Man of Steel

Dustin: 4 of 5 stars Nick: 2 of 5 stars Average: 3 of 5 stars (Woozy canary)

Dustin: Superman is the latest action hero to get a Hollywood gritty reboot. Man of Steel stars British actor Henry Cavill defending “truth, justice and the American way.”

What did you think of Man o’ Steel, Nick?

Nick: I felt that this movie suffered the most through its nonlinear method of storytelling. There were constant jumps through time from when Clark was young to the present.

Dustin: I didn't think the nonlinear story detracted from the movie. The flashbacks seemed to be in the right places and dramatically matched the present-day storyline. Dramatically, I thought it was the best Superman movie to date.

Nick: “That’s heresy!” 

Dustin: Have you seen the 1978 Superman recently? Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor is an underwhelming villain whose two henchmen are a bimbo and a bumbling idiot. Superman can fly around the world really fast to turn back time, which subtracts an element of suspense knowing anything bad can be undone. And at the end (SPOILER!) he just flies Lex Luthor and his henchman, Otis, to jail. I’m sure they will be able to walk free once word gets out they weren't legally charged with a crime.

Nick: Yes, it’s very silly, but it was a big deal in its day. First time a man could fly! But I believe that Superman Returns is a better film mostly because Clark Kent as the bumbling reporter is just as important as his Kryptonian side of Kal-El. This Clark Kent is just Kal-El before he is Superman, and it’s not very endearing.

Dustin: The ‘78 film had a lot of iconic movie imagery. There is General Zod and his gang getting expelled from Krypton in a 2D square, the fortress of solitude, Superman’s external undies. Those are images that will stick with you your whole life. This movie suffers compared to that film in that regard.

Nick: You combined the first two films. Zod was in Superman II, son! Which is my favorite.

Dustin: But you see him get expelled from Krypton in the first one.

Nick: Oh, that’s funny. That’s what I wanted to happen in Man of Steel. I wanted the writers to set him up as a future bad guy.

Dustin: I agree 100 percent. I thought this was a little too overblown for the first film in a series or trilogy. As a stand-alone film it was fine, but the sequel will need to be bigger and better, and I don’t think they could get bigger without being silly.

If this was a trilogy, I would have liked to see General Zod expelled from Krypton in the first film, then have a young Superman who wasn't quite sure of his limitations go up against a minor villain. In the second film, a full-fledged Superman could fight Lex Luthor, who forces ethical dilemmas on our hero that he can’t solve by strength alone. Then wrap up the trilogy with General Zod. I have a hard time picturing Clark Kent going to work at the Daily Planet after everything that happened in this film.

Nick: I disagree. I think as a standalone film it suffers, but I think it will become better after the next films in the series are released. DC developed this film as the starter of its Justice League series.

Dustin: What did you think of this movie visually?

Nick: The one brilliant thing about this movie was its action directing. I loved the fight scenes, especially when there wasn't advertising in the background. But even though I loved the fight scenes they didn't hold true to the values of Superman. He used to be all about giving his body so as to not destroy things like buildings in order for less humans to become casualties. In this film he takes down skyscrapers and blows up tankers without a single thought.

Dustin: I agree that wasn't very Christ-like of a hero who was 33 years old and juxtaposed next to images of Christ.

I thought the film looked great, especially the scenes on Krypton. It was developed well as an alien world. Some of the imagery was a little too overblown. Sometimes I couldn't tell where I was supposed to look. I blame that on George Lucas/Star Wars prequels influence. I also didn't like the shaky cam. There’s a dramatic scene between Kevin Costner and young Clark Kent that looks like the cameraman is having a seizure. Hold the camera still and let the acting carry the scene! But then Lois Lane is watching video she shot of Clark Kent sneaking into the Fortress of Solitude on her Nikon camera and the image is perfectly still. If any shot should have been shaky, it should have been that.

Nick: It pleases me that you noticed how much they were comparing Superman to Christ. It started to irk me after awhile. I am shocked though that you didn't mention the lens flares. Everyone seemed to be annoyed by them in Star Trek Into Darkness, where I thought they were used well, but in Man of Steel I guess it’s OK to have lens flares in practically every shot.

Dustin: I guess I didn't notice the lens flares because my eyes were drawn to the product placements. Sears, U-Haul, Nikon, Nokia, LexCorp, Chevrolet, Budweiser, all paid for product placement in this film. About 25 minutes took place in an IHOP. Even through the gloom and explosions, you can still make out the 7-Eleven sign.

Nick: Before I saw this film I read an article about how Man of Steel recouped three-fourths of its budget just through advertising. So even if the film bombed it still would have made its money back just by how much it whored itself out. Christ-like indeed!

THE FOLLOWING SECTION CONTAINS SPOILERS

Nick: The film was very incompetent in many ways, especially in the way the story randomly carried itself. For example, Superman gave himself up to Zod and then Faora-Ul demanded Lois come on the ship as well, but they do absolutely nothing with her. She was brought on the ship purely so the story could carry on. Superman handed her the device that for some reason could be put into another device that just happened to be in the room they threw Lois into unguarded so that Jor-El’s ghost would then corrupt their system. It’s ridiculous.

Dustin: Exactly. How did Superman, who’d never been to Krypton and presumably didn't understand its technology, know that there would be a drive for his “Hope” USB in General Zod’s ship? And what if Jor-El had a PC while General Zod had a Mac? Like you said, they just needed to advance to the next plot point.

Nick: None of the humans were developed well until the last 10 minutes of the film, where there was finely some light-heartedness. Even Jonathan Clark’s (Kevin Costner) eventual death was ineffective. He died by tornado in Kansas (of course) to save their dog trapped in a car so that Clark wouldn't have to show his powers to other onlookers by running mildly faster than most people could and by using his strength to keep on the ground longer than most near a tornado. Really, Jonathan? Really?

Dustin: And everyone in Kansas knows that tornadoes can just come out of nowhere like that. And there are usually tons of people driving on them country highways to become potential onlookers.

END OF SPOILERS

Nick: I was not convinced of Superman’s trust and eventually love of Lois Lane. He first meets her after he catches her spying on him and he tells her, “I can do things other people can’t.” What a line! Then she writes an article about him and tells the whole world. Then she tracks him down to his Dad’s grave. Why does he trust her so much? Because the script tells him too?

Dustin: Because Amy Adams is cute, that’s why.

Nick: Good reasoning! I’m sold.

Dustin: I don’t think the things we mentioned detracted too much from what was an enjoyable summer blockbuster. They just prevented a good film from being a great one. Would you recommend it?

Nick: No. The film needed a co-director to slow the film down at some points. I think if Bryan Singer and Zach Snyder directed the next one together it could be a masterpiece. Singer understands the soul, and Snyder showed the impact.