Man of Steel (2013)

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  • edited June 2013 Posts: 53
    New to the forum so go easy on me : )

    Saw Man Of Steel on Friday. My main thoughts are that for the first two thirds of its run-time it was a really good sci-fi film, but not necessarily a really good Superman film. The story and tension seemed to be handled really well whilst at the same time avoiding just doing a complete re-hash of Superman: The Movie. However for the last third and I predominately mean for the big finale set-piece it seemed to go on way too long and did leave me thinking "okay, you've made your point, shown us what SFX kids are capable of these days but please can be get on with the story now".
    Also thought Superman was rather reckless re:defending Metropolis from Zod. Some of his actions directly led to much of it being destroyed and you can't tell me nobody would have been killed. Still, will be interesting to see how much of it will have been rebuilt in a sequel.

    My main thoughts to others thinking of seeing the film has been if you go hoping to see an 80's Superman movie with 21st bells on then you're probably going to be disappointed. If, however, you want something more akin to the Batman/Star Trek re-boots it may be right up your street.
  • I feel like Nolan's involvement has been overemphasized throughout the production. Make no mistake, this is VERY much a Zack Snyder movie.

    Like I said. Nolan's name was overemphasized purely for marketing purposes. The directorial execution counts here....and that's what makes the movie bad.

    I don't think it was a bad movie by any means, but using a linear structure and shaving a good 15-20 minutes off the finale could've worked wonders for it.
  • This brilliant review sums it up perfectly. Mark Kermode on 5Live -

    Thank you for that...he made some valid points but ultimately if ur complaining about too much action, when two thirds of the film is all about character, then that's just pooh.

  • Posts: 3,279
    The problem is, anything decent in the first half of the film that has been set up with the characters is totally lost by the end of the movie.

    I actually really enjoyed some of the smaller moments in the movie, which were few and far between, (and yes, Costner steals the show) but once it turns into the crappy CGI DAD action fest, I was appalled at what I was witnessing - the utter destruction of what could have been a half decent movie.

    What happens in the second half of the film is nothing short of scandalous. This film will not stand the test of time, and in a few years from now it will be trashed far more than Superman Returns ever was.

    This movie in years to come will be pigeon-holed in the same category as Batman & Robin and DAD.
  • Posts: 3,279
    This brilliant review sums it up perfectly. Mark Kermode on 5Live -

    Thank you for that...he made some valid points but ultimately if ur complaining about too much action, when two thirds of the film is all about character, then that's just pooh.
    Not if the second half of the picture completely destroys any interest invested in the characters in the first half of the film.

  • Posts: 3,279
    jaydubya76 wrote:
    New to the forum so go easy on me : )

    Saw Man Of Steel on Friday. My main thoughts are that for the first two thirds of its run-time it was a really good sci-fi film, but not necessarily a really good Superman film. The story and tension seemed to be handled really well whilst at the same time avoiding just doing a complete re-hash of Superman: The Movie. However for the last third and I predominately mean for the big finale set-piece it seemed to go on way too long and did leave me thinking "okay, you've made your point, shown us what SFX kids are capable of these days but please can be get on with the story now".
    Also thought Superman was rather reckless re:defending Metropolis from Zod. Some of his actions directly led to much of it being destroyed and you can't tell me nobody would have been killed. Still, will be interesting to see how much of it will have been rebuilt in a sequel.

    My main thoughts to others thinking of seeing the film has been if you go hoping to see an 80's Superman movie with 21st bells on then you're probably going to be disappointed. If, however, you want something more akin to the Batman/Star Trek re-boots it may be right up your street.
    Not at all. Batman and Star Trek are far, far better than this crap. Nolan's Batman Begins was inspired by Donner's original Superman movie, and this is clearly evident.

    This piece of crap is nothing remotely like the Nolan Batman films. How his name is attached to this, God only knows.

  • Posts: 1,407
    If you think that this is even close to the "quality" of Batman and Robin, DAD, and Superman IV, then I'd get your head examined. I'm sorry I'm never this direct with people on here but all I see is ignorance. It's fine if you didn't like the film. But to state it's one of the worst things ever is true fanboy whining. And I'm truley sick of fanboy whining
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 3,279
    bondbat007 wrote:
    If you think that this is even close to the "quality" of Batman and Robin, DAD, and Superman IV, then I'd get your head examined. I'm sorry I'm never this direct with people on here but all I see is ignorance. It's fine if you didn't like the film. But to state it's one of the worst things ever is true fanboy whining. And I'm truley sick of fanboy whining
    I'm truly glad this is winding you up. I'll state it loud and clear again in case you didn't understand me fully the first time round -

    This film is on par with DAD, Superman IV and Batman & Robin....and I think you need your head examined if you enjoyed this film, which is sinking down the Rotten Tomatoes ratings daily for very, very obvious reasons. Superman Returns is even way ahead of it on RT.

