MAN OF STEEL - Grading & Discussion

[Agenda]

So I saw the flick and thought it was good. It was a lot better than what the critics are suggesting. If nothing else, the fight scenes and visual fx were so spectacular that they helped paper-over issues I had with the story.

One thing i believe could have improved the movie was emphasizing that what makes Clark a true hero is his innate peaceful nature and goodness - not his powers.

He's facing off with these trained Kryptonian killers - and despite his powers he can't match their fighting skills or killer instinct. Also, they outnumber him. He is over-matched and barely survives his fights with them.

But I thought it would have been more interesting if they reveal before the climax that the reason he's been losing so badly is not because he can't match them physically but because he is holding back. In fact, he is more powerful than they are. After all, he's been under a yellow sun all his life, while they just arrived there (of course, we might know this from some versions of comic book canon, but it's not like the general audience would).

And maybe he could have some inner-conflict with himself with the deceased Jonathan Kent representing his conscience telling him it's okay to let go and do what he has to do. He's been holding back all his life (like against those childhood bullies and that guy in the bar), but it's okay now because the stakes are so high.

I'm not necessarily against him killing Zod, but I felt the whole great power vs. great responsibility aspect could have been played up more and would have improved the movie as well as deepening the character and making him more "Super". Just imo.

 

[davejames]

One thing i believe could have improved the movie was emphasizing that what makes Clark a true hero is his innate peaceful nature and goodness - not his powers.

He's facing off with these trained Kryptonian killers - and despite his powers he can't match their fighting skills or killer instinct. Also, they outnumber him. He is over-matched and barely survives his fights with them.

But I thought it would have been more interesting if they reveal before the climax that the reason he's been losing so badly is not because he can't match them physically but because he is holding back. In fact, he is more powerful than they are. After all, he's been under a yellow sun all his life, while they just arrived there (of course, we might know this from some versions of comic book canon, but it's not like the general audience would).

I thought Clark's innate goodness came through pretty strongly in the movie. Although I do your idea might have made for a pretty cool twist (kinda like when Supes crushes Zod's hand at the end of SII).

 

[Flying Spaghetti Monster]

I was mainly talking about the direction of the scene. the family is saved, but the continuity people forgot that they were still on that set when it went into a wide shot. That was mainly what I was talking about. It doesn't begin to address my problems with this "film."

 

[feek61]

Honestly this is one of the things that really bothered me about the movie. They both fell from space, crashed through numerous buildings, had major fist fights and then Superman simply snaps his neck. Didn't ring true to me. Why didn't he do that at the beginning of Zodd's arrival and save Metropolis from destruction. It was a very weak resolve; very weak.

Well I don't think he ever had the opportunity until then. And as had been established pretty well by that point, Clark had been raised by his parents to avoid confrontation and violence, so snapping a guy's neck was probably the LAST thing he could ever see himself doing.

Exactly. How anyone could interpret it any other way is beyond me.

Well, they were in DIRECT contact for the last (seemed like) hours of the movie during the fight scene. So, because Superman was "brought up" different; to avoid conflict, he let the city be destroyed and presumably thousands of humans be killed? Really? Maybe this movie is worse than I thought!! What made him change his mind? I guess I'm too stupid to "get it."

 

[Trekker4747]

Killing is the absolute very last resort, Superman will always try and to "find another way" and we see in this movie killing Zod was not something he wanted to do but, ultimately, had to do and he hated it.

Now what his alternatives were is another question is another discussion, but at that moment Superman felt he had absolutely no other choice. He HAD to kill at that point until that moment there were, potentially, other ways.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Killing is the absolute very last resort, Superman will always try and to "find another way" and we see in this movie killing Zod was not something he wanted to do but, ultimately, had to do and he hated it.

Now what his alternatives were is another question is another discussion, but at that moment Superman felt he had absolutely no other choice. He HAD to kill at that point until that moment there were, potentially, other ways.

Um, yeah. This.

