Man of Steel (2013)

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by ridernyc, Dec 11, 2012.

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  1. sparkydog

    sparkydog Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kentucky
    Close enough. At least he gets to kill someone this time.
    For some reason I think I need to watch this again on Blu-Ray. I didn't enjoy it very much on first viewing but I'll give it another go.
    Superman Returns never got a second look from me.
     
  2. malcolm reynolds

    malcolm reynolds Handsome, Humble, Genius

    Location:
    Oklahoma
    I hated the film when seeing it at the theater. My dad asked me if I liked it as we were leaving and I just gave him a weird look and he said it didn't feel like Superman to him either. I am going to rent it to give it another chance but if it is like with the Nolan Batman films and the Abrams Star Trek films I will like it even less, if that is possible.
     
  3. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    I saw this on a recent flight to Hawaii. Didn't care too much for it.
     
  4. Loses something on the translation. The loud sound didn't overwhelm you.
     
  5. Spitfire

    Spitfire Senior Member

    Location:
    Pacific Northwest
    Maybe. I don't think the sound would have made much of a difference in what I thought of it. Way too much over the top action for one thing. Didn't mind the Superman character actually.
     
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  6. pig whisperer

    pig whisperer CD Member

    Location:
    Tokyo, Japan
    He spent too much time being thrown around on the ground and through buildings -- my son said he broke a lot of tile.
     
  7. Raylinds

    Raylinds Resident Lake Surfer

    I finally saw this on Blu-Ray over the weekend and really enjoyed it. I did not think the character was all that dark. I thought the thing a bout not fitting in was believable. I would have liked them to dial back the destruction, but still enjoyed it. Maybe it was a case of low expectations going in based on all of the negative comments.
     
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  8. thegage

    thegage Forum Currency Nerd

    My kids hadn't seen this so we watched it on DirecTV this weekend. I have to say that on second (and third, my sons liked it a lot) viewing my assessment and enjoyment of the movie has grown considerably. Even on DirecTV (and I presume disc) it is a LOUD movie, with an unfortunate (and not uncommon these days) imbalance between the softness of the dialogue and the loudness of the mayhem. In the theater it was way, way too loud--something I read a lot of people complain about in multiple theaters--and I think that my lack of enthusiasm there was in large part due to feeling pummeled by the soundtrack and reacting to this effect; I had my fingers in my ears for much of the movie, and focused more on that than on the screen. At home, able to moderate the volume, I was more able to focus on the story line, and it's here that my estimation grew. Yeah, they could have dialed back the destruction about 10-15%, and there are way too many of those self-conscious, two-step zooms during action scenes, but overall it's a pretty good flick. Even my wife, who generally hates action pictures, was glued to it, and particularly commented on how effective and really bad the bad guys were.

    John K.
     
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  9. Chip Z

    Chip Z Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland, OH, USA
    Watched it yesterday. I really enjoyed it. Really pummeling soundtrack too. Crazy destruction.
     
  10. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I watched this on Blu-ray the weekend after it came out. The movie was better than I was expecting. I try to avoid too many reviews going in but I had read some things about the film when it was first released. The soundtrack didn't bother me at all. I loved all the 5.1 effects. The fight sequences seemed very comic book-like to me and not at all "too destructive". I always try to look at superhero movies as living comics. In that regard, I felt Man Of Steel did really well.
     
  11. lbangs

    lbangs Senior Member

    I wrote a rant after seeing Man of Steel in the theater on the recommendation of friends.

    Suffice to say, I thought the first Nolan Batman was decent, the second was excellent, the third was a long, clunky (though sporadically enjoyable) mess...

    ...and I thought Snyder's Man of Steel was absolutely atrocious.

    I once thought the director was a little promising; I now dread any film with Snyder's name attached...

    Shalom, y'all!

    L. Bangs
     
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  12. tommy-thewho

    tommy-thewho Senior Member

    Location:
    detroit, mi
    I thought the final fight was overblown crashing around like the final Matrix movie but overall a good movie. Anything with Amy Adams gets my attention...
     
