What did you think of Man of Steel?

[Batou667]

The short version: it's big but not clever.

Spoiler: The long version: spoilers, natch

What a bloody stupid film.

Superman is a non-character. He's easily the least interesting thing on screen most of the time, even when they crank the fanservice up to 11 and have him mooch around and pout while wet and bare-chested. His childhood bits are fairly interesting but apparently he lost any humour, passion, and individuality around the same time he lost his milk teeth. But hey, he's the friggin' messiah, as is unsubtly pointed out a couple of times, complete with Christian subtext spread on thick.

Lois is a vapid and annoying ****. There's really nothing likeable about her character at all - she just blunders from one improbable situation to another, inexplicably goes from the CIA most wanted list to a trusted military ally within minutes (they give her a cute lil' Lois Lane-sized camo outfit and everything), and is personally summoned onto the bad guy's mothership for the sole purpose of being thrown in the brig so that the plot can advance. Naturally she gets to kiss Supes at the end (amid the ruins of Metropolis, with the trapped and wounded still pinned beneath the rubble of fifty towerblocks, and Superman presumably able to hear them and - presumably - choosing to kiss some bint rather than come to their aid).

Russel Crowe steals the show. He's the only decent actor in this film whose role allows them to shine. Kevin Costner is a fairly good actor in a limited role.

The bad guy is the 2-dimensional caricature of Lawful Evil that gets used in every Hollywood sci-fi these days. The instant "racial purity" and eugenics got mentioned, all moral ambiguity was tossed out of the window - just draw a swastika on his forehead and be done with it. It's a cheap and disappointing decision, as it precluded Superman - or the viewer - having any sympathy for him or even considering his proposed master plan.

The fight scenes are ridiculously high in explosions, spectacle, and shit getting smashed up. It's so gratuitous that it actually becomes quite boring. Are we sure Michael Bay didn't direct the fight scenes?

The US military gets its chance to wave its dick around, in a couple of carefully contrived scenes. Combine this with the very obviously 9/11-inspired scenes and we have a film whose subtext is "America, fuck yeah!". It's all so America-centric - even when Superman gets punched into space and back he invariably lands in either Kansas or Metropolis.

Stupid boring Superman. Stupid unlikeable Lois. They're both iconic in this film - in the most minimalist and limited sense. Everyone knows who Supes and Lois are, right, so why bother furnishing them with personalities or motivations? Just have them waltz onto the stage and have Superman be supermannish and make Lois do Lois-y things. The story will write itself. Throw in some more explosions, the kids will love it!

In all, I think this is possibly the very worst modern Superman movie they could have made while still guaranteeing a box office success. The characters and plot suck. The fighting is sometimes exciting. The explosions are gritty and fiery and billowing and, well, excellently done, if explosions are your thing. But who wants to watch 160 minutes of explosions?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I went and seen it and it sucked. The action scenes were meh and the acting was meh. Most of the movie felt like they were pulling crap out of the directors ass. And don't get me started on the christian overtones! It was so fucking ham-fisted into the movie to the point of ridiculousness. The dialogue of one of the villains during a fight made me nearly leave the movie.

Oh that's right, I forgot about that bullshit scene with the priest! It felt like the movie just had an afterthought about "if there're aliens then where does god fit in all of this?" so they just threw in Superman cooling with a priest to appease the religious folk.

My friend and I literally facepalmed when they showed Clark with a Jesus stained glass window in the background. Subtle.

However, I did like that Clark spent some time in Nova Scotia at the start of the film. (That bar where he worked with the asshole trucker had an Alexander Keiths sign, it was undeniably Canada).

 

[Crispee]

I didn't like it myself. I really wanted to like it because the trailer looked really cool and unique, but the actual film is kind of a nothing. Up until General Zod resurfaces there's absolutely no plot, just Clark Kent wandering aimlessly for an hour looking generically handsome and troubled before some aliens show up. Even then Zod's plan doesn't really make sense nor have any depth or character to it, they just say that he wants to destroy all humans for no real reason. They mention something about genetic programming forcing him to make Krypton live again but that's not a motive, that's an excuse.

I don't see the appeal of the closing action scenes either that everybody else seems to like, it's just a blur of close ups and camera angles and showing a building getting destroyed every two seconds. (Which is why it was so funny at the end when Perry White says "He did it! He saved us all!" whilst standing in the ruins of Metropolis where untold thousand must've died.) There was no weight to any of it, there are absolutely no establishing shots of Metropolis as a city, nor are we even told it's Metropolis until near the very end of the film, so showing me a load of destroyed CGI buildings won't work if you never gave me a reason to care about Metropolis.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Up until General Zod resurfaces there's absolutely no plot, just Clark Kent wandering aimlessly for an hour looking generically handsome and troubled before some aliens show up.