    This is not `fanboy whining'...this is just having decent taste in movies, which you clearly don't possess.

  • edited June 2013 Posts: 4,813
    I wonder who would win in a fight

    311604_10100169607287811_1630078093_n.jpg
  • Posts: 1,407
    bondbat007 wrote:
    If you think that this is even close to the "quality" of Batman and Robin, DAD, and Superman IV, then I'd get your head examined. I'm sorry I'm never this direct with people on here but all I see is ignorance. It's fine if you didn't like the film. But to state it's one of the worst things ever is true fanboy whining. And I'm truley sick of fanboy whining
    I'm truly glad this is winding you up. I'll state it loud and clear again in case you didn't understand me fully the first time round -

    This film is on par with DAD, Superman IV and Batman & Robin....and I think you need your head examined if you enjoyed this film, which is sinking down the Rotten Tomatoes ratings daily for very, very obvious reasons. Superman Returns is even way ahead of it on RT.

    This is not `fanboy whining'...this is just having decent taste in movies, which you clearly don't possess.

    You've said it loud an clear. But you still haven't said why. At least in a respectable way. Please tell me why this film deserves to be in the same category as a Bat credit card and Nucleor Man.
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 4,813
    FIRST. I-HAVE-FUN.

    nuclear-man-fingernails.jpg

    He has to be exaggerating BondBat....
  • Posts: 1,407
    I sincerely hope so lol. Otherwise I'm worried about the state of humanity
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 2,598
    I feel like Nolan's involvement has been overemphasized throughout the production. Make no mistake, this is VERY much a Zack Snyder movie.

    Like I said. Nolan's name was overemphasized purely for marketing purposes. The directorial execution counts here....and that's what makes the movie bad.

    I don't think it was a bad movie by any means, but using a linear structure and shaving a good 15-20 minutes off the finale could've worked wonders for it.

    Saw it again on the weekend and yeah, I feel a linear structure would have been better. It would have been nice to have had a build up to what Superman is capable of by showing clips in chronological order of Clark's childhood and hints of his strength that increase as the film progresses instead of jumping right into the oil tanker incident. This would have built tension, interest and suspense.

    It is also too heavy on action, especially at the end where it just gets a bit boring. A more dialogue driven film like Nolan's Bat films would have been better. Less is more.

    It's a good film but it could have been better. I prefer Nolan's Batman films.

  • edited June 2013 Posts: 1,310
    Just saw it. I am incredibly disappointed. I'll put my complaints in a spoiler tag just in case.
    The movie could have been cut by at least 40 minutes. The film literally ended 3 times and the final fight lasted an UNBEARABLY long time. Not only that, most of the fight looked like something right out of an Xbox 360 release. How many times does Superman and Zod have to crash through buildings before we get the point? I thought Amy Adams was miscast and found Michael Shannon nearly unwatchable for the first 20 minutes - he did get better as the film went on, however. I am truly sick and tired of Hans Zimmer plagiarizing himself and making everything sound like Batman Begins, I really am. I, like some of you, also did not care for the constant flashbacks.

    Even the little things. Christopher Meloni's character tells Lois Lane that it gets to be -40 degrees at night and she'll easily freeze. Cut to Lois Lane inexplicably mountaineering ice cliffs at night. The 'drama' with Laurence Fishburne and his newspaper people as the gravity beam destroyed the town was absolutely meaningless and tacked on. That "He's kinda hot" line at the end is incredibly jarring, particularly when the film treats itself like Pride and Prejudice. And Superman and that evil supergirl have an epic fight....in an IHOP. Really? Getting even more nitpicky, the editing was occasionally questionable. For example, Zod is about to fry the family with his laser vision and Superman is forced to break Zod's neck. After all that, we don't even get a reaction shot of the family. Even on the wide shot, the family has disappeared. I assume they were okay, but where was the 'after shot' of the family? What happened to them? (Yeah, that is very nitpicky, but it all was accumulating for me.)