Plus, I didn't really believe that Superman deliberately allowed himself to get punched through buildings. Anyone who thought he did was watching a different movie than I was. Superman's hands were mighty full.

Superman versus the other Kryptonians was the first major test of both Superman's new-found powers and of Zod's. Both of them learned to better use their powers in the course of the conflict.

It's also worth pointing out (if not pointing out again) that Zod was only going to get stronger. If time wore on indefinitely, he would be an even match for Superman, if not better, given his caste, no matter how able Superman became. The moment when Superman had the upper hand was only temporary, at best.

 

[davejames]

Now that I think about it, I do kinda wish we saw more of an adjustment period for both Superman and the supervillains. It seems like once the fight starts, they're both flying and zipping around like they've been doing it forever.

At the very least, it would have been nice to see the same surprised, "holy shit" reaction from Faora that we saw from Ursa when she discovered the amazing superpowers she suddenly had. I always got a kick out of that.

 

[GalaxyX]

Perhaps I misinterpreted the whole thing. It seems to me that Superman was pretty much outmatched thru the entire movie, and didn't even have a chance to think about killing Zod, simply because he hadn't had the opportunity to do it (basically just struggling not to get killed himself)

But at the end, when the other baddies were eliminated, and Zod's armor was damaged, at that point they were on more equal terms, so Supes had a better chance actually be in a position to kill Zod, and this is what happened at the end, and the only time Supes really had a chance to actually have to consider doing it, and why it hurt him so much afterwards.

 

[Dream]

Now that I think about it, I do kinda wish we saw more of an adjustment period for both Superman and the supervillains. It seems like once the fight starts, they're both flying and zipping around like they've been doing it forever.

At the very least, it would have been nice to see the same surprised, "holy shit" reaction from Faora that we saw from Ursa when she discovered the amazing superpowers she suddenly had. I always got a kick out of that.

The evil Kryptonians were just jumping really high in all the fights. Only Zod was able to learn how to fly after he took off his armor during the final fight.

 

[Trekker4747]

Now that I think about it, I do kinda wish we saw more of an adjustment period for both Superman and the supervillains. It seems like once the fight starts, they're both flying and zipping around like they've been doing it forever.

At the very least, it would have been nice to see the same surprised, "holy shit" reaction from Faora that we saw from Ursa when she discovered the amazing superpowers she suddenly had. I always got a kick out of that.

Well, there certainly should have been an adjustment period for Zod and the others it seemed like after their initial trouble when they lost power to their helmets they managed their powers and such rather well. Superman's been living on Earth his whole life so naturally he's adapted to all of his powers other than flying but after bing able to super-jump for so long it wasn't too much of a alteration to go to flying?

I liked how the X-Ray vision was portrayed in this movie as it's sort of how I always thought of it. It's not a power he can turn on or off he just simply has really, really, precise vision to be able to see through molecules so he sees "everything at once." Same with his telescopic/microscopic vision, he doesn't necessarily "zoom in" to things he just has 20/.00000000 vision. Over time he's just learned to focus and reign those things in to the point of being able to control these things and use them when he wants them. Sort of how one can focus intently on something blocking out peripheral and even most direct vision or unfocus and get it all at once in a blur.

Superman's unfocused "blurry vision" is just simply seeing through things, seeing great distances and possibly seeing thins in a microscopic level.

 

[Dream]

Funny how Zod learned how to fly in a few days, took Clark 33 years to finally fly. I guess it was Zod's warrior genes that allowed him to master the skill so quickly?

 

[Goji]

Clark was trying to stay inconspicuous, as the movie spent a not-insignificant amount of time demonstrating. Flying around at supersonic speeds runs counter to that. He probably had little to no experience flying prior to the scene where he dons his suit and takes off.

 

[Dream]

Wow, Antje Traue who played Faora almost quit acting before getting her role in MOS became she kept getting so many rejections in other films. I thought Faora completely stole every scene she was in, even those with Zod. I hope she is very successful from now on!

