Man of Steel / Justice League / DC films

[Pixel]

I think some of the exposition was a bit clunky, looking back.

Also, it seemed weird that they called the thing they put on Lois a 'breather'. There was another thing that seemed a bit weirdly named, but I cant remember. I hate to blame it on lazy writing, but it is a bit of that.

Goyer is a pretty good scenario writer, but I dont think dialogue is his strong suit sometimes.

 

[Geostigma]

I was ok with it being called a breather.. I instantly knew what it did and what its main purpose was and it could be applied to lois and the kryptonians as an after thought.

Its execution reminds me of the dream machine in Inception, essentially its Nolan level explanation. "This is what it is, this is what it does. Deal with it" lol.

Was the other thing

Spoiler

The machine used to generate Jor El's consciousness I forgot its name but it also had a very literal name IIRC.?

 

[Zee]

THIS MOVIE WAS SO GOOD AND FAORA IS SO AMAZING I CAN'T FUNCTION I JUST LOVE IT SO MUCH

 

[Pixel]

I was ok with it being called a breather.. I instantly knew what it did and what its main purpose was and it could be applied to lois and the kryptonians as an after thought.

Its execution reminds me of the dream machine in Inception, essentially its Nolan level explanation. "This is what it is, this is what it does. Deal with it" lol.

Was the other thing

Spoiler

The machine used to generate Jor El's consciousness I forgot its name but it also had a very literal name IIRC.?

I cant remember, I think it was something on Krypton, maybe a ship or something.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Watched it in Father's Day.

Well I'm no Superman fan and so far I've watched Superman 1 and 2 (Reeves) and Routh's. For me the movie is quite enjoyable, Clark is likeable and sweet, Lois is a good heroine, the dads are the typical inspirational dads and the villains are ok.

Faora is A BADASS I LOVE HER finally a non-sexualized superwoman

For me it's as good as Iron Man 3, enjoyable, action-packed but not the type that I would want to watch again. I expected it to be emotionally intense because of the first Gandalf trailer, but then for me it's an awkward mix of a serious Superman and a family movie.

 

[Ami]

In regards to

Spoiler

Jonathan saving the dog, I think it's executed beautifully. Him refusing to let Clark save him at the risk of exposure because he knows the world isn't ready for him, it's heartbreaking. It's those kind of deaths, which are shocking, but also symbolic for the story.

That, and I would also save my dog. Only true dog lovers would understand the need to save their felines.

 

[Interslicery]

In regards to

Spoiler

Jonathan saving the dog, I think it's executed beautifully. Him refusing to let Clark save him at the risk of exposure because he knows the world isn't ready for him, it's heartbreaking. It's those kind of deaths, which are shocking, but also symbolic for the story.

That, and I would also save my dog. Only true dog lovers would understand the need to save their felines.

Spoiler

I have no problem with the way he died. Just his reasoning.
Maybe it's just how much the dog was shown before then. I only really remember him being in the background enough to realize that they had a dog.

Felines are kitties

 

[Dawnbreaker]

Saw it, liked it, would see it again. I thought the first half was too slow and the second half too fast (except the last battle which kind of dragged on). And it was too preachy and the villian was only okay.

But it was highly entertaining, pulled at your heartsrtrings and makes you really feel like this was Superman. Not a guy in a cape, but the guy himself. I'm a little bias since I love the actor, but he did a good job. I hope there's a sequel.

 

[Zee]

after reading the new 52 with supergirl if they don't have kara in the sequel i'll be so fucking disappointed she'd fit really well within the cinematic universe they're building up

Spoiler

i mean they hint someone else survived cause when clarke is checking out the pods you see a corpse in one but the other has already been opened?? i don't know which origin they'd go for with kara but at least it's a chance

also LOLOL SOME PEOPLE WHO SAW THE MOVIE ARE UPSET THAT CLARKE KILLED ZOD

MOTHERFUCKER AIN'T BATMAN

 

[Ⓐaron]

Spoiler

How the fuck was Clark supposed to not kill Zod? Motherfucker was stronger than Clark and explicitly said he would continue killing humans as long as he continued to breathe air. He effectively left him no choice. But, as X pointed out, it's obviously not supposed to feel triumphant at all. It's supposed to feel like a Pyrrhic victory at best.

Anyway, thought this was at least an 8/10 and probably the best adaptation of Superman's character to the big screen that I've seen. I agree that this was the first film adaptation to really get the character right. I have some quibbles but nothing that really ruined the film for me. And the supporting cast were great.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Exactly my feelings on the imprisonment scene

Spoiler

 

[Pixel]

In the sequel, Id love to see Lex as a defense contractor/weapons manufacturer who's been crippled during the carnage of this film. He starts researching advanced prosthetics, and gets his hands on some kryptonian tech, and some energy emitting material that formed during the terraformation attempt... kryptonite. Military uses the research he does to create Metallo. Lex ultimately helps stop metallo and is hailed as a hero, and discovering Superman's weekness along the way. Starts running as presidential candidate in 3rd movie. At the end of 2nd movie he could discover Brainiac within the kryptonian tech and try to harness its power.