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  13. It's a movie made for today's audiences. A few small name changes and they could have turned it into a generic sci-fi blockbuster. I would have been fine with most of the changes except the part about his father's death. Costner probably gave the best performance in the entire movie but that character had no business being in a Superman movie. Other than that bugaboo, it was a fine summer movie. I still wish they had kept the more traditional colors in his costume.
     
  14. Yovra

    Yovra Collector of Beatles Threads

    A nice enough movie, nothing really special. I found it all a bit un-engaging....
     
  15. I'm a minority here. Just watched it after hearing all the negatives here I wasn't expecting much but I loved it A lot.
     
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  16. Michael

    Michael I LOVE WIDE S-T-E-R-E-O!

    nope...we loved it as well!
     
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  17. BeatleJWOL

    BeatleJWOL Senior Member

    Loved it, mostly; the last third of the fight did drag on a little too long but everything else was pretty fantastic.

    A bit like Star Trek Into Darkness; it may not be perfect but it's watchable and enjoyable and it'll get you through to the next one they put out. :D (still a better more than STID though.)
     
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  18. My main problem was the SUPER (pun intentional)aggressive audio mix and mastering for the soundtrack. While the fight did drag on too long (disaster porn territory) on the whole, it was enjoyable. Snyder's films all seem to have the flaw on going on a bit too long in certain sequences. Sometimes more is just more not better.
     
  19. progrocker71

    progrocker71 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles
    Amy Adams was the only saving grace for me.
     
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  20. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    I agree, it was a terrible mix. I haven't heard the home video mix yet to see if they alleviated the balance/dynamic range problem.
     
  21. Quark1134

    Quark1134 Forum Resident

    Haven't seen it at the cinema, but the blu-ray has the same issue, plus the bass is hard filtered at 30 Hz and seems to roll off even earlier. So in addition to the volume balance, there's a mismatch between scenes of destruction vs the wimpy soundtrack.
     
  22. mpayan

    mpayan A Tad Rolled Off

    Im from the old school. Its an automatic for me to say "Too much CGI and shoot em ups! *grumble grumble*" Leaving the idea that I do think, once again, CGI has over ran a movie instead of enhancing it Ill give my brief review.

    The first watch I didnt care for it at all. I liken it to the "star wars effect". Like the newer Star Wars this film does not have the heart of the original Superman. I have no compassion for the character really. I felt the storyline was actually excellent. Flashbacks? Fine. Though a bit over done. I had more compassion for the kid Superman than I did for the man Superman. He doesnt have the goofy humor that contrasted Clark Kent from Superman, either. If they arent going to go thst route then come up with another idea to replace the humor Reeves character had. This one had little if any personality. Why is Iron Man likeable? Because Robert Downey Jr created a personality. Being a smart a** is his forte. Akwardness and quirky Humor *was* Clarks.

    The biggest mistake was the total lack of romance build up between Lois and Clark/Superman. I just did not feel for many of the characters. I liked Zod. Thought he did a good job.

    When I look back at the original, the action scenes left me on the edge of my seat. And they were more developed and interesting. There is nothing new nor spellbinding about seeing a van thrown into a heliocopter. Ive seen it. And it wasnt interesting the second time. Zod climbing up the building looking like a bulldog was just silly. I said I wasnt going to rag on the action stuff but its became apparent that for this film that IS the main focus. Instead of being an enhancement and a break from the drama of the non violent sections, the *entertainment* of the movie so to speak, the action IS the drama.

    Again, I liked the story line. Didnt mind the darker feel of the movie. The conflict within himself was good. There is something missing though and I think that *something* ,ironically, is the humanity of Superman. Why does he like or even care about the human race? He was bullied in every scene as a kid. And he has all this love for this fragile society? I didnt see it nor feel it through the dialogue nor the emotions of the characters.

    I watched the movie twice more. While the action still seemed overbearing I enjoyed it some what more in subsequent viewings. Id give it a C-. Maybe a C. Kind of mucked up all in all. However, I am hoping that the next one they do will be better. I think it does have potenial in the way that they left this movie. They are going to have to bring out some humor, some intimacy, some character devolpment in this guys personality and some reasons that he fights for this worlds safety.