Looking back to an earlier point in her life, Traue says she wasn't going to make it as an actress in Germany. "They said, ‘You’re not famous enough for the lead roles, and you’re too present for the supporting roles — you’d overpower the lead," said the 'Tigress of Zod'. To that end, she sought fame elsewhere and landed the role in her very first audition for an English-language film, a lead role in 2009's Pandorum. But that initial luck was atypical, as Traue then lost out on unspecified roles in "The Hobbit", "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" and a few other films. Things had digressed to a point where Traue was working at a restaurant when the call for "Man of Steel" auditions came in. The actress was hesitant at first, fearful of another rejection. She admitted, "I was at a point where I didn’t want to do it. I was exhausted from so many rejections, and I thought, ‘How many other girls are going to go for this?’ Maybe I was aiming too high."

But as her 30th birthday loomed, Traue decided to throw one last 'all or nothing' toss of the dice. It worked, "And then everything started coming in," the actress exclaimed.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=81986#EXzzpU0gLjCmWUOb.99

 

[Dream]

Clark was trying to stay inconspicuous, as the movie spent a not-insignificant amount of time demonstrating. Flying around at supersonic speeds runs counter to that. He probably had little to no experience flying prior to the scene where he dons his suit and takes off.

If he really wanted to stay inconspicuous he should never use his powers to save people. Clearly, that was never an option for him. Flight is not about showing off, it can be very useful if he has to make a quick exit.

 

[GalaxyX]

Wow, Antje Traue who played Faora almost quit acting before getting her role in MOS became she kept getting so many rejections in other films. I thought Faora completely stole every scene she was in, even those with Zod. I hope she she is very successful from now on!

Looking back to an earlier point in her life, Traue says she wasn't going to make it as an actress in Germany. "They said, ‘You’re not famous enough for the lead roles, and you’re too present for the supporting roles — you’d overpower the lead," said the 'Tigress of Zod'. To that end, she sought fame elsewhere and landed the role in her very first audition for an English-language film, a lead role in 2009's Pandorum. But that initial luck was atypical, as Traue then lost out on unspecified roles in "The Hobbit", "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" and a few other films. Things had digressed to a point where Traue was working at a restaurant when the call for "Man of Steel" auditions came in. The actress was hesitant at first, fearful of another rejection. She admitted, "I was at a point where I didn’t want to do it. I was exhausted from so many rejections, and I thought, ‘How many other girls are going to go for this?’ Maybe I was aiming too high."

But as her 30th birthday loomed, Traue decided to throw one last 'all or nothing' toss of the dice. It worked, "And then everything started coming in," the actress exclaimed.

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/GraphicCity/news/?a=81986#EXzzpU0gLjCmWUOb.99

Well that's funny considering she played the role perfectly IMO. I enjoyed her take on the Kryptonian villainess. She might be the next Milla Jovovich I think.


As for the movie itself. I'm hoping when it's released on Blu-Ray, that they do an extended version, or at least include deleted scenes, and then I'll cut my own version of the movie to enjoy on my own.

 

[M.A.C.O.]

"All of this has happened before and will happen again"

 

[The Old Mixer]

"In the name of Rao, son of Jor-El, I beg that you end my life...I can no longer bear the humiliation of wearing this costume...!"

 

[Dream]

Would it have KILLED them to have the iconic "Kneel before Zod!" line spoken by Zod? I really wish that it been in MOS!

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Now that I think about it, I do kinda wish we saw more of an adjustment period for both Superman and the supervillains. It seems like once the fight starts, they're both flying and zipping around like they've been doing it forever.

That wasn't my impression. I don't think any of the villains ever quite mastered flying - they mainly did what Clark did when he first started out, taking huge leaps and then landing on some object (this is the way Faora gets to the pilot in the fighter); during the final fight, the fastest way that Zod can get to Clark above him is to leap onto the side of a building and claw his way up with his bare hands.

 

[Dream]

"From the look of 'em, I'll bet ten dollars they're from Los Angeles."