    Henry Cavill was mostly fine, but he occasionally was too stone faced for me. Reeve is easily still the best Superman. Man of Steel's production design is certainly impressive and the movie does its best to convince us that it isn't shallow - but the film swims in the no depth side of the pool. To me, Man of Steel represents a failure in high budget filmmaking. Man of Steel gets a 5/10 from me. I honestly though Superman Returns (6/10) was a better film.
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 1,107
    David S. Goyer On The "Collateral Damage" In MAN OF STEEL
    Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/notyetamovie/news/?a=81685#f1umUt2XGS2Ryxat.99

    Will A MAN OF STEEL Sequel Hit As Early As...Next Year?!
    Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/JoshWildingNewsAndReviews/news/?a=81693#HcZ6MxfG8hQzsQa8.99

    MAN OF STEEL: Zack Snyder Says Supes Is American, But Will Likely "Go Global" In The Sequel
    Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/notyetamovie/news/?a=81691#Kp5jIUVCQT6RMbc3.99
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 3,279
    bondbat007 wrote:
    You've said it loud an clear. But you still haven't said why. At least in a respectable way. Please tell me why this film deserves to be in the same category as a Bat credit card and Nucleor Man.

    Right from the off the film starts on a duff note. No spectacular opening credits, just straight into the opening with Jor-El flying on a dinosaur's back was like something from Avatar. The OTT action here was a taster of what was to come.

    But its mainly because of the second half of the movie. The action scenes are not engaging whatsoever, you don't care about any of the characters by this stage, Superman himself I didn't care about, Zod just becomes annoying by the final time he resurrects himself again to throw himself at Superman and yet another skyscraping building. It reminded me very much of 2012 (which is another shocker), where lots of spectacular stuff is happening on screen - glass flying, buildings collapsing, people running - and yet I couldn't care less what is going on. To feel this way in a Superman movie is nothing short of tragic.

    Lois Lane getting caught in a flying space-ship, interacting with Jor-El and managing to save the day with a secret he told her was totally in DAD/Batman & Robin territory, along with the cringe worthy "He's kinda hot" line at the end. Credibility and any supposed realism shot to pieces in these awful moments.

    And the dialogue flying around the characters at this point in the film just goes childish and silly. `Quick! Turn on the Earth engine!' `Where is the codex?', `Let me jump in my spaceship and see if I can blast another CGI building' etc. etc.

    Which is surprising, given the build up to the movie, trying to establish a sense of grounded reality when Superman is a boy, seeing X ray visions at school and being a tortured soul. These moments are the only decent parts of the movie, and like I said earlier, Costner steals the show in these very brief scenes.

    But even then it goes too far. Huge tornados springing up, Costner trying to save the dog in car, and gets blown away. The way this was done was another cheap gimmicky trick, and way too OTT. Give me the subtle moment with the dying Glen Ford and the young Clark Kent in a cornfield any day of the week.

    Which is why I am more angry at this film than I should be. Because Superman The Movie is near perfect. It is a film which never could be bettered, so to see this nasty, loud, cheap imposter trying to show the same story, but in such a terribly bad fashion left me in a state of disgust and horror, something I had not felt about a movie franchise since DAD.

    If you still need any further explanation as to why I despise this movie so much, then I'm afraid its obvious why you enjoyed this garbage - the film is aimed at the lowest level of intelligence possible.
  • Posts: 3,279
    bondbat007 wrote:
    I sincerely hope so lol. Otherwise I'm worried about the state of humanity

    I'm more worried about the state of humanity if you actually enjoyed this piece of garbage.
  • Posts: 3,279

    He has to be exaggerating BondBat....
    Sorry mate....I really wish I was.

  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Superman the movie near perfect?? Um, what completely ruins that film for me are Lex Luthor the so called criminal genius who not only dwells underground when he should be living it up in some skyscraper but also has Beatty's fool as a sidekick. How does that make sense for a character like Luthor to associate himself with such inept individuals. Then the big one. Jor-El harps on about how Kal-El shouldn't interfere with human history and how it's imperative blah blah blah and what happens?? Superman goes against what he's been told by flying super fast, reversing the earth's spin to, altering time and history which yields no consequences whatsoever ever for such actions. Sure, Lois is saved but that's it. Not only was there no consequence for superman to break the rule but there should have been 2 supermen flying about considering the time and location as to how far back I'm time superman took things.
    MoS isn't perfect, I found it to be an enjoyable film but holding up the first superman film as some pinnacle superhero movie, when it clearly isn't is absurd.
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 3,279
    doubleoego wrote:
    Superman the movie near perfect?? Um, what completely ruins that film for me are Lex Luthor the so called criminal genius who not only dwells underground when he should be living it up in some skyscraper but also has Beatty's fool as a sidekick. How does that make sense for a character like Luthor to associate himself with such inept individuals. Then the big one. Jor-El harps on about how Kal-El shouldn't interfere with human history and how it's imperative blah blah blah and what happens?? Superman goes against what he's been told by flying super fast, reversing the earth's spin to, altering time and history which yields no consequences whatsoever ever for such actions. Sure, Lois is saved but that's it. Not only was there no consequence for superman to break the rule but there should have been 2 supermen flying about considering the time and location as to how far back I'm time superman took things.
    MoS isn't perfect, I found it to be an enjoyable film but holding up the first superman film as some pinnacle superhero movie, when it clearly isn't is absurd.