    And please make some interesting action scenes. Going through building after building slinging each other around at the speed of sound is not very thoughtful.

    One of my favorite action scenes in the original was the scene where Christopher Reeves saves the train by holding the track together and becoming a human track. I remember thinking "Man, whats he going to do lift the whole train up as it falls. He cant do that. Thats not possible the train cars bend in between." I actually thinking wheew as I exhaled when Reeves *became* the track and said "alright! Superman!"

    I cant remember saying that one time during this film. And THATS the biggest difference. I never felt the need to pull for this Superman and be on his side. There was never a real laugh nor a "wheew" moment for me watching this movie.

    Thats my take.
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2013
  23. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    The first thing I had a problem with was not the soundtrack, it was the super-amazing-always-shaking camera. I mean, honestly, it never stops throughout the entire picture.

    But, the thing I walked out of the theatre bemoaning, (and, I'm actually appalled that more people are apparently fine with) is the complete subversion of a character that has existed for 70+ years as one who embued humanity, always found a way to avoid using his strength as an easy way out, and really acted as a sort of role-model, to use a phrase I'm normally uncomfortable with.

    The subversion hammers its way throughout the entire picture - with both Dad's laying huge, contradictory guilt trips on young Clark. And, Earth Dad, Pa Kent, actually stepping over the line with the whole "You should have let them die," theme. It was worse than that, "Maybe, you should have let them die."

    The consistant bullying at school, the unsavory characterization of every Earth-born human, the utterly ridiculous nature of the whole 'Pa Kent refuses to be saved' scene (with Ma Kent somehow holding Clark back!!!), all this leaves us with a confused, and confusing central character who at no time does anything but live up to, and embrace, the cynical teachings, and ends up a typical modern-day killing machine.

    I was so looking forward to Christopher Nolan's take on a character who has been called The big blue Boy Scout. Surely, here was an iconic character who would rise above the "Whatever it takes to win" approach that was taken so successfully in the Batman series. I anticipated some twists, and Nolanian touches.

    But, no.

    Instead, I was shocked to find that there was no sympathy for the old character whatsoever. Merely, the same cynicism of the Batman films, only now in blue, and with super powers.

    It's utterly disappointing that they took the easy way out. "Hey, why not just have him kill his enemies?" The answer of course is, "He might as well be Judge Dredd or any one of thousands of other killing-machine heroes, if you go that way. Superman is different -- he stands for something!"

    But, now we are saddled with a Superman that literally flies in the face of the entire ethos of seventy years of canon, and I can't believe more people aren't outraged by it.

    Goodbye, Big Blue Boy Scout. Hello, dunder-headed, ultra-cynical killing -machine with Daddy issues.
     
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  24. ascot

    ascot Senior Member

    Location:
    Wisconsin
    I can totally respect your opinion. I understand the desire to update characters or break some common story elements to create a "what if this happened instead..." version. Man of Steel broke Superman's core character traits and the question I have is "was it necessary?" The writers took away the obvious way of dealing with Zod by saying the Phantom Zone was broken and no longer existed. They could have had Jor-El present a way to recreate the Zone or something.

    I agree the Pa Kent accident scene - he's protecting Clark's secret - was ridiculous. They already compromised that idea with Clark's childhood saves.
     
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  25. mikeyt

    mikeyt Forum Resident

    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    For me, the movie became a series of ridiculous right after he gets his suit. I was in it until then. Some examples that made me smack my head - the scene where Clark goes to a church (in cliche city), only to realize as he's talking what he needs to do and leave while the priest is talking. Rescuing his mom from Zod, while leaving Zod's whole gang with her. Also subsequently turning a gas station into a fireball and likely killing a few people in and around it. Russell Crowe's return to conveniently be father of the year in space. After destroying the whole city and likely thousands of lives, him seeming to care about the family at the end didn't have any weight. Especially with Zod saying "You care about them so much?!" And the biggest was "I just think he's really hot" at the end.

    I think David Goyer wrote during his morning toilet time and wiped himself using the money he made from this.
     
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