Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

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  • Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

    Don't read if you have yet to see it.

    I saw "Man Of Steel" this afternoon and it lived to my expectations and surprised me (Krypton was a cool planet, with magnetic chip nanotechnology and very exotic wildlife). Henry Cavill is a lucky cat, having a linebacker physique (yeah, I'm jealous) and being surrounded by Oscar winners and nominees (Amy Adams's my favorite!!!) and Emmy winners and nominees. Antje Traue as Zod's right hand lady was damn icy, and I hope we see more of her in the future. Lots of fisticuffs that echo Akira Torimaya's "Dragon Ball" saga. There are also elements from Malick, Peckinpah, Ford, Capra, Bradbury, H.G. Wells and Norman Rockwell. Nods to Sept 11 are far from subtle yet unpretentious. Hans Zimmer should get Oscar nominated for the score.

    To conclude, Chris Reeve fans will bitch and moan. "Man of Steel" isn't just a great summer blockbuster (I should have watch this on Saturday), but one of the year's best so far.
    Last edited by Madbandit; 06-16-2013, 03:09 AM.
    "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

    "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

  • #2
    Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

    it made me ache for the simple mediocrity of Superman Returns and one more Lex Luthor real estate swindle.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

      Did I miss something?


      SPOILER

      How did Clark know how and why to find the Fortress of Solitude and how did he manage to just waltz in when it was under surveillance by the army?
      M.A.G.A.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

        Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
        Did I miss something?


        SPOILER

        How did Clark know how and why to find the Fortress of Solitude and how did he manage to just waltz in when it was under surveillance by the army?
        He heard, via super-hearing, about the expedition of the ship (not really a fortress, but I thought of the same thing, too) from some military officers at a bar. So he worked his way into being a hauling grunt. I thought it was an odd, editing goof when he was helping Lois off the chopper, but when he was heading to the ship, it made sense.
        Last edited by Madbandit; 06-15-2013, 06:55 PM.
        "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

        "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

          Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
          Did I miss something?
          Don't over-analyze. Summer movies are FX porn. Nothing more.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

            The military people in the bar were talking about it and even the reporter knew about it, so I think an anomalous object 20000 years old is probably of interest to an alien trying to figure out where he came from. And then he used his heat-vision to tunnel in.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

              Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
              Did I miss something?


              SPOILER

              How did Clark know how and why to find the Fortress of Solitude and how did he manage to just waltz in when it was under surveillance by the army?
              Super-Job-Application-Filling powers.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

                Henry Cavill is a lucky cat, having a linebacker physique (yeah, I'm jealous)
                Henry Cavill admitted he stopped eating during the shirt-less scenes. Now that's dedication to a role.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

                  I saw the midnight on Thursday night/Friday morning, and I was happy with how it went. I was wondering how they'd pull off a more gritty film, but they did. I liked how they alluded but did not mention Kryptonite. The musical score, IMO, suited the film more than trying to force the old theme on there. I loved John Williams' score, but it wouldn't have fit with this one.

                  One thing I did find interesting was the, shall we say, not-so-secret identity issue between Lois and Clark. That should prove interesting in MOS 2 (which, from my understanding, has already been greenlit and entered the earliest stages of development). I'm guessing that since Superman has been identified as capable to deal out physical force, that the next film we might just see Lex Luthor doing the whole 'mind over muscle' ideal. Though personally, I hope there's less of the 'real estate scheme' and more aspects to LexCorp. We know it's an official business, unlike in the original films, so there'll probably be several subdivisions, including defense contractors. Should prove interesting.

                  Of course, my favorite part was when the line 'hang my cape' came up. Those who have seen the film know what I mean.

                  The conflict between Zod and Kal was very interesting. I also found this film's adaptation of a Krypton origin story more interesting. I had heard rumors that that origin story was being used, but I had wondered if that would indeed be the case.

