MAN OF STEEL

[Sailor Steve]

Just got back from seeing it. First showing, 11:30 in the morning on a work day, theater maybe 1/4 full if that. Nobody sat next to anybody they didn't come with. Here is my quickie review. Don't worry, there are no spoilers.

The Good: It's more down-to-earth than any previous version. No camp at all, not even any comedy, though there are a couple of minor scenes that made me chuckle. Very serious tone, and very realistic in that manner. Whereas Batman represents the dark side of the DC Universe, Superman is the light. They managed to keep that light despite all the seriousness.

The acting is uniformly good. This is the first time a non-American actor has played the role, and Henry Cavill (The Tudors) grew a great midwest accent. I love Amy Adams. I couldn't really see her as Lois Lane, but her talent made me believe. I was put off when I read Laurence Fishburne was playing Perry White, but then I remembered how much I liked Michael Clarke Duncan as marvel's Kingpin, and sure enough he was great. I'm not a big Kevin Costner fan, but he not only did a fantastic job as Jonathan Kent but he has one of the single most powerful scenes in the movie, and he does it without saying a word. Diane Lane as Martha - I can say no more. Russell Crowe does a bang-up job as Jor-el, and the rest of the cast is just fine.

The Bad: Action. Too much action. Way too much action, all at once and non-stop. It goes from being well-paced and personal to being cosmic. Nothing wrong with that, but once it's done it immediately starts up again. Then it ends. And starts again. By the end I was drained. One good note is that after all that the scene that ends the action is very small and personal. Maybe they planned it that way. Still, it was a bit much overall.

Minor spoilers: Product placement: You've seen the trailers. They blow up a 7-11. Lots of fun there. There is no Lex Luthor, but there is a double tractor-trailer tanker truck that gets wrecked in one scene, and on the side it says 'LEX-CORP', so there's hope for the sequel. That's it, unless I've forgotten something.

It was worth the $5.50 I paid for a matinee, but I doubt I'll see it again in the theater. Then again, I rarely do, unless it's with a friend who hasn't seen it.

Oh, yeah. Unless you like watching all the credits, don't bother staying 'til the very end. This isn't Marvel, and there's no cute scene after they're done rolling.

[Red October1984]

I was never a big fan of the Superman stuff...

I may rent this when it comes out. I don't know.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

I was never a big fan of the Superman stuff...

Different strokes for different folks. I personally own aroun 6,000 comics, 99% of them DC. Of course I was two years old when the George Reeves TV series made it's debut, so I kind of grew up with "Look! Up in the sky..."

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

Different strokes for different folks. I personally own aroun 6,000 comics, 99% of them DC. Of course I was two years old when the George Reeves TV series made it's debut, so I kind of grew up with "Look! Up in the sky..."

I grew up with late 90's kids TV, Transformers (FTW!), Star Wars, and a crap-ton of Lego stuff (Slightly less FTW but still great).

I always was and still am a big fan of the original Transformers TV Series. Even last year I would get up at 0600 instead of 0700 just to watch it before going off to school...until the Hub Channel dropped it.

I can't wait for the next movie. I've seen the other 3 Transformers movies probably 30 times each.

I had an Army that would rival an infantry division of the toys...I had the T-Shirts....I read the comics....read the books.... I'll be a Transformers fan forever.

My childhood was awesome until I got to school age.

And there was also Lego.... I was hardcore lego... I probably had 200 sets of Legos that were mainly Star Wars. This was well before Lego went downhill and started all the video games and TV Shows and all that other crap. I've even got some Halo Legos up in my closet. Cybermat47 knows what I'm talking about.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

And there was also Lego.... I was hardcore lego... I probably had 200 sets of Legos that were mainly Star Wars. This was well before Lego went downhill and started all the video games and TV Shows and all that other crap. I've even got some Halo Legos up in my closet. Cybermat47 knows what I'm talking about.

Lego went downhill about the time you where born if you ask the opinion of anyone who was a child in the late 70's through the 80's.They had awesome sets back in the day and they also used to have sets focused more on engineering they where called Lego Technic(not the joke new Technic line mind you) and each set had several plans for a machine that actually worked some even used pneumatics you constructed nearly every part now lots of moving parts are already in one piece.

Nothing was overly set specific so you could combine dozes of sets.My brothers and I we would take a huge pile of the old time Technic sets and see who could come up with the best working machine.Now adays though the sets are model specif and have molded parts for what ever the set is about hampering creativity.

Legos used to be more about you making something from the blocks in each set to the set just being another prefab toy that you sort of put together this change happened about 20 years ago in the mid 90's.I'll give you an example back in the 80's when I was around 10 they used to air reruns of the TV show "Black Sheep Squadron" a I freaking loved that show well actually I loved the F4U-1 Corsair in it so I made from Legos my own Corsair.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Lego went downhill about the time you where born if you ask the opinion of anyone who was a child in the late 70's through the 80's.They had awesome sets back in the day and they also used to have sets focused more on engineering they where called Lego Technic(not the joke new Technic line mind you) and each set had several plans for a machine that actually worked some even used pneumatics you constructed nearly every part now lots of moving parts are already in one piece.