    Superman The Movie is perfect, IMO. I think even Nolan holds it as a benchmark to what he aimed for with Batman Begins.

    Yes, the film has a few flaws (mainly the ones you mentioned above), but in the context of a super hero comic strip fantasy, the film works. Reeve's acting is top notch. He makes Kal-El believable, and human. The chemistry works between Reeve and Kidder, Hackman gets the hilarious lines, Brando is iconic and memorable as Jor-El, and the soaring John Williams music sprinkles the film with a touch of magic, reminiscent to Spielberg and Lucas.

    From the spectacular opening credits, Superman The Movie works, and is still the film to beat as a super hero film. Yes it has its (minor) flaws, but overall it's a masterpiece, a classic, and I'd stick it in my Top 10 all time favourite films.

    If you don't like Superman The Movie, but loved The Man of Steel, then I think its obvious our tastes in films differ. We are both light years apart in what we think are decent movies.

  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    Posts: 11,139
    Light years apart in what we think are decent movies? You're able to base that on one film?
    I enjoy CR moreso than FRWL but i know FRWL is the superior film, same goes for OHMSS.
    Also, I'd like to clarify that I find MoS a more enjoyable movie not necessarily better than SMTM. However, I do agree with you that Reeves was phenomenal and Williams' score at least his theme is iconic. However, I didn't think much of Brando's Jor-El and Kidder didn't appeal to me as Lois Lane.
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 3,279
    doubleoego wrote:
    Light years apart in what we think are decent movies? You're able to base that on one film?
    I enjoy CR moreso than FRWL but i know FRWL is the superior film, same goes for OHMSS.
    Also, I'd like to clarify that I find MoS a more enjoyable movie not necessarily better than SMTM. However, I do agree with you that Reeves was phenomenal and Williams' score at least his theme is iconic. However, I didn't think much of Brando's Jor-El and Kidder didn't appeal to me as Lois Lane.

    Superman has its appeal because of the humanity and emotion Reeve carries with it, aided with Williams stirring score. There is genuine sadness and anger when Reeve discovers Kidder's dead body in the car wreck.

    Couple this with the building romance, Hackman's hilarious one-liners, and you have a sense of enjoyment throughout the movie.

    How you can prefer the 40-odd minutes of non-stop CGI PS3 Xbox cartoon carnage, and find more enjoyment in that is beyond me, but each to their own. During those awful moments I was honestly ready to walk out of the cinema in utter disgust and embarrassment.

    I really don't believe this film will stand the test of time like the original Superman has. I'm hazarding a guess once the dust has settled, MoS will be ridiculed and thought of in even lower regard than Superman Returns. Hell, even the critics have already cottoned on to this. Just like at the reviews its getting, and where it is on RT compared to Superman Returns.
  • Posts: 3,279
    I wonder who would win in a fight

    311604_10100169607287811_1630078093_n.jpg
    Who cares. They are both actors.

  • Posts: 11,189
    I wonder who would win in a fight

    311604_10100169607287811_1630078093_n.jpg
    Who cares. They are both actors.

    Haha. Love this post.
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 2,015
    SJK91 wrote:
    I am truly sick and tired of Hans Zimmer plagiarizing himself and making everything sound like Batman Begins, I really am.
    Man Of Steel's 4 ghost music writers are not the same as Batman Begin's 2 though :)
    But well, the more ghost music writers there are on a "Hans Zimmer" score, the more generic it sounds, probably (Inception had only 1 ghost music writer...).
  • doubleoegodoubleoego #LightWork
    edited June 2013 Posts: 11,139
    doubleoego wrote:
    Light years apart in what we think are decent movies? You're able to base that on one film?
    I enjoy CR moreso than FRWL but i know FRWL is the superior film, same goes for OHMSS.
    Also, I'd like to clarify that I find MoS a more enjoyable movie not necessarily better than SMTM. However, I do agree with you that Reeves was phenomenal and Williams' score at least his theme is iconic. However, I didn't think much of Brando's Jor-El and Kidder didn't appeal to me as Lois Lane.