                  All in all, I found the film pretty good. And despite worries by some about character development, I think they did a good job in the 2 hours and some odd minutes they had. Though I got the sense that Perry had a thing with Jenny Olsen.....

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Shpoilerz, Obviously

                    It was okay. The trailers really got me expecting something to rival or even better Superman the Movie. It didn't get close but was still a fair distraction for 2+ hours.


                    My criticisms:

                    1) If you're not going to have Ursa and Non then why have a sexy, cold chick with short, dark hair as Zod's number 2 and why have her fight alongside a giant guy who towered over Superman?

                    2) SFX overload. It's good to see Superman do things we never saw before but so much CGI without a break just became white noise - and leaves you feeling bludgeoned. At least in Superman II, we'd cut to Zod commenting how Kal-El's weakness is that he cares and when there was no break, things happened slower and you could take everything in - not get bombarded by a flurry of images that pound your brain into submission.

                    3) The flashbacks. I'm unconvinced by them. They worked in that they considerably shrank the time spent on back story but they made it hard to relate to Clark and his parents.

                    And now the two biggies (pour moi, bien sur).

                    4) Terence Stamp's Zod may be more pantomime villain but it worked to perfection. A megalomaniacal, egotistical despot that we all love to boo and hiss. But Shannon's Zod's motivation made sense - he simply wanted to save his people from extinction. They tacked on the bit how in doing so it means the death of humanity but even then he wasn't propelled by hatred. The same argument is made by people who defend impinging on the natural world in order to build more houses ("hey it's unfortunate for the animals, the rain forests and the oceans but Mankind comes first"). And that's a lot more understandable (even if you disagree with it) than "these people are insignificant, I will enslave them, make them worship me, and make their lives a living hell. Because I can".

                    Then he explains that he was genetically engineered solely to fight and defend the people of Krypton. He had no choice, he was doing what he had been born to do and though we don't condone him terraforming our planet as a result, at the same time we can't recognise and sympathise with him. Zod wasn't enough a villain - much like Bodhie in Point Break.

                    5) Lack of heart. Superman the Movie had heart in spades - from Smallville to Metropolis and from Clark to Lois to Miss Tessmacher. And though slightly different in context the two scenes of Superman screaming (Lois' death in STM and Zod's death in MoS) there is a world of difference in terms of emotion. You feel the former, you don't in the latter.
                    Last edited by SundownInRetreat; 06-16-2013, 08:17 AM.
                    M.A.G.A.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

                      This was an absolutely solemn movie. Nobody expresses a positive emotion at any point. And for that, it's just not fun.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Shpoilerz, Obviously

                        Originally posted by SundownInRetreat View Post
                        It was okay. The trailers really got me expecting something to rival or even better Superman the Movie. It didn't get close but was still a fair distraction for 2+ hours.


                        My criticisms:

                        1) If you're not going to have Ursa and Non then why have a sexy, cold chick with short, dark hair as Zod's number 2 and why have her fight alongside a giant guy who towered over Superman?

                        2) SFX overload. It's good to see Superman do things we never saw before but so much CGI without a break just became white noise - and leaves you feeling bludgeoned. At least in Superman II, we'd cut to Zod commenting how Kal-El's weakness is that he cares and when there was no break, things happened slower and you could take everything in - they breathe - not get bombarded by a flurry of images that pound your brain into submission.

                        3) The flashbacks. I'm unconvinced by them. They worked in that they considerably shrank the time spent on back story but they made it hard to relate to Clark and his parents.

                        And now the two biggies (pour moi, bien sur).

                        4) Terence Stamp's Zod may be more pantomime villain but it worked to perfection. A megalomaniacal, egotistical despot that we all love to boo and hiss. But Shannon's Zod's motivation made sense - he simply wanted to save his people from extinction. They tacked on the bit how in doing so it means the death of humanity but even then he wasn't propelled by hatred. The same argument is made by people who defend impinging on the natural world in order to build more houses ("hey it's unfortunate for the animals, the rain forests and the oceans but Mankind comes first"). And that's a lot more understandable (even if you disagree) than "these people are insignificant and unworthy, I will enslave them, make them worship me, and make their lives a living hell. Because I can".