Its a pity Christopher Meloni was in this movie. H'd be an awesome Lex.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

Oh I also wanted to mention two things

Spoiler

I think that Clarkhas Metropolis as his home because he feels like he owes the city and its inhabitants for the destruction that his people caused there. Additionally, I rewatched the film last night, and the TWO TIMES that Kal-El might have endangered someone is when chucking that enormous guy into the trainyard, and flipping Zod around to smash HIS face against the very end of a building that Zod was smashing him against. Literally every other destroyed building or populated area is because the other Kryptonians are tossing HIM through them and things that he can't avoid. Worth knowing if you want to refute someone's "he did nothing about saving people and cased all that collateral damage" complaints.

X

 

[Ami]

Few things.

Spoiler

I found it so devastating Clark had no choice, but to kill Zod in the end. I never ever expected him to do it and I find his character so against the killing of others in previous incarnations, so that's why I found the scene shocking. But then a family's lives were on the line and he couldn't question his morality for a second; he needed to save them. Because that's who Superman really is: in the films, he's a saviour of humanity.

Spoiler

I'd quite like to see Kara, too. And definitely Lex. I'll be pissed if these two don't get brought into the franchise at some point.

 

[Danseru-kun]

Spoiler: man of steel in a nutshell

I agree with this hahaha

 

[Zee]

Spoiler

I never ever expected him to do it and I find his character so against the killing of others in previous incarnations, so that's why I found the scene shocking.

he certainly doesn't like killing, but he's done it before. i was just lol'ing at some of the people who though that superman didn't kill period. he's not batman; he doesn't have an official rule about it, and as much as he dislikes it he's been forced to take some people out permanently.

Spoiler: sequel speculation

there's a great set up for lex considering metropolis needs to be rebuilt -- he could be in charge of financially backing the city's development whilst using the incidents in the first movie as prime example why superman is too powerful a being to exist on our planet.

kara being older than clarke (technically??) and still feeling strong ties to krypton rather than giving a shit about earth would be an interesting thing to explore too, especially after everything that happened in this movie.

 

[X-SOLDIER]

I decided to get all tl;dr to the max after seeing the film again, to give you something to refute bad reviews and people complaining about non-issues, and grossly misunderstanding big points of the film. It's spoilery as all hell, and a bit of a read, but for anyone interested, here ya go: http://xsoldier.tumblr.com/post/53241026998/addressing-the-issues-in-man-of-steel-so-i


Also, I want to go buy the film's soundtrack SO badly. Seeing it a second time REALLY made me realize how excellent the music was.



X

 

[Mantichorus]

after reading the new 52 with supergirl if they don't have kara in the sequel i'll be so fucking disappointed she'd fit really well within the cinematic universe they're building up

One of the crew of the twenty-something thousand year old scout ship was Kara Zor-El (hence why there was a scout suit with the El family crest on it in the ship). Explained in a comic tie-in... exclusive to WalMart. Great choice, WB.

Anyway, went to see the film with a friend, which in retrospect seems to be a mistake. He complained about plot holes that were explained in movie, and, essentially, complained that it wasn't either the Reeve/Donner Superman or the animated series (despite having read the comics). Also, complained about the lack of kryptonite.

I really don't have any particular faults with the film, except

Spoiler

how they just didn't bother with the idea of a secret identity until the end

.

Also, I'm sticking to my thoughts before I went to the film: it'd have been good to basically adapt Birthright, having Luthor and

Spoiler

his fake Kryptonian

army as the antagonist/s. This would then lead brilliantly into having Zod in the sequel.
GEN. LANE: "What are you up to now, Luthor?"
LUTHOR: "..."
GEN. LANE (uncertain): "Luthor?"
LUTHOR: "It's. Not. Me."

 

[Ami]

5 possible plots for Man of Steel sequel

 

[Pixel]

I hope they establish the character before bringing in anything JLA related. They can elude to is, but Superman should deal with his own shit.

JLA could deal with brainiac. And if they do JLA2 bring in Supergirl like the animated movie Superman/Batman: Apocalypse

 

[Mantichorus]

I've actually given some thought about possible sequels. As one main theme in this one was trust between Superman and humanity, I thought the next films could also deal with different aspects of the idea.

Spoiler: Movie 2: paranoia

ANTAGONISTS: General Wade Eiling, Lex Luthor, [undecided]

While most of the military is begrudgingly accepting Superman, General Eiling still advises caution... and gets slowly more extreme the more Superman proves himself trustworthy.

He turns to genius Lex Luthor for ideas on how to combat Superman. Luthor reverse-engineers weaponry for Eiling from salvaged Kryptonian tech. They also "recruit" another villain as a back-up for going up against Superman (either create Metallo or Parasite, or someone similar to Coldcast power-wise, maybe making his powers tech based if they don't want to cover metagenes yet). Hell, maybe they just turn Eiling into the General, if they don't mind Hulk comparisons.

Eiling attacks Superman, and it plays out as expected. When Luthor's arrested as being part of it, he expresses surprise and anger. He believed that General Eiling was acting on behalf of the people and government of the United States, and is as betrayed as anyone to learn otherwise.