    Superman has its appeal because of the humanity and emotion Reeve carries with it, aided with Williams stirring score. There is genuine sadness and anger when Reeve discovers Kidder's dead body in the car wreck.

    Couple this with the building romance, Hackman's hilarious one-liners, and you have a sense of enjoyment throughout the movie.

    How you can prefer the 40-odd minutes of non-stop CGI PS3 Xbox cartoon carnage, and find more enjoyment in that is beyond me, but each to their own. During those awful moments I was honestly ready to walk out of the cinema in utter disgust and embarrassment.

    I really don't believe this film will stand the test of time like the original Superman has. I'm hazarding a guess once the dust has settled, MoS will be ridiculed and thought of in even lower regard than Superman Returns. Hell, even the critics have already cottoned on to this. Just like at the reviews its getting, and where it is on RT compared to Superman Returns.

    Surely, all of that is inconsequential as at the end of the day the critics think what they think and I think what I think. I'm not bothered by the opinions of others as other people aren't watching and judging the film on my behalf. I enjoyed it and that's all that matters and when the sequel comes out, which it will, you clearly don't ave to see it but all those paid critics who dislike the movie will have the "laborious" task of having to sit through another Snyder superman movie. Poor them.
  • Posts: 3,279
    doubleoego wrote:
    doubleoego wrote:
    Light years apart in what we think are decent movies? You're able to base that on one film?
    I enjoy CR moreso than FRWL but i know FRWL is the superior film, same goes for OHMSS.
    Also, I'd like to clarify that I find MoS a more enjoyable movie not necessarily better than SMTM. However, I do agree with you that Reeves was phenomenal and Williams' score at least his theme is iconic. However, I didn't think much of Brando's Jor-El and Kidder didn't appeal to me as Lois Lane.

    Superman has its appeal because of the humanity and emotion Reeve carries with it, aided with Williams stirring score. There is genuine sadness and anger when Reeve discovers Kidder's dead body in the car wreck.

    Couple this with the building romance, Hackman's hilarious one-liners, and you have a sense of enjoyment throughout the movie.

    How you can prefer the 40-odd minutes of non-stop CGI PS3 Xbox cartoon carnage, and find more enjoyment in that is beyond me, but each to their own. During those awful moments I was honestly ready to walk out of the cinema in utter disgust and embarrassment.

    I really don't believe this film will stand the test of time like the original Superman has. I'm hazarding a guess once the dust has settled, MoS will be ridiculed and thought of in even lower regard than Superman Returns. Hell, even the critics have already cottoned on to this. Just like at the reviews its getting, and where it is on RT compared to Superman Returns.

    Surely, all of that is inconsequential as at the end of the day the critics think what they think and I think what I think. I'm not bothered by the opinions of others as other people aren't watching and judging the film on my behalf. I enjoyed it and that's all that matters and when the sequel comes out, which it will, you clearly don't ave to see it but all those paid critics who dislike the movie will have the "laborious" task of having to sit through another Snyder superman movie. Poor them.

    Once the dust has settled, and the likelihood of MoS becoming discarded as another duff Superman movie, I'm sure the sequel will be in a different style to what is probably being drafted at the moment. WB won't be happy that the critics are panning this film, especially if word of mouth damages the long term BO figures.
  • Posts: 1,107
    Screen-Capture Of Wayne Enterprises Logo in Man Of Steel
    Read more at http://www.comicbookmovie.com/superman_movies/news/?a=81706#QOQAFuZ7QQJubjwK.99
  • edited June 2013 Posts: 11,189
    Personally I doubt it will go down as a classic and suspect it will be regarded in a slightly similar way to Returns.

    Returns at least had Kevin Spacey having fun as Lex Luthor.
  • Posts: 3,333
    Box Office Report: 'Man of Steel' Sees huge Father's Day boost, crosses $200 Mil Worldwide. The tentpole's North American opening is revised upwards to $113.1 million for a total $128.7 million, including special Walmart screenings.

    Enjoying a historic boost from Father's Day, Man of Steel's North American debut came in higher than expected at $128.7 million, pushing the film's worldwide total to $200.3 million.

    In North America, Man of Steel scored the top June opening of all time, eclipsing previous June record-holder Toy Story 3, which debuted to $110.3 million in June 2010. All told, grosses for Father's Day weekend were up a staggering 51 percent over last year, with Man of Steel capturing 60 percent of the market.

    http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/box-office-report-man-steel-569894
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