Is it just me or does Clark Kent have a Wolverine thing going on in these scenes? He's ripped, mostly shirtless, with something that looks like dog tags hanging on his chest and he has the same facial hair as well. Also the frosty setting and the roadhouse scene reminded me of the first couple of X-Men movies.

 

[Scarim Coral]

I watched it yesterday and overall it's good but it does has flaws in it.
I will say for one thing, the fighting scene were spectacular (I love the scene when Zod second in command used her super speed to take out those soliders). Seriosuly thoe fight did justice for Superman unlike Superman return).

The problem I had with the film were the pacing and it was rush in places (the film had Superman speed).

Spoiler: Example of a rush scene

The scene when Lois questioning Clark and when he told the general that he is fine with them handing them over and then the next scene both Lois and Clark were outside in the desert.

Now let talked about the plotholes

Spoiler: Plotholes 1

Why did they wanted to bring Lois with them? It was never address at all as it was the only excuse for her to do stuff that happaned in the film. I would of accepted that maybe they wanted to experimentet on a human but come on! Give a reason.

Spoiler: Plotholes 2

How did Clark know about the hidden thing in the ice? Sure he was on the sea and became a drifter abit but then when the scene came with Lois to invesigate the mysterious thing in the ice, Clark was suddently there.

Spoiler: This is more of an contridiction then a plotholes

Ok so Kal El is the first natural born Krytonian so he wasn't define by his genetic and is free to make his own destiny however throughtout the whole film, he pretty much got push to become a saviour or for the greater good. How is that any difference to being born to do something already? Yes the difference is that he can choose to accepted or not but that never really apply to him since he already started to used his powers to saved people whenever he can.
Sure as Moviebob mention that they put too much pressure onto Clark but I always felt that was somewhat normal for him well when it come to the origin story that both his real father and his adoptive father knew that he was meant for great thing wheater he wanted to accept it or not?

Spoiler: Plothole 3?

Ok I don't think this is not much of a plothole per say. It jsut that when Jor El mention that they had sent mention scout ship to many planet, that ship just happen to have the suit for Kal El? I willing to accept that maybe Jor El personally send that special scout ship to Earth since how else did he knew about planet Earth?
Speaking of the suit, I find it that it suck that it doesn't have armours on it, I mean Jor El and Zod had armour about that suit doesn't?

Ok some other stuff I got to say-
I find the actor who played Superman abit boring to be honest, to me he didn't really had any personality on him, heck I find the younger Clark Kent to have more personality then him. Also he didn't have much of a charm on him either as I alway view Superman from the animated show/ film to be a boy scout or at least view to be quite friendly.

I also loved that they used the quote from the Allstar Superman animted film/ comic ("You will give the people an ideal to strive towards. They will race behind you, they will stumble, they will fall. But in time, they will join you in the sun. In time, you will help them accomplish wonders.") Is that like an iconic quote from Superman like with Uncle Ben "With great powers come great responsibility"?

Also these bits are spoiler as I mention the bits in the film-

Spoiler: The ending

Holy crap he snap his neck!!! I find that to be shocking! Sure I get he didn't had a choice but I always view Superman to never be a killer!!

Spoiler: That special thing

Can anyone to explain to be what the whole condiet thing is and why was it a piece of a skull? That part I got confuse at despite they did explain it but not clearly for me.

Spoiler: Stupid moment

Some pet lover the Kent were when they competely forgot their pet dog when they saw that upcoming tornado! That was only there for Jonathan to carelessly scariface himself when it could of be avoided in the first place!

As for Jimmy being Jenny, I never view that woman to be Jimmy/ Jenny in the first place as they did not once address her name.

 

[Soxafloppin]

A reviewer is calling sexism because Fajora, ISN'T sexualized?...Explain please.

OT: I REALLY enjoyed it, I watch films to enjoy them generally though, not to pull them apart so I may be easily pleased, I honestly think the fight scenes were some of the best I've seen in cinema though.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

A reviewer is calling sexism because Fajora, ISN'T sexualized?...Explain please.

I think what he meant to say was that by eschewing a woman's sexuality they weaken her identity as a woman. At least that's what I think he meant. Touchy subject to approach at best.