Nothing was overly set specific so you could combine dozes of sets.My brothers and I we would take a huge pile of the old time Technic sets and see who could come up with the best working machine.Now adays though the sets are model specif and have modled parts for what ever the set is about hampering creativity.

I had some Technic models....Some pretty good ones at that.

Lego didn't go downhill for me til about 2005-6. I loved all those specific sets. I had a fleet of Star Wars stuff. I set up battles all the time.

I don't like the modeled parts....That's one thing I wish they'd stop doing.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

crap-ton

That's Krypton, you philistine!

I always was and still am a big fan of the original Transformers TV Series.

I was already well into adulthood when the first series came out. I thought it was awful then, and my opinion hasn't changed.

I can't wait for the next movie. I've seen the other 3 Transformers movies probably 30 times each.

Hated the first one. Didn't bother with the rest. As I said, though, different strokes...

I had an Army that would rival an infantry division of the toys...I had the T-Shirts....I read the comics....read the books.... I'll be a Transformers fan forever.

That's why they made the show in the first place - to sell the junk.

Originally Posted by Stealhead

Lego went downhill about the time you where born if you ask the opinion of anyone who was a child in the late 70's through the 80's.

And those of us who grew up in the '50s played with the bricks, and nothing else. The first sets came out in the '60s.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

I had some Technic models....Some pretty good ones at that.

Lego didn't go downhill for me til about 2005-6. I loved all those specific sets. I had a fleet of Star Wars stuff. I set up battles all the time.

I don't like the modeled parts....That's one thing I wish they'd stop doing.

That is my point though 20 years ago they did not have those set specific modeled parts.

It is just like everything else these days mass marketed which means it must please the short attention span uncreative person.This is what is wrong with most everything entertainment wise from movies to toys to video games.When you mass market to "please" all you make it more dull you make it have less substance.

Man of Steel for example Steve pointed out that it had too much action and that is problem right there Super Man is interesting because you get to see his personal struggles its not the action that matters so much its is the inner struggle his pain, his hopes, his dreams and how he deals with them while at the same time using his power to help people that makes him interesting not that he can pick up a locomotive.In most every modern movie now too much focus is on overloading the screen with action and you miss out on or have too little time to absorb the inner struggle stuff which is what really makes any character interesting.

"Das Boot" is good example how to do it right the story is interesting because you get to know the crew and like them there really is not that much action in "Das Boot" and it helps develop the characters you get a lump in your thought at the end and you do not have to have any interest in U-boats or submarines.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

"Das Boot" is another example the story is interesting because you get to know the crew and like them there really is not that much action in "Das Boot" and it helps develop the characters you get a lump in your thought at the end.

Depends on which cut you see.


Back on topic....

I remember watching this one Superman movie....the last one to come out....Superman Returns I think? I remember it being a pretty decent movie. Not "OMG THIS IS THE BEST" but it was alright.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

Depends on which cut you see.


Back on topic....

I remember watching this one Superman movie....the last one to come out....Superman Returns I think? I remember it being a pretty decent movie. Not "OMG THIS IS THE BEST" but it was alright.

What do you mean it depends on which cut? the only major difference I am aware of is the length more/or less scenes the end is same in all of them and you still have good character development you just see more or less depending on the version.

What I meant by action is that it is not one action scene after another in a long string.

[Red October1984]

Originally Posted by Stealhead

What do you mean it depends on which cut? the only major difference I am aware of is the length more/or less scenes the end is same in all of them and you still have good character development you just see more or less depending on the version.

What I meant by action is that it is not one action scene after another in a long string.

The Theatrical Cut has less of the character development. Who wants to go see a 5 hour movie in a theater? They cut that out. The Director's Cut has more and the Uncut has the most, obviously.

I know exactly what you meant by your action point.

[Stealhead]

Originally Posted by Red October1984

The Theatrical Cut has less of the character development. Who wants to go see a 5 hour movie in a theater? They cut that out. The Director's Cut has more and the Uncut has the most, obviously.

I know exactly what you meant by your action point.

Of course the theatrical cut has less development but it still has good character development.That was my point good character development Standing by itself the theatrical cut has good character development I am not getting nitty gritty which Das Boot is better here but being general this film compared to a different unrelated film.Das Boot compared to X film that has poor or hard to follow character development.A great example of bad character development would be Star Wars Episode I or the Resident Evil movies.

This sums up well how I feel abut most modern movies

[Red October1984]

I'd watch that video...but I don't have time...I watched the first bit though.

I get the point.

Okay....back OT.

Man of Steel managed an 8.4 out of 10 on IMDb but only a 55 Metascore.

This'll definitely be one to rent but not to buy since I'm not a huge fan of Superman.

Amy Adams looks a lot like Jenna Fischer... Every time I see a new preview I always make that mistake.

"Oh look! It's Pam from The Offi-Ah...no it isn't...."

[Stealhead]

Metascore is a joke I would not consider its ratings to have any balance or validity.

[Onkel Neal]

Great summary, Steve. How was the score? Anything nearly as great as William's original?