                        Then he explains that he was genetically engineered solely to fight and defend the people of Krypton. He had no choice, he was doing what he had been born to do and though we don't condone him terraforming our planet as a result, at the same time we can't recognise and sympathise with him. Zod wasn't enough a villain - much like Bodhie in Point Break.

                        5) Lack of heart. Superman the Movie had heart in spades - from Smallville to Metropolis and from Clark to Lois to Miss Tessmacher. And though slightly different in context the two scenes of Superman screaming (Lois' death in STM and Zod's death in MoS) there is a world of difference in terms of emotion. You feel the former, you don't in the latter.

                        You've made the same damn fool mistake, like the film critics are, comparing this film to the Chris Reeve films, which, according to Variety reporter Brian Lowry, are on his list of Hollywood's Worst Comic Book Moments. http://variety.com/2013/film/news/ho...ts-1200497281/

                        1)It was an homage to the B-film "Devil Girl From Mars".

                        2)I find that funny because people have complained about Zack's "slo-mo" action sequences in his previous work.

                        3) Are you free-basing? My goodness. The flashbacks illustrated Clark's awkwardness, being the only Kryptonian on Earth and his parents doing their damn best to help him adjust (wish I had a dad like Jonathan Kent).

                        4) Michael Shannon was Nolan f***ing Ryan as General Zod. When you have a character with a military rank, you give him an army, weapons and a madman's streak, not a disco/trapeze outfit and two noobs. Plus, I did feel sorry for him because he was nothing more than a soldier following his pre-programmed destiny and couldn't divert from it. Sorry, Terry Stamp.

                        5)Kal-El's birth. Clark saving the oil rig workers. Kid Clark saving his fellow students on the bus. Martha calming down her frighten son. Jonathan sacrificing his life so Clark will be safe. Lois and Kal-El holding hands before Zod arrives. Perry White trying to save one of his employees. Teen Pete Ross helping Teen Clark off the ground.Kid Clark playing the backyard as Jonathan & Martha look on. YOU'RE TELLING ME THERE'S NO HEART...
                        Last edited by Madbandit; 06-16-2013, 12:06 PM.
                        "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                        "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

                          Originally posted by Biohazard View Post
                          This was an absolutely solemn movie. Nobody expresses a positive emotion at any point. And for that, it's just not fun.
                          What kind of "fun"? Dumb Pixar-like fun? Sorry, but I don't need cavities and I like my fun subtle sometimes.
                          "A screenwriter is much like being a fire hydrant with a bunch of dogs lined up around it.- -Frank Miller

                          "A real writer doesn't just want to write; a real writer has to write." -Alan Moore

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Shpoilerz, Obviously

                            Just saw it, I enjoyed it on the whole. I thought it started off really strong and whilst it couldn't maintain that level for the whole film it was still solidly entertaining for the most part, a well cast and well played film. Granted, it was CGI overkill at the end but I found it a far more engaging film than say the Avengers, probably because of the source material here... I mean heck, they even made him 33 years old and don't tell me that pose when he fell back to Earth was accidental.

                            So yeah, thumbs up, it's worth the price of admission.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Man Of Steel: The Blue Boy Scout Grows Up...And Kicks Ass (spoilers)

                              Originally posted by Madbandit View Post
                              What kind of "fun"? Dumb Pixar-like fun? Sorry, but I don't need cavities and I like my fun subtle sometimes.
                              This movie was about as subtle as this song.

                              Watching everyone appear disappointed, unhappy, morose, downbeat, and/or uninterested is just not interesting.

                              It's like watching machinery work. Cold, lifeless machinery.

                              This movie has no soul. No heart. No brain, either. It's apparently not made for people who possess and actually use these organs.

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