 

[Ishal]

snip

Does Zod say the line... "Kneel before Zod?"

Also, I heard there is nothing at the end of the credits. True?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

snip

Does Zod say the line... "Kneel before Zod?"

Also, I heard there is nothing at the end of the credits. True?

Spoiler: Does Zod say Kneel before Zod?

Sadly, no.

Spoiler: Is there an extra scene during/after the credits?

Again, no. Believe me, I waited.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

So some fridge logic hit me.

Spoiler

Pretty sure Superman committed genocide in this movie. Like, it was sorta in self-defense because Zod didn't decide to terraform Mars instead (for literally no reason whatsoever), but Supes openly acknowledges it when he says "The Kryptonians had their chance" right before he brings about the destruction of his race.

I mean Zod was a dick, but at least he had a reason for doing what he did and was backed by the "no one mention terraforming Mars" plot hole, but Supes just committed genocide and decided to live with aliens because, uh, he looks like them?

Basically some demi-gods tried to commit genocide for no good reason, then another demi-god committed genocide because he didn't think an entire race should have the right to live because they "had their chance", and then he point blank tells the military that they have to listen to him on his own terms.

I'd be pretty scared to live on that planet.

Not only Superman commits something like genocide in the movie, it's never very clear WHY he prefers humans to kriptonians. Nothing in this movie really differentiates one from the other. Humanity is just as bent in destroying its home planet, we're just not as fast.

 

[Soxafloppin]

A reviewer is calling sexism because Fajora, ISN'T sexualized?...Explain please.

I think what he meant to say was that by eschewing a woman's sexuality they weaken her identity as a woman. At least that's what I think he meant. Touchy subject to approach at best.

Thats what I was thinking, I truly don't understand it though, It would be bad if her Kryptonian armour had a boob window, and I thought she was pretty much the most bad ass character in the film, she gave no fucks.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

A reviewer is calling sexism because Fajora, ISN'T sexualized?...Explain please.

I think what he meant to say was that by eschewing a woman's sexuality they weaken her identity as a woman. At least that's what I think he meant. Touchy subject to approach at best.

Thats what I was thinking, I truly don't understand it though, It would be bad if her Kryptonian armour had a boob window, and I thought she was pretty much the most bad ass character in the film, she gave no fucks.

Well, the armor is kinda sexualized. It's essentially a steel bikini, with a catsuit beneath. Nothing terribly practical about it. Everybody else is seen wearing full body armor.

Speaking of great female roles, I'm watching World War Z tomorrow and having just checked out the trailer I predict no interesting female roles in that movie. It's funny how the world is suffering a zombie pandemic and the main woman character apparently remains a stay-in mommy while hubbiy Brad Pitt goes off adventuring around the world with his CIA bros. "I'll look after the kids," she even says at one point. Talk about stiff gender roles.

 

[Extreme Phazer]

The exposition was way too ham-fisted, but generally a really good film - especially on the action scenes.

 

[Laughing Man]

Well I liked it or to put it another way against two other summer blockbusters Iron Man 3 and Into Darkness so far Man Of Steel is the best of the three and my god at the start of the year still ridding the post Avengers high I would never thought I would say MOS would be better than Ironman.

 

[Eddie the head]

Spoiler

Wait Terraforming earth? Is that what they said in the movie? Because you don't need to Terraform earth. It's already earth like. If they mean to change it to be like krypton that wouldn't be fucking Terraforming.

 

[GestaltEsper]

So some fridge logic hit me.

Spoiler

Pretty sure Superman committed genocide in this movie. Like, it was sorta in self-defense because Zod didn't decide to terraform Mars instead (for literally no reason whatsoever), but Supes openly acknowledges it when he says "The Kryptonians had their chance" right before he brings about the destruction of his race.

I mean Zod was a dick, but at least he had a reason for doing what he did and was backed by the "no one mention terraforming Mars" plot hole, but Supes just committed genocide and decided to live with aliens because, uh, he looks like them?

Basically some demi-gods tried to commit genocide for no good reason, then another demi-god committed genocide because he didn't think an entire race should have the right to live because they "had their chance", and then he point blank tells the military that they have to listen to him on his own terms.

I'd be pretty scared to live on that planet.

Not only Superman commits something like genocide in the movie, it's never very clear WHY he prefers humans to kriptonians. Nothing in this movie really differentiates one from the other. Humanity is just as bent in destroying its home planet, we're just not as fast.

And let's not forget his big line before the act: "Krypton had its chance." Yup, sure are embodying the best of both worlds, Kal.