We find out during the closing scenes that Luthor has been released, and at the Planet, they just accept this is due to him affording bail, or being charismatic. Cut to Luthor being released and met by a man in a suit, who asks him about his knowledge of genetics. The man introduces himself as Maxwell Lord.

Spoiler: Movie 3: hubris/control

ANTAGONISTS: Maxwell Lord, Lex Luthor, [*spoiler*]

Lord introduces himself to Superman, and convinces him to use his powers to serve his country. After a few routine rescue missions, Lord pushes him to do more: mass disarmaments, pre-emptive strikes. Superman realises this is heading towards assassinations -- "wetworks", Lord corrects him -- and wants nothing to do with it.

Turns out, Lord has been subtly using his telepathy to "convince" Superman to work alongside him. This comes out when he gives up on subtlety and tries to full on control Superman. This does not work, and Superman escapes.

Lord complains about how he lost control of Superman, before saying that at least he has control of one Kryptonian. Luthor reveals himself, says it's natural he lost control of Superman and cautions Lord against believing he can control the clone.

Reports come in of Superman's activities when he and Lois know he's been elsewhere. They trace the "other Superman" to Lord. Lord... lords it over them (cough), and reveals they've created a cloned Kryptonian.

It's Bizarro, but not as we know him. After all, Superman's DNA has been hard to get hold of, but they do have access to another source of Kryptonian DNA... welcome back, Michael Shannon! Yes, Bizzaro is cloned from Zod.

While they fight, Bizarro starts to degrade (looking closer to his Red Son appearance than the classic look). When Lord tries to take control of the increasingly erratic Bizarro, it snaps his neck (maybe even the same way Superman snapped Zod's).

Not really sure how it'd end.

 

[Hisako]

Just watched the movie tonight because I am a slow

Thoroughly impressed, although even as I type this the details of the movie are starting to escape me. Some A-grade Dragonball Z-like shit going on, lol
Good character focus that manages to give enough suspension of disbelief, just like many of the more recent superhero origin films, plus a bit of self-aware humour doesn't hurt every now and then.

Pretty good acting, although since I'm pretty sure 99% of the main cast were such A-listers that it didn't really score points for me. Me and my friends basically spent the first half-hour of the movie going, "hey, it's this guy!" or "isn't that lady from the... that Disney movie?" Or, in my case, "how did that dude from SVU get so badass that he tried to face off against a Kryptonian armed with nothing but his knife?" (ed: we in Australia don't see a lot of Christopher Meloni because most of his stuff are either old movies that television don't show no more, or the new shows he's on are pay-television, so he's "that SVU guy" )

All that said, I tended to zone out a bit when the Kryptonians started slugging each other through buildings, though the characters still felt like they weren't wholly comic-book cutouts. Zod kind of going "dafuq was that" with a confused expression when he accidentally tears down a building with his newfound LAZER EYEBEEMS felt like a pretty human response to the absurdity of it all although why are you fuckers trying to escape a collapsing building when it don't mean shit since you're all practically invincible
In any case, though, I found it far more entertaining watching the armed forces of the United States trying to come to terms with the new alien invasion. Oh, A-10 Thunderbolt strafing runs? Have a gold star, America. You tried.

I guess it says something about the plot when Wikipedia can summarise it into 4 paragraphs, though.

EDIT: I have to be honest, though, I surprisingly didn't care much for the soundtrack. I'm sure there's some great nostalgic motifs in there somewhere that I missed the point of, but I seriously did not catch anything that seemed like the same melody being blared at me about a bajillion times while Supes was doing something heroic. It's not that I find Hans Zimmer's music bad by any stretch of the imagination, but I didn't think it was anything special - not to the point that any other dramatic Hollywood composer couldn't have made something similarly as good. Hell, I listened to the soundtrack before I even went in. Nothing really stood out besides that one, repetitive motif.

 

[Pixel]

When I saw Jon Peters in the credits as exec producer, I thought back to the stiff he told Kevin Smith he wanted in the movie... Giant Spider, Polar bears. If you watch the movie again, keep those in mind. I can guarantee that twat had a hand in the bad pacing due to forcing them to have action at every oportunity, rather that having character moments.

Also, they should have revealed Jonathan's grave after the flashback. Showing it before took away the power of that flashback.

And they shouldnt have put clark in the church talking to the priest. It would have had more power as a conversation with martha. But they like to smack the audience across the head with stuff

 

[Xelazander]

So I've heard Henry Cavill (Superman actor) is dating Kaley Cuoco (Big Bang Theory) now, they would have beautiful children...

 

[Theozilla]

Finally saw the film last week, I definitely enjoyed more than Superman Returns, I can say that for sure (I personally the tomato meter ratings for the two films should be switched IMO). I'm surprised how much of the 1980s comic mythos the film drew upon. Zod's fate did not really bother me as I thought it fit well within the context of the film.
Jonathan Kent's relationship with Clark I found quite interesting being presented as both a loving and limiting figure at the same time. Michael DiMartino (one f the ATLA/TLOK creators) wrote an interesting analysis of their relationship that I agree with a lot of.
http://mikedimartinostory.com/2013/06/18/man-of-steel-why-the-story-of-superman-still-matters/