atypical situation.

And yet these people, supposedly experts on tornado safety listened to the erroneous advice on how to avoid the tornado anyway, so it makes no difference. Still not a criticism.

 

[Shazam!]

I saw it and thought it was pretty great. It met my minimum standard from what I expected from a Superman movie which was basically Superman punching dudes in the face. We got that and more. Loved all the Krypton stuff.

If I have any complaints it's that it was pretty light on plot and lacked any real sub-plots. I'm going to give the [assumed] body count a pass on the basis that there is no way that Luthor won't bring it up in the sequel as a reason for public opinion to turn on Superman.

 

[DWF]

And as for Superman killing Zod, he did the same thing in Superman II, didn't he?

Eh - no.

Well, we don't know. But Zod, Ursa and Non all fell down a crevasse in the Fortress of Solitude after the Red Sun radiation de-powered them. Now in the Donner Cut I believe we see them being escorted away by the police (and even in the TV cut of the movie) but in the original, "official" version of the movie the fall down the crevasse never to be seen again. It's probably "safe" to assume they were killed considering, but...

In the Donner cut Superman turns back time as he did in the official version of the first movie and the Kryptonians are never freed from the Phantom Zone.

 

[Nerys Myk]

^ Not the same as breaking someone's neck though, is it?

If you fall down a crevasse you